Old Ben's Farm

Andrew Boysen, Jr.

Subtitle: Fanfare for Wind Symphony

General Info

Year: 2016 / 2019
Duration: c. 3:40
Difficulty: IV-1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Neil A. Kjos
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $90.00 | Score Only (print) - $10 .00

Instrumentation

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

Bass Drum
Cabasa
Chimes
Log Drum
Marimba
Orchestra Bells
Sandpaper Blocks
Sleigh Bells
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tam-Tam
Temple Blocks
Triangle
Vibraphone
Wood Block
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

This breakneck fanfare was written for the University of New Hampshire, which after 150 years continues to "rest lightly on old Ben Thompson's farm." After an extended timpani solo, there is no "resting lightly" for woodwinds as the fast-moving melody darts from section to section with sharp interjections from the brass and percussion.

- Program Note from publisher

Old Ben's Farm (Fanfare for Wind Symphony) was commissioned by the University of New Hampshire in celebration of the university's sesquicentennial. The title of the piece was inspired by a passage on the UNH website which presents a brief history of the university, describing the enormous growth and development of campus over the past 150 years, and culminating with the fact that even as the university continues to evolve, it also continues to "rest lightly on old Ben Thompson's farm." This seemed to me to be the perfect title for a piece that is meant to celebrate all that the university has become.

For me, one of the most exciting aspects of this project was that it provided the opportunity compose something directly for my own students here at UNH, an opportunity that I have only had once previously. To that end, I solicited ideas from the members of the ensemble and eventually chose one of those ideas as the basis for the fanfare. The idea was to use a musical cryptogram to spell words musically within the piece, a concept employed by composers throughout history. I loved the idea and ended up using the school's mascot's name "Wild E. Cat" as the generator for most of the material in the piece. The main melody spells out the word and much of the harmonic material does as well. Here are also two arrival points in the work which spell out "UNH." More than anything, though, I attempted to compose a fanfare that would honor the history of UNH while looking forward with excitement toward the next 150 years on Old Ben's Farm.

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

James Clemens High School (Madison, Ala.) Wind Ensemble (Keith Anderson, conductor) – 1 February 2020
University of New Hampshire (Durham) Wind Symphony (Andrew Boysen Jr., conductor) – 30 September 2016 *Premiere Performance*

Works for Winds by This Composer

Alchemy (2008/2013)
All the Pretty Little Horses. See: Three Folk Song Settings for Band
Ancient Runes (2017)
Apples (2018)
Branden's Rainbow (1997/2002)
Bright Sunny Days (2013)
By My Side (2018)
Casus Belli (2018)
Celebration In Brass (1995)
Concerto for Percussion (as transcriber) (1994/1997)
Conversations with the Night (1994)
Dance, from All Hail the Power
December Dance (2005)
Diamond Jubilee Suite (2018)
Distorted Images: A Jazzman's Nightmare (1989)
A Fallen Leaf (2004)
Fanfare: In Memoriam (2015)
Fantasy on a Theme by Sousa (2003)
Frenzy (2010)
The Four Horsemen (1989)
A Glimpse through the Trees (2014)
Grant Them Eternal Rest (2003)
Havener Fanfare (2012)
Heirloom (2009)
I Am (1990)
John Henry (1990)
Joyride (2003/2008)
Kinetic Energy (1994)
Kirkpatrick Fanfare (1999)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (2006)
Metamorphosis (2013)
Old Ben's Farm (2016/2019)
On the Merrimack (2010)
Ovations (1995)
Phoenix (2020)
Poor Wayfaring Stranger. See: Three Folk Song Settings for Band
Relentless (2000)
Scarborough Fair. See: Three Folk Song Settings for Band
Scherzo (1995)
Scherzo No 2 (2013)
Shades of Ivory (1996)
Simple Song (1995)
Snowflakes Dancing (2012/2016)
Song for Lyndsay (2005)
Song for My Children (2013)
Song for My Parents (2020)
Song of Loudest Praise, A (2010)
Song of the Sea Maidens (1994)
Stamp, from A Jack Stamp Suite (2017)
Star-Crossed (2013)
Symphony No. 1 for Winds and Percussion (1997)
Symphony No. 3 (1999)
Symphony No. 4 (2006)
Symphony No. 6 (2012)
Symphony No. 8 (2015-2016)
- Winter of the World
Symphony No. 10 (2019)
This Is the Drum (2013)
Thoughts of You (1998)
Three Folk Song Settings for Band
- Poor Wayfaring Stranger (2007/2012)
- All the Pretty Little Horses (as arranger) (2014)
- Scarborough Fair (as arranger) (2013)
Time Streams (After Tricycle) (2011)
To Break Earth's Sleep (2015)
Tricycle (1997)
Twilight of the Gods (2010)
An Uncommon Man (1993)
Unraveling (2006)
Urban Scenes (1993)
The Vikings (2015)

Resources

Andrew Boysen Jr. website Accessed 28 January 2020
Boysen, Jr., A. (2019). Old Ben's Farm: Fanfare for Wind Symphony [score]. Neil A. Kjos: San Diego, Calif.
Perusal score