Selections from "The Music Man"

From Wind Repertory Project
Meredith Willson

Meredith Willson (arr. Vinson)


This article is a stub. If you can help add information to it,
please join the WRP and visit the FAQ (left sidebar) for information.


General Info

Year: 2000
Duration: c. 4:00
Difficulty: II (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $55.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
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 Trumpet I-II
Horn in F
Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Convertible Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III

(percussion detail desired)


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

It's hard to find a musical that has wider appeal and more captivating music than Meredith Willson's The Music Man. Johnnie Vinson's medley features The Wells Fargo Wagon, Till There Was You, and Seventy Six Trombones.

- Program Note from publisher


The Music Man was one of the most popular musicals ever written. As composer, lyricist, and librettist, Willson began working on the show in 1951. After 38 rewrites, it was finally produced in 1957, starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook. During a Broadway run of 1,375 performances, it grossed above $10 million; won five Tony awards, three New York Critics Circle Awards, and a Grammy; had a national company touring for several years; and was made into a Warner Brothers film, starring Preston and Shirley Jones, in 1962. It was staged in Europe, including a London production, in 1961; revived on Broadway in 1965 and 1980; and in 1987 became the first American musical ever staged in China. The production, featuring an all-Chinese cast, was staged in Beijing to enthusiastic crowds.

The show is a sentimental comedy of small-town life in River City, Iowa, in 1912, with a plot which deals with the efforts of “music (con) man” Harold Hill to sell instruments for a band and skip town. He hadn’t counted on having his heart stolen by the local librarian. Some researchers believe that Willson’s model for Hill was the longtime salesman for C. G. Conn, Lynn L. Sams. Willson, however, said, “He’s so many people, I remember different ones every time I see the show.” Many other characters, places, and events may be traced directly to the composer’s hometown of Mason City, Iowa.

With tuneful music, jovial humor, and warm sentiment, he dramatized familiar scenes of his youth in a way that captured the hearts of millions and directed their attention to the interesting and wholesome role which band music has played in the cultural life of the towns and villages of America. The most popular songs in The Music Man range from the soulful Goodnight My Someone and Till There Was You to the rousing Seventy-Six Trombones by way of Gary, Indiana, It’s You, Lida Rose, Marian the Librarian, Pickalittle, The “Sadder-But-Wiser Girl, Shipoopi, Trouble, and The Wells Fargo Wagon.

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources