Please DONATE to help with maintenance and upkeep of the Wind Repertory Project!

Chester

From Wind Repertory Project
Jump to navigation Jump to search
William Schuman

William Schuman


This work is the third movement of Schuman's "New England Triptych."


General Info

Year: 1778 / 1957
Duration: c. 6:05
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Theodore Presser Company
Cost: Score and Parts - $125.00   |   Oversize Full Score of Complete Triptych - $65.00   |   Full Score Only (oversized) - $50.00   |   Full Score Only - $20.00   |   Condensed Score Only - $9.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
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 Bass Saxophone
B-flat Cornet (or Trumpet) I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion (4 players), including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Woodblock


Errata

In Parts:

  • Piccolo. m.46, beat 2: sixteenth note (F-sharp) should read eighth note
  • Oboe II, m.148, beat 1: add duration dot to E-flat quarter note
  • Oboe II, m.148, beat 2: B-flat quarter note should read B-flat eighth note
  • Clarinet I, m.100, beat 1: G-sharp should read G (natural)
  • Clarinet II, m.75, beat 2: C natural should read C-sharp
  • Clarinet II, m.175: rehearsal figure “175” should be here, not two bars later
  • Clarinet II, m.206, beat 1: quarter rest should read eighth rest
  • Clarinet III, m.82, beat 1: quarter rest should read eighth rest [corrected in Presser printing]
  • Clarinet III, m.221, beat 1: B should read C
  • Cornet I, m.101, beat 2&: delete last eighth rest
  • Cornet III, m.18, beat 4: delete breath mark
  • Cornet III, m.84, beat 1: quarter rest should read eighth rest
  • Cornet III, m.207, beat 2&: E natural should read E-flat
  • Horn in F I, m.167, beat 3: A should read B
  • Percussion, m.83, beat 2&: this note is for crash cymbals. The snare drum enters in m.84, beat 1.


See also: Topolewski in Resources, below.


Program Notes

The tune on which this composition is based was born during the very time of the American Revolution, appearing in 1778 in a book of tunes and anthems composed by William Billings called The Singing Master's Assistant. This book became known as Billings' Best following as it did his first book called The New England Psalm Singer, published in 1770. Chester was so popular that it was sung throughout the colonies from Vermont to South Carolina. It became the song of the American Revolution, sung around the campfires of the Continental Army and played by fifers on the march. The music and words, both composed by Billings, expressed perfectly the burning desire for freedom which sustained the colonists through the difficult years of the Revolution.

Let tyrants shake their iron rod,
 And Slav'ry clank her galling chains,
 We fear them not, we trust in God,
 New England's God forever reigns.


The Foe comes on with haughty Stride;
 Our troops advance with martial noise,
 Their Vet'rans flee before our Youth,
 And Gen'rals yield to beardless Boys.


What grateful Off'ring shall we bring?
 What shall we render to the Lord?
 Loud Halleluiahs let us Sing,
 And praise his name on ev'ry Chord.

- Program Note by William Schuman


Schuman originally composed Chester as the third movement of his New England Triptych for orchestra, where he interpreted William Billings’s hymn and marching song of the same name. He later developed and extended the work to become an overture for band; however, the work is often performed as the answer to Schuman’s second movement prelude of the Triptych, When Jesus Wept.

- Program Notes by Jennifer Daffinee for the 2016 Texas All-State 5A Symphonic Band concert program, 13 February 2016


Media


State Ratings

  • Arkansas: V
  • Florida: V --- (The Florida Bandmasters Association denotes this as "significant literature.")
  • Georgia: V
  • Indiana: I (ISSMA HS Gp. I)
  • New York: VI
  • Texas: V
  • Virginia: VI


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Maryland Band Directors Band (Rockville) (Daniel Ord, conductor) - 23 February 2023
  • Kennesaw (Ga.) State University Wind Symphony (Daniel Lee, conductor) - 15 February 2023
  • New England Conservatory (Boston, Mass.) Wind Ensemble (Charles Peltz, conductor) - 14 February 2023
  • University of Rhode Island (Kingston) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Brian Cardany, conductor) - 9 December 2022
  • Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Orchestra (Mark Scatterday, conductor) - 17 October 2022
  • University of Illinois (Champaign/Urbana) Wind Symphony (Kevin Geraldi, conductor) — 30 September 2022
  • University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Symphony Band (Michael Haithcock, conductor) – 30 September 2022
  • Youngstown (Ohio) State University Wind Ensemble (Benjamin Pickard, conductor) - 25 April 2022
  • California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Wind Orchestra (Nicholas P. Waldron, conductor) – 26 February 2022
  • California All-State High School Symphonic Band (Marcellus Brown, conductor) – 20 February 2022 (2022 CASMEC Conference, Fresno)
  • Lake High School (Uniontown/Hartville, Ohio) Symphonic Winds (Alfred Watkins, conductor) – 14 February 2022
  • Lockport (Ill.) Township High School Wind Symphony (James Keene, conductor) - 18 December 2021 (2021 Midwest Clinic)
  • Texas Tech University (Lubbock) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Christopher Agwu, conductor) - 28 October 2021
  • University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) Wind Ensemble (Kayla Moyers, conductor) - 7 October 2021
  • University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble (Thomas Gamboa, conductor) - 12 September 2021
  • United States Marine Band (Washington, D.C.) (Jason K. Fettig, conductor) - 8 July 2021
  • University of Delaware (Newark) Wind Ensemble (Anthony McDonnell, conductor) - 7 May 2021
  • Pittsburg (Kan.) State University Wind Ensemble (Andrew Chybowski, conductor) - 22 April 2021
  • Henderson State University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Shaun R. Popp, conductor) - 11 April 2021
  • Whitworth University (Spokane, Wash.) Wind Symphony (Richard Strauch, conductor) - 14 November 2020
  • Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) Concert Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 8 November 2020


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

Retrieved from "https://www.windrep.org/index.php?title=Chester&oldid=418767"