Dies Natalis
Howard Hanson (transcribed by the composer)
General Info
Year: 1967 / 1973
Duration: 14:00
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts (print) – Rental | Score Only (print) - $63.25
Instrumentation
Full Score
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
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-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion, including:
- Bass Drum
- Crash Cymbals
- Snare Drum
- Tenor Drum
- Tubular Bells
- Xylophone
Errata
- Baritone TC, 3 m. after 9, beat 3: C natural should be C#
- Baritone TC, 2 m. before 22, beat 3: C-flat natural should be C natural
Program Notes
Dies Natalis, for band, is in the form of an introduction, chorale, five variations, and finale, based on the ancient and beautiful Lutheran Christmas chorale-tune, celebrating the birth of Christ. It was performed for the first time in the Eastman Theatre, April 7, 1972, by the Eastman Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Donald Hunsberger for the 50th birthday of the Eastman School of Music.
"I used to sing it as a boy in the Swedish Lutheran Church of Wahoo, Nebraska. This chorale has, without doubt, been the greatest single musical influence in my life as a composer. Traces of the chorale appear in my early orchestra work, Lux Aeterna, and in sections of my opera, Merry Mount. The chorale form has also influenced my Chorale and Alleluia for band and my fourth and fifth symphonies for orchestra."
Program Note by composer
Media
- Audio: United States Coast Guard Band (Kenneth W. Megan, conductor)
- Audio CD: Eastman Wind Ensemble (Donald Hunsberger, conductor) – 1993
- Audio CD: United States Air Force Band (Lowell E. Graham, conductor) - 2006
State Ratings
- Florida: V --- (The Florida Bandmasters Association denotes this as "significant literature")
- Minnesota - Category I
- New York: VI
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) Symphonic Band (Jerry Luckhardt, conductor) -- 28 November 2023
- Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Mark Scatterday, conductor) - 8 December 2021
- Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago) Wind Ensemble (Travis Heath, conductor) - 30 November 2021
- San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Wind Orchestra (Jennifer Martin, conductor) – 15 December 2019
- West Chester University (Penn.) Wind Ensemble (Christina DiMagio Vafiadis, conductor) – 10 December 2017
- University of North Texas (Denton) Symphonic Band (Dennis W. Fisher, conductor) – 19 September 2017
- San Jose (Calif.) Wind Symphony (Edward Harris, conductor) - 14 December 2014
- Eastman Wind Ensemble (Mark Davis Scatterday, conductor) - 24 November 2014
- San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Wind Orchestra (Jennifer Martin, conductor) - 14 May 2011
- University of Nebraska at Omaha Symphonic Wind Ensemble (James R. Saker, conductor) – 13 March 2008 (CBDNA 2008 North Central Division Conference, Omaha, Neb.)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Centennial March
- Chorale and Alleluia (1954)
- Concerto for Piano (arr. Bencriscutto)
- Dies Natalis (1973)
- First Movement from "Symphony No 2, 'Romantic' " (arr. Allen) (1930/2018)
- Laude (1976)
- March Carillon (arr. Leidzén) (1920/1940)
- Second Movement from "Nordic Symphony No. 1" (trans. Maddy) (1922/1938)
- Second Movement from "Symphony No 1" (arr. Maddy) (1922/1938)
- Serenade for Flute
- Suite from the Opera "Merry Mount" (tr. Boyd)
- Symphony No. 2 "Romantic": Second Movement (arr. Goldberg) (1930/1960)
- Third Movement from "Symphony No. 2" (arr. McBeth) (1930/1983)
- To Pull Out All the Stops
- Triumphal Ode (ed. Ripley) (1918/2008)
- Variations on an Ancient Hymn (1977)
Resources
- Hanson, H. [1973]. Dies Natalis for Band [Score]. Carl Fischer: New York.
- Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. 2002. Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Volume 4. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 623-627.
- Spradley, Emily Anne (2010). An Analytical and Educational Survey of Howard Hanson's Dies Natalis For Band. Columbus State University, Master's Thesis.