Pennsylvania Faux Songs
Subtitle: Folk Songs Pennsylvanians Forgot to Write
General Info
Year: 2018
Duration: c. 12:30
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Amstel, through Rundel
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $185.00
Movements
1. On the Banks of the Susquehanna River
2. The Gettysburg March
3. The Girl from Allegheny
4. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Waltz
5. The Allentown Jig
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II (double Piccolo II)
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
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
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp
Harmonica
Accordion
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:
- Bass Drum
- Crash Cymbals (2)
- Field Drum
- Floor Tom
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tambourine
- Triangle
- Tubular Bells
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
When I was asked to compose a new work for the 190th anniversary of the legendary Allentown Band, America’s oldest community band, I didn’t hesitate: it was a no-brainer. What an honor to write for a musical group founded in 1828. I gave conductor Ronald Demkee an enthusiastic: Yes!
My first idea was composing an instrumental suite based on Pennsylvania folk songs. Demkee agreed, and I began researching the musical heritage of The Keystone State. But after three weeks of looking under every musical rock, I was coming up with nothing: I came to the disappointing conclusion that there were no adequately inspiring melodies to attribute solely to the state. After wringing my hands for quite a bit, I phoned Demkee with a preposterous proposal: “Pennsylvania should have its own folk songs. What if I made them up myself?” Spontaneous laughter erupted on the other side of the line. Yet Demkee gave me the green light. It resulted in a suite of five songs—all of which could have come from Pennsylvanian denizens long time ago:
- On the Banks of the Susquehanna River
- The Gettysburg March
- The Girl from Allegheny
- The Punxsutawney Groundhog Waltz
- The Allentown Jig
The world premiere was enthusiastically received on the Fourth of July, 2018, performed by The Allentown Band under the composer’s baton, exactly 190 years after their very first concert in 1928.
- Program Note by composer
Commercial Discography
Media
- Audio: Reference recording. Concordia University Chicago Wind Symphony (Richard R. Fischer, conductor)
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Heart of Texas Concert Band (San Antonio) (Johan de Meij, conductor) - 31 January 2021
- Allentown (Penn.) Band (Johan de Meij, conductor) – 4 July 2018 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
- African Harmony (2017)
- Aladdin Suite (as arranger)
- American Prelude
- Aquarium (1991)
- At Kitty O'Shea's (2011)
- Beatles Collection (as arranger) (1982)
- Canticles (2007)
- Casanova (2000)
- Celtic Classics (2016)
- Ceremonial Fanfare (2005)
- Chanson de Matin (as arranger) (c. 1890/1988)
- Clair de lune (as arranger) (1890/1905/2017)
- Cloud Factory (2011)
- Continental Overture (1997)
- Copacabana (as arranger)
- Downtown Divertimento (2014)
- Dutch Masters Suite (2008)
- Echoes of San Marco (2016)
- Edgar (as arranger) (1889/2008)
- Extreme Make-Over (2004)
- Extreme Beethoven (2012)
- Fellini (2015)
- Festive Hymn (2007)
- Fifty Shades of E (2016)
- Highlights from "Riverdance" (as arranger) (1994/2014)
- Highlights from the Seville Suite (as arranger) (1992/2011)
- Hobbits Dance and Hymn (arr. Lavender) (1987/2006)
- Honky Tonk Ragtime (as arranger) (1985)
- James Bond 007 (1983/2021)
- Jazz Suite No. 2 (as arranger) (post-1956/1994)
- March (as arranger) (post-1956/1994)
- Lyric Waltz (as arranger) (post-1956/1995)
- Dance I (as arranger) (post-1956/1994)
- Dance II (as arranger) (post-1956/1994)
- Waltz No. 2 (as arranger) (post-1956/1994)
- Finale (as arranger) (post-1956/1994)
- Joropo (as arranger)
- Jupiter Hymn (as arranger)
- Klezmer Classics (2004)
- La Fanciulla del West (as arranger) (1910/2008)
- La Quintessenza (1990/1998)
- Les Papillons (as editor)
- Loch Ness (1988)
- Lord of the Rings. See: Symphony No. 1
- Lord of the Rings (arr. Lavender) (1987/2001)
- Los Cuatro Vientos (2021)
- Madurodam (1997)
- March to Mars (as arranger) (1987)
- Marche Americana (as editor) (1997)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (as arranger) (1826/2022)
- Moment for Morricone (as arranger) (1966/1996)
- Mondriaan (2021)
- Musical Highlights from "Chess" (as arranger) (1993)
- The Painted Bird (2021)
- Pavane (as arranger) (1899/1991)
- Pennsylvania Faux Songs (2018)
- Phantom of the Opera (as arranger)
- Polish Christmas Music, Part I (1995)
- Ratatouille Satirique (as arranger) (/1994)
- Romeo and Juliet (as arranger). See: Suite from the Ballet "Romeo & Juliet"
- Rotterdam 1945 (2019)
- Sinfonietta No. 1 (2011/2012)
- Songs from the Catskills (2012)
- Spring (2010)
- Star Wars Saga (as arranger) (1987)
- Suite for Variety Orchestra (as arranger) (post 1956/1994)
- Suite from the Ballet "Romeo & Juliet" (as arranger) (1935/1990)
- Summer (2013)
- Symphony No. 1 (1987)
- Symphony No. 2 (1993)
- Symphony No. 3 (2007)
- Symphony No. 4 (2013)
- Symphony No. 5 (2018)
- Ancalagon, the Black (2018)
- UFO Concerto (2012)
- T-Bone Concerto (1996)
- Te Deum (as transcriber) (1900/2010)
- Two-Bone Concerto (2016)
- Teddy Trombone (as arranger)
- Triptychon (2023)
- Triumphal March (as arranger) (1872/2003)
- Un Momento Dado (2021)
- The Venetian Collection
- Via Claudia (2012)
- Wind in the Willows (2002)
- Windy City Overture (2006)
- The Witches' Sabbath (as arranger)
- The Woman in White (as arranger) (2006)
- The Year 2020 (2022)
Resources
- Johan de Meij website Accessed 31 January 2021
- Perusal score