James Barnes
Biography
James Charles Barnes (b. 9 September 1949, Hobart, Okla.) is an American composer, conductor and educator.
Barnes studied composition and music theory at the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in 1974, and Master of Music degree in 1975. He studied conducting privately with Zuohuang Chen.
Professor Barnes is member of both the history and theory-composition faculties at the University of Kansas, where he teaches orchestration, arranging and composition courses, and wind band history and repertoire courses. At KU, he served as an assistant, and later, as associate director of bands for 27 years.
His numerous publications for concert band and orchestra are extensively performed at Tanglewood, Boston Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Barnes has twice received the coveted American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Award for outstanding contemporary wind band music. He has been the recipient of numerous ASCAP Awards for composers of serious music, the Kappa Kappa Psi Distinguished Service to Music Medal, the Bohumil Makovsky Award for Outstanding College Band Conductors, along with numerous other honors and grants. He has recorded three commercial compact discs of his music with the world famous Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. More recently, he completed a CD of his works with the Koninklijke Militaire Kapel (The Queen’s Royal Military Band) in Holland. He has also been commissioned to compose works for all five of the major military bands in Washington, DC.
Mr. Barnes has traveled extensively as a guest composer, conductor, and lecturer throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan and Taiwan. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the American Bandmasters Association and numerous other professional organizations and societies.
Works for Winds
Adaptable Music
- Westridge Overture (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Barber) (1983/1991/2021)
- Yorkshire Ballad (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Barber) (1985/2021)
All Wind Works
- All Pleasant Things... (1998)
- Alpine Holiday (2014)
- Alvamar Overture (1981)
- Appalachian Overture (1983)
- Arioso and Presto (2001)
- Autumn Soliloquy (1987)
- Bayerisches Osterfest (2014)
- Beautiful Oregon (2007)
- Breckenridge (1989)
- Brookshire Suite (1980)
- Burnished Brass (2020)
- Caribbean Hideaway (1997)
- Carnaval in São Paulo (2003)
- Centennial Celebration Overture (1986)
- Century Tower (1984)
- Chorale and Jubiloso (1998)
- Chorale Prelude on a German Folk Tune (1986)
- Citadel (2015)
- Concerto for Euphonium (2011)
- Concerto for Tuba (tr. Rogers) (1996)
- Credo (2016)
- Crossgate (1984)
- Dance Variants (2017)
- Danza Sinfonica (2005)
- Desperate Pursuit (2010/2012)
- Dexter Park Celebration (2017)
- Dramatic Overture (2021)
- Dream Journey (1997)
- Eagle Bend (2000)
- Eaglecrest (1984)
- Eighth Symphony (2017)
- Eisenhower Centennial (1992)
- Escenas de los Aztecas (2012)
- Fanfare and Capriccio (2001)
- Fanfare and Processional (2018)
- Fanfares and Alleluias (1996)
- Fantasy Variations (1988)
- Festival Concert March (1982)
- Fifth Symphony (2003)
- First Symphony. See: Symphony
- Fourth Symphony (ed. Rogers) (1999/2001)
- Foxfire (2001)
- Golden Festival Overture (1997)
- Goldene Kameraden (2014)
- Heatherwood Portrait (1983)
- High Plains Overture (1991)
- Hobart Centennial March (2002)
- Home on the Range (as arranger; harm. Ralston) (1873/1992)
- Hope Arises
- Hunter Park (1974)
- Impressions of Japan (1994)
- Inspiration Point (1997)
- Inventions on Marching Songs (1996)
- Invocation and Toccata (1982)
- Jubilation Overture (2005)
- Legend (1992)
- A Leroy Anderson Portrait (as arranger) (1982)
- A Light in the Wilderness (1995)
- The Lightning Brigade (2018)
- Lonely Beach (1993)
- The Long Gray Line (1988)
- Lyric Interlude (1980)
- Majestic (2023)
- Malagueña (as arranger) (1928/2016)
- Maracas from Caracas (2002)
- Meditation (2017)
- My Old Kentucky Home (as arranger) (1853/1997)
- Ninth Symphony (2019)
- Nulli Secundus (1999)
- The Old Guard (1994)
- Pagan Dances (1996)
- The Perishing Rifles (1997)
- Poetic Intermezzo (1985)
- Porgy and Bess (as arranger) (1928/2002)
- Prairie Winds Festival (2016)
- A Prayer for Higashi Nihon (2011)
- Quest (2016)
- Rapscallion (1976)
- Rhapsodic Essay (1999)
- Ritmico (2018)
- Riverfest (1985)
- Romanza (1989)
- Scarlet and Silver Jubilee (2007/2009)
- Second Symphony (2000)
- Seventh Symphony. See: Symphonic Requiem
- The Silver Gazebo (1996)
- Sixth Symphony (2006)
- A Solemn Prelude (2003)
- Sorcery Suite (2002)
- Spitfire Overture (1991)
- Sterling Brass (1981/1998)
- Stone Meadows (1987)
- Sunflower Saga (1994)
- Symphonic Essay (2012)
- Symphonic Overture (1991)
- Symphonic Requiem (2015)
- Symphony (1974-75)
- Symphony No. 1. See: Symphony
- Symphony No. 2. See: Second Symphony
- Symphony No. 3. See: Third Symphony
- Symphony No. 4. See: Fourth Symphony
- Symphony No. 5. See: Fifth Symphony
- Symphony No. 6. See: Sixth Symphony
- Symphony No. 7. See: Symphonic Requiem
- Symphony No. 8. See: Eighth Symphony
- Symphony No. 9. See: Ninth Symphony
- Tchaikovsky Suite (as arranger) (1878/2004)
- The Texans (1986)
- Third Symphony (1997)
- Threnody (2015)
- Three Symphonic Fanfares (1989)
- Toccata Fantastica (2001)
- Torch Dance (1985)
- Trail of Tears (1989)
- Trailridge Saga (1988)
- Tribute (2011)
- Twin Oaks (2000)
- Variants on a Moravian Hymn (1993)
- A Very American Overture (1996)
- Visions Macabres (1978/1984/2006)
- We the People (1990)
- Westport Overture (1988)
- Westridge Overture (1983/1991)
- Westridge Overture (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Barber) (1983/1991/2021)
- The Whistler and His Dog (as arranger) (1905/2005)
- The Wild Blue Yonder (2008)
- Wildwood Overture (2003)
- The Wizard of Oz (as arranger) (1939/1995)
- Yama Midori (2003)
- Yorkshire Ballad (1985)
- Yorkshire Ballad (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Barber) (1985/2021)
Resources
- Bradford, Matthew. (2007) An examination of works for wind band: Yorkshire ballad by James Barnes, La virgen de la Macarena arranged by Charles Koff, Provenance by Robert W. Smith, Nessum Dorma arranged by George Hattendorf, and Brighton Beach March by William Latham [Master's Thesis].
- Camphouse, Mark, editor. (2002) Composers on Composing for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 1–42.
- James Barnes (composer), Wikipedia Accessed 15 September 2017
- Kohlenberg, Kenneth. "Fifth Symphony 'Phoenix'." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 6, edit. & comp. by Richard Miles, 632-640. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2007.
- Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. (2010). Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 1. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 402.