Huldigungsmarsch (ed Whitwell)

From Wind Repertory Project
Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner (ed. David Whitwell)


General Info

Year: 1864 / 2015
Duration: c. 6:10
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Maxime's Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $90.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
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
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Snare Drum
  • Triangle


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

As is well known, after a long period of frustration professionally, financially and personally, Wagner was ‘rescued’ by the appearance of Herr Pfistermeister, the secretary to the newly crowned king of Bavaria, Ludwig II, who announced the intent of the new king to guarantee the financial support of Wagner and his music. Wagner first met the king on 4 May 1864 and in gratitude began the composition of the Huldigungsmarch in honor of the king. The first performance, by three combined infantry bands stationed near Munich, was given on the king’s nineteenth birthday, 25 August 1864.

This modern edition for band of the Huldigungsmarsch by David Whitwell is based on the original band edition published by Schott in Mainz in 1871 and an arrangement by Wagner himself the following year for piano, which includes details which likely reflect how the composer played the work himself at the piano.

- Program Note from publisher


Wagner wrote his “Homage March” as a gift and greeting for the 19-year-old King Ludwig II on the occasion of his birthday on August 25th, 1864. A first performance in the presence of the King did not take place, however, until October 5th in Munich, after a series of circumstances including the sudden death of the leader of the Munich Military Band, Peter Streck (1797-1864) two days before the birthday cancelled the performance. According to one obituary, Streck appears to have suffered a heart attack under pressure of the preparations for the concert, with the copying of parts immediately before the performance, the organization of rehearsals and the journey to Hohenschwangau with a total of 80 musicians, and the enormous musical demands made by Wagner.

The Homage March bears Wagner’s typical signature. He himself writes that he had composed something “from Lohengrin and Tannhäuser and perhaps something new”. The piece is a formal work of genius, unusually lush in sound and instrumentation, but appears on the whole a little too routine. The performance does not seem to have made a lasting impression on Ludwig II either, as no royal comments of any consequence on the work have remained on record. Despite these limitations, the Homage March, as an original work by Wagner for wind ensemble cannot be disregarded in our concert programs.

- Program Note from Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music


Huldigungsmarsch (Homage March) was written for military band in 1864 in Starnberg, Germany. for the 19th birthday of King Ludwig II. The first of Wagner’s three large-scale marches, this work, with its confident melodic lines and rich counterpoint, speaks the language of the mature composer who is certain not only of his technique but of his goal. This march is the composer’s principal contribution in his small legacy of original works written for winds.

- Program Note from Appalachian State University Concert Band concert program, 20 February 2017


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • Perusal score
  • Wagner, R.; Whitwell, D. (2015). Huldigungsmarsch [score]. Maxime's Music: [Kedron, Queensland].
  • Whitwell, David. "Making Band Masterpieces Musical: On the Other Wagner Band Works." In Essays on Performance Practice. Whitwell Publishing, 2013, pp. 85–86.
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