John Moss

John Moss

Biography

John Moss (1948, Traverse City, Mich. - 22 April 2010, Beulah, Mich.) was an American composer, arranger, and orchestrator.

John's educational background included undergraduate study in instrumental music at Central Michigan University and graduate work in theory and composition at Michigan State University. He taught at both public school (band and choir) and university (theory) levels in Michigan.

John's music is a major contribution to the band and orchestra catalog of educational music publisher Hal Leonard Corporation and he has several hundred published works to his credit. As a composer, he had an extensive background creating original music for documentary, educational, and promotional films. As an arranger, he provided music for many live large-scale musical revues and production shows. John created the arrangements for Speak Low, a CD featuring Las Vegas trombonist John Haig with a 46-piece studio orchestra. He also served as arranger for the Disney educational project Magic Music Days, where young performing musicians are introduced to the film scoring/recording process. He accepted numerous school band and orchestra commissions, and enjoyed writing for the Detroit Symphony Pops, the Canadian Brass, and the Detroit Chamber Winds.

In 2004, John and three fellow orchestrators transcribed approximately 90 minutes of orchestral music by film composer John Williams for a Kennedy Center concert featuring the United States Marine Band, with Mr. Williams conducting.

Works for Winds

• American Symphony, An (as arranger) (1996)
• American Visions (as arranger) (1997)
• Baby Elephant Walk (as arranger) (1962/1996)
• Baby, It's Cold Outside (as arranger) (1944/2008)
• Beach Boys on Stage (as arranger) (2002)
• Beauty and the Beast (as arranger) (1992)
• Best of the Beatles (as arranger) (2003)
• British Waterside (as arranger) (1997)
• Call of the Champions (as arranger) (2002)
• Ceremonium (2003)
• Chillers and Thrillers (as arranger) (2006)
• Christmas at the Movies (2006)
• Christmas Time with Charlie Brown (as arranger) (2001)
• Convergence (2004)
• Deep River (as arranger) (2007)
• Disney at the Oscars (as arranger) (1991)
• A Disney Spectacular (as arranger) (1993)
• Do You Hear What I Hear? (as arranger, with Crocker) (1962/1993/2017)
• Fanfare and Evocation (2002)
• Feliz Navidad (as arranger) (1970/1997)
• A Festive Christmas Celebration (2007)
• Flashpoint (2008)
• Gaelic Dances (as arranger) (2001)
• Gershwin on Broadway (as arranger) (1991)
• Gettysburg (as arranger) (1993/1994)
• The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (as transcriber) (1910/2007)
• Go Daddy O (as arranger) (1999)
• God Bless America (as arranger) (1939/1995)
• Golden Age of Broadway, The (as arranger) (2009)
• Grand Ledge Overture (2001)
• Great Movie Marches (as arranger) (1996)
• The Great Race March (as arranger) (1965/2005)
• The Great Waldo Pepper March (as arranger) (1965/2005)
• Hall of Fame (as arranger) (1931/)
• Highland Legend (1999)
• Highlights from "Cars" (as arranger) (2007)
• Highlights from "Evita" (as arranger) (1977/1997)
• Highlights from "Oklahoma!" (as arranger) (1943/1994)
• A Holiday Sing-Along (as arranger) (2002)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (as arranger) (1996)
• I Just Can't Wait to be King (as arranger) (1994)
• Invincible Spirit (2002)
• It Don't Mean a Thing (as arranger) (1932/1989)
• It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (as arranger) (1951/2004)
• It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (as arranger) (1963/1994)
• James Horner: Hollywood Blockbusters (as arranger) (1998)
• Jesus Christ Superstar (as adapter, with Henry Mancini) (1970/2004)
• John Williams: Symphonic Soundtracks (as arranger) (2001)
• Les Cheneaux Impressions (2003)
• Lyric Suite (as arranger) (2010)
• Marching Down Broadway (as arranger) (2007
• Marching Song (as arranger) (1906/2006)
• Mexican Fiesta (2005)
• Midway March (as arranger) (1976/1994)
• Music from "Air Force One" (as arranger) (1997/1998)
• Music from "Apollo 13" (as arranger) (1995)
• Music from "Titanic" (as arranger) (1998)
• The Night Before Christmas (1990)
• Old American Songs (as arranger) (2006)
• Olympics: A Centennial Celebration (as arranger) (1996)
• Palestrina Suite (as arranger) (2005)
• The Patriot (as arranger) (2000/2001)
• The Peanut Vendor (as arranger) (c. 1928)
• Pennywhistle Jig (as arranger) (1970/1999)
• A Prayer for Peace (as arranger) (2006)
• Prelude and Revelation (2004)
• Prologue (2000)
• Quantum (2008)
• Red, White and Brass (as arranger) (1993)
• Rhapsody of the Sea
• Ritual and Celebration (2001)
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (as arranger) (1949/2000)
• Scarborough Fair (as arranger) (2002)
• Selections from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (as arranger) (1962/1997)
• Selections from "Aladdin" (as arranger)
• "Shrek" Soundtrack Highlights (as arranger) (2001)
• Silver Bells (as arranger) (1950/1995?)
• Somewhere in My Memory (as arranger) (1991/200-?)
• Sounds of the Season (as arranger) (1996)
• Space and Beyond (as arranger) (1998)
• Star Trek through the Years (as arranger) (1995/2010)
• The Summit (2008)
• The Sword of Lancelot (2004)
• Symphonic Celebration (1999)
• Tchaikovsky's Greatest Hits (as arranger) (2003)
• Theme from "Schindler's List" (as arranger) (1993/2008)
• Three Renaissance Dances (as arranger) (2003)
• Thunder (as arranger) (2004)
• Tribute (arr Moss) (as arranger) (2004)
• Tribute to Count Basie (as arranger) (2004)
• Victory at Sea (as arranger)
• We Need a Little Christmas (as arranger) (1966/1996)
• White Christmas (as arranger, with Huff) (1940/1995)
• White Christmas (as arranger) (1940/1998)
• The Wonder of Christmas (as arranger)
• A Yuletide Trilogy (as arranger)
• Zoot Suite Riots (as arranger) (1997/1998)

Resources

• Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "John Moss." Accessed 30 March 2018
• "John Moss." Hal Leonard. Web. Accessed 30 March 2018