Fortress

From Wind Repertory Project
Fortress

Frank Ticheli


General Info

Year: 1989
Duration: 5:30
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manhattan Beach Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $95.00   |   Score Only - $15.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
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 Contrabass 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
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals (small)
  • Glockenspiel
  • Slapstick
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tambourine
  • Tom-Tom
  • Xylophone


Errata

  • Bass Clarinet, m.112, beat 3 1/2: F sharp, as in score, not F natural as in part
  • Alto Saxophone I, m.117, beat 1: Should be a dotted quarter note, not quarter note
  • Tenor Saxophone, m.60: missing staccato dots (also missing from cues in Alto Saxophone I)
  • Tenor Saxophone, m.152, beat 4: Should be a Gb, not Ab
  • Horn I-II, m.93, beat 1: B flat, not B natural
  • All Horns, m.148, beat 1: Eighth note followed by eighth rest, not quarter note
  • Tuba, m.109, beat 2 1/2: B natural, as in score, not D natural as in part

Program Notes

Fortress was composed in 1988 and received its premiere performance in Iron County, Michigan, by the Batawagana Youth Camp Band. Ticheli wrote the piece while serving on the faculty of Trinity College in San Antonio, Texas, making Fortress one of his earlier compositions for the wind band. The piece is based upon short motive ideas, which Ticheli develops, layers, and sets in imitative textures throughout the piece. Each work can be traced back to the interval of a tritone, an important trend throughout the work.

- Program Note from University of British Columbia Concert Winds concert program, 2 April 2016


Fortress was composed as a tribute to the composer's former band director, Robert Floyd of Richardson, Texas. Although Ticheli was already an international award winner, this was his first published work for concert band.

The first 19 bars of Fortress are taken from the composer's piano score for a 1987 theater production of Moliere's Don Juan. Of the dozens of short snips, each of which portrays a different character, this passage represents the dual personality of Don Alonso -- on the one hand chivalrous and honor bound; on the other hand sinister and ruthless.

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

  • Florida: IV
  • Texas: III. Complete


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Parkland College (Champaign, Ill.) Wind Ensemble (Jonathan Beckett, conductor) - 15 October 2023
  • Lincoln High School Wind (Seattle, Wash.) Ensemble (Zachariah MacIntyre, conductor) - 4 March 2023
  • Bemidji (Minn.) State University Symphonic Band (Ryan Webber, conductor) – 15 November 2022
  • Austin (Tx.) Symphonic Band (Robert Floyd, conductor) – 1 February 2020
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Tuesday University Band (Darin Olson, conductor) – 8 December 2019
  • Ithaca (N.Y.) College Wind Symphony (Christopher Hughes, conductor) – 3 May 2019
  • University of Florida (Gainesville) Tuesday/Thursday Concert Band (Ramona Shiwbaran, conductor) – 24 April 2019
  • Western Connecticut (Wilton) Youth Orchestra Wind Ensemble (Albert Montevalvo, conductor) – 4 March 2019
  • Emporia (Ks.) Municipal Band (James Davis, conductor) - 7 June 2018
  • University of Arizona (Tucson) Concert Band (Evan Gibson, conductor) – 28 April 2018
  • Illinois State University (Normal) Symphonic Winds (Marykatheryne Kuhne, conductor) – 23 March 2018
  • Berea (Ky.) College Wind Ensemble (James Dreiling, conductor) – 1 March 2018
  • Penn State University (University Park) Campus Band (Dennis Glocke, conductor) – 25 April 2017
  • Ithaca (N.Y.) College Campus Band (Brian Diller, conductor) – 22 April 2017
  • University of Texas, Arlington, Symphonic Band (Christopher Evans, conductor) – 23 February 2017
  • University of Iowa, University Band (Nolan Hauta, guest conductor) - 5 December 2016
  • University of British Columbia (Vancouver) Concert Winds (Imran Amarshi, conductor) – 2 April 2016
  • University of California, Los Angeles, Symphonic Band (Ian Richard, conductor) - 27 May 2015
  • California State University, Northridge, Wind Symphony (Lawrence Stoffel, conductor) - 18 November 2014
  • Parkland College (Champaign, Ill.) Concert Band (Larry Stoner, conductor) - 9 April 2014


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources