Mayflower Overture

Ron Nelson

General Info

Year: 1958 / 1997
Duration: c. 7:15
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $115.00 | Score Only (print) - $13.95

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion, including:

Bass Drum
Chimes
Crash Cymbals
Orchestra Bells
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tam-Tam
Thunder Sheet
Triangle
Wind Machine

Errata

Timpani, 2 m. before reh. F: This entrance should be on F-natural, not F-sharp as before.

Program Notes

Mayflower Overture, an original tone poem for band composed in 1958, is dedicated to Frederick Fennell and th Eastman Wind Ensemble. The piece is Ron Nelson's first significant work for band and was revised to the current version in 1997.

The work aims to depict the epic journey of the Pilgrims to the New World and is presented in three sections: "Departure" gives the listener the impression of the beginning of the voyage, "Storm," a portrayal of a violent storm at sea, and "Arrival in the New World," the sighting of land in November of 1620. Three Ainsworth Psalter (1612) hymns are used in the composition – Psalm 3, Psalm 136/84, and Psalm 100 ("Old Hundredth" or Doxology).

- Program Note from Ouachita Baptist University Wind Ensemble concert program, 10 March 2016

Media

Audio CD: Concordia University Wind Symphony (Richard R. Fischer, conductor) - 2009

State Ratings

Florida: V
Michigan: Senior High AA
Minnesota: II
North Carolina: V
Oklahoma: IV-A
Tennessee: IV

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Messiah University (Mechanicsburg, Penn.) Symphonic Winds (Travis Weller conductor) - 12 April 2022
University of Richmond (Va.) Wind Ensemble (Steven Barton, conductor) - 22 November 2021
Cedar City (Utah) Community Band (Steve Shirts, conductor) - 6 April 2021
Johnson City (Tenn.) Community Concert Band (Christian Zembower, conductor) - 7 October 2019
Charlottesville Municipal Band (Crozet, Va.) (Stephen R. Layman, conductor) – 4 June 2019
University of North Georgia (Gainesville) Wind Ensemble (J. Ashley Jarrell, conductor) – 4 December 2018
Kansas Wesleyan University (Salina) Wind Ensemble (Carl Rowles, conductor) – 22 November 2017
Band Camp for Adult Musicians (Meadville, Penn.) (Timothy Foley, conductor) – 18 June 2017
Ouachita Baptist University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Craig V. Hamilton, conductor) – 10 March 2016
Highland (Ind.) Community Band 13 November 2014

Works for Winds by This Composer

Aspen Jubilee (1988)
Brevard Fanfare (1986)
Chaconne (In Memoriam...) (1994/1995)
Concerto for Piano & Symphonic Band (1948)
Courtly Airs and Dances (1995)
Danza Capriccio (1991/2013)
Epiphanies (1994)
Fanfare for a Celebration (1982/1986)
Fanfare for Kennedy Center (1995/2008)
Fanfare for the Hour of Sunrise (1991)
Fanfare for the New Millennium (1999)
Lauds (Praise High Day) (1991)
Mayflower Overture (1958/1997)
Medieval Suite (1982-2019)
- Homage to Leonin (1983)
- Homage to Perotin (1982)
- Homage to Landini (2019)
- Homage to Machaut (1983)
Morning Alleluias for the Winter Solstice (1989/1991)
Night Song (1998)
Passacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H) (1993)
Pastorale (2006)
Pebble Beach Sojourn (1983/1994)
Resonances I (1990)
Rocky Point Holiday (1969)
Savannah River Holiday (1953/1973)
Sonoran Desert Holiday (1995)
Te Deum Laudamus (1988/1990)
To the Airborne (1992/1993)

Resources

Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Ron Nelson." Accessed 12 January 2023.
Nelson, R. (1997). Mayflower Overture [score]. Boosey & Hawkes: [s.l.]
Schueller, Rodney C. "Mayflower Overture. Ron Nelson (b. 1929)." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Volume 7, edited by Richard Miles. GIA Publications, 2009, pp. 394–400.