On the Mall

Edwin Franko Goldman

Edwin Franko Goldman (ed. Edward S. Lisk)

General Info

Year: 1923 / 2004
Duration: c. 3:10
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts - $90.00 | Score Only - $20.00

Instrumentation

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

Bass Drum
Snare Drum
Crash Cymbals

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

This sing-along/whistle-along march was written in 1923 for the dedication of the Elkan Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park. The title derives from the park's spacious mall, where the bandstand is located and where New Yorkers enjoy gathering to listen to concerts. The march was composed and arranged in collaboration with Mayhew Lake in 1923 and rearranged by Erik Leidzén in 1937. Richard Franko Goldman (a well-known composer is his own right) stated in a letter that his father "did not think much of the march at the time and was astonished that it became the most popular of all of his compositions." In January 1956, Goldman conducted this march as an encore at the Nels Vogel Clinic in Moorhead, Minnesota. It was the last piece he would ever conduct.

Like many of Goldman's other marches, On the Mall has explicit expression marks, including staccato quarter notes and accented half notes. In his book Band Betterment he was rather insistent on another point: he wanted his marches played at a tempo between 120 and 128 beats per minute.

- Program Note by Program Notes for Band

On the Mall, the popular march composed by American bandmaster Edwin Franko Goldman (1878—1956), vies with Chimes of Liberty as his two most popular compositions. The phrase “On the Mall” refers to the Mall at the Naumburg Bandshell, where the famous Goldman Band frequently performed in New York City’s Central Park. Goldman composed On the Mall to honor local philanthropist Elkan Naumburg, who financed the bandshell construction in 1923.

When Goldman performed On the Mall with his band, he often encouraged the audience to whistle the catchy tune of the trio section along with the band, eventually letting the crowd carry the melody “solo.” The tradition of whistling that trio melody continues to this day.

- Program Note from Shujitsu Junior and Senior High School Wind Ensemble concert program, 17 December 2015

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
Audio CD: Florida All-State Middle School Concert Band - 2013

State Ratings

Kansas: IV

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Nazareth College (Rochester, N.Y.) Symphonic Band (Jared Chase, conductor) - 26 April 2023
Cornell College (Mt. Vernon, Iowa) Symphonic Band (Joshua W. Neuenschwander, conductor) - 10 December 2022
Cherokee High School (Marlton, NJ) Wind Ensemble (D. Michael Lynch, conductor) - 1 December 2022
Hanover Wind Symphony (Whippany, N.J.) (Matthew J, Paterno, conductor) – 23 April 2019 (ACB 2019 Annual Convention (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.))
University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) Summer Band (Stephen Peterson, conductor) - 23 June 2016
Tallahassee (Fla.) Winds (Patrick Dunnigan, conductor) – 23 February 2016
Shujitsu Junior & Senior High School Wind Ensemble (Okayama, Japan) (Takumi Kobayashi, conductor) - 17 December 2015 (2015 Midwest Clinic)
West Chester (Penn.) University Concert Band (Matthew A. Knecht, conductor) – 15 November 2015
Minneapolis Symphonic Winds (Timothy Mahr, conductor) – 3 October 2015
Charlottesville (Va.) Municipal Band (Stephen R. Layman, conductor) – 14 July 2015
South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble (Keith W. Hodgson, conductor) - 2014
The Goldman Band (Chris Wiljhelm, conductor) – 25 February 2005 (CBDNA 2005 National Conference, New York, N.Y.)

Works for Winds by This Composer

The ABA March (arr. Lisk) (1931/2003)
Birthday March (ed. Leidzén) (1937)
A Bit of Syncopation
Boy Scouts of America (1931)
The British Grenadiers (arr. Tobani) (1915)
The Bugler (tr. Leidzén) (1943)
Bugles and Drums (1936)
Cheerio March (1933)
Cheerio March (arr. Erickson) (1933/1968)
Cheerio March (arr. Vinson) (1933/1999)
The Children's March (arr. Lake) (1934)
The Chimes of Liberty (1922/1937)
The Chimes of Liberty (arr. Custer) (1922/1995)
Chimes of Liberty (arr. Schissel) (1922/1998)
Christmas March (1940)
Christmas March (arr. Rogers) (1940/2016)
Espanita
Fantasia in G, BWV 572 (as arranger) (1703-7/1957/2012)
The Free Lance March (as arranger) (1906/1959)
Golden Gate March (1939)
Illinois March (trans. Leidzén) (1953)
Interlochen Bowl (1934)
Jubilee March (arr. Leidzén) (1937)
Jupiter (Goldman) (arr. Tobani) (1915)
Kentucky March (1949)
Let Freedom Ring (1932)
My Old Kentucky Home (arr. Tobani) (1915)
On Guard
On Parade (arr. Lisk) (1934/2009)
On the Air
On the Alert (1931)
On the Campus
On the Farm
On the Go
On the Green
On the Heights
On the Hudson (1940)
On the Hunt
On the Mall (1923)
On the Mall (arr. Lake) (1923)
On the Mall (ed. Lisk) (1923/2004)
On the Mall (arr. Leidzén) (1923/1938)
On the Pier
On the Road
Onward-Upward (1931)
The Pride of America (arr. Laurendeau) (1912)
Scherzo
Springtime Fancies
Star of the Evening
Sunshine and Shadows
V.F.W. (arr. Leidzén) (1949)

Resources

Goldman, Edwin F. (2018). "Chapter XII: 'On the Mall,' [Excerpted from "Facing the Music," the unfinished autobiography of Edwin Franko Goldman.] Contributed by Robert S. Cutler and William D. Clark. Journal of Band Research 53, no. 2 (Spring 2018): 63-70.
Goldman, Edwin F.; Lisk, E. (2004). On the Mall: Concert March [score]. Carl Fischer: [New York].
Pease, Andy. "On the Mall by Edwin Franko Goldman". Wind Band Literature. Web. Accessed 27 September 2018
Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 237.