Overture for a Musical Comedy

John Barnes Chance

This work bears the designation QMB 578.

General Info

Year: 1997
Duration: c. 8:45
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: March
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $130.00 | Score Only (print) - $16.50

Instrumentation

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

Bass Drum
Bells
Bongos
Claves
Crash Cymbals
Maracas
Snare Drum
Tambourine
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

This overture was written during Chance's stay in Greensboro. The fast section, title WGOOM, was originally a march intended for young bands – several revisions were later made in the march. According to William Francis McBeth, the march title was an acronym from a sign "We Grind Our Own Meat," which hung in Schutz's Beer Garden, a popular café in Austin. The place was patronized by Chance, Clifton Williams, Kent Kennan, McBeth, Larry Weiner, and other graduate students because it had the "best cheeseburgers in the world."

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band

Media

Audio: Nashville (Tenn.) Wind Ensemble (Stephen Rhodes, conductor)

State Ratings

Louisiana: IV
Texas: IV. Complete

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Nashville (Tenn.) Wind Ensemble (Stephen Rhodes, conductor) – January 2011

Works for Winds by This Composer

Blue Lake Overture (1971)
Burletta (2000)
Elegy (1972)
Fiesta
Incantation and Dance (1960)
Introduction and Capriccio for Piano and 24 Winds (1966)
Overture for a Musical Comedy (1997)
Symphony No. 2 (1972)
Variations on a Korean Folk Song (1967)

Resources

Chance, J. (1997). Overture for a Musical Comedy [score]. Boosey & Hawkes: [New York].
Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 119.