Lyric for Band
George Walker (arr. Luci Disano)
General Info
Year: 1946 / 1990 / 2022
Duration: c. 5:25
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: String quartet
Publisher: Kaiser Southern Music, through Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $75.00 | Score Only - $12.00
Instrumentation
- Full Score
- Flute I-II
- Oboe I-II
- English Horn
- Bassoon I-II
- B-flat Clarinet I-II-III-IV
- B-flat Bass Clarinet
- E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- E-flat Baritone Saxophone
- B-flat Cornet I-II
- Horn in F I-II-III-IV
- Trombone I-II-III
- Euphonium
- Tuba
- String Bass
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Lyric for Band is an arrangement of George Walker’s Lyric for Strings, originally set for string orchestra. Lyric for Strings was composed when Walker was only 24 years old, but it has remained one of his most enduring compositions.
The sound, structure and instrumentation of the piece are all clearly inspired by the famous Adagio for Strings composed by Walker’s Curtis Institute classmate Samuel Barber in 1936. Walker first conceived the music that became Lyric as a middle movement for his first string quartet and originally titled it Lament in dedication to his grandmother who died the year prior. The piece fluidly and dramatically alternates between lush harmonies and stark solo passages which showcase the range of sounds possible in the string orchestra. In an interview not long before his death, Walker commented: “I never played a string instrument, but somehow strings have always fascinated me.” In Lyric, we hear the beginning of this lifelong fascination.
– Program Note courtesy of Charleston Symphony
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- United States Marine Band (Washington, D.C.) I (Jason K. Fettig, conductor) - 20 December 2023 (2023 Midwest Clinic)
- Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Mark Scatterday, conductor) - 11 October 2023
- University of Maryland (College Park) Wind Orchestra (Michael Votta, conductor) – 17 February 2023 (CBDNA 2023 National Conference, Athens, Ga.)
- University of Maryland (College Park) Wind Orchestra (Michael Votta, conductor) - 11 November 2022
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Canvas (2000)
- Concerto for Trombone (arr. Simpson) (1957)
- Lyric for Band (arr. Disano) (1946/1990/2022)
- Wind Set (1999)
Resources
- Lyric for Strings. Wikipedia. Accessed 11 November 2022
- Perusal Score