Midway March

John Williams

General Info

Year: 1976 / 2010
Duration: c. 4:15
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $195.00 | Score Only - $25.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo/Flute III
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 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
String Bass
Piano
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

Bass Drum
Bells
Crash Cymbals
Snare Drum
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

In the classic World War II motion picture Midway (1976), John Williams created one of the most riveting and powerful marches ever heard on the silver screen. This authentic edition brings all the energy and excitement of this composition to the wind band format.

- Program Note from publisher

The Battle of Midway was a victory that some say was the turning point of the U.S. war against Japan during World War II. The jaunty nature of the march celebrates the victory but omits the high cost of a battle. The victory was so important to American morale that the name found its way into the lexicon of the country. Chicago’s Midway Airport, for example, was named for the battle. Key to the victory was the breaking of the Japanese Naval encryption codes. The war had been going badly for the U.S. and the Japanese planned to deliver a devastating blow to finish off the U.S. fleet at Midway. However, due to the U.S. Signals Intelligence breaking the Japanese encryption code, the U.S. was able to plan a counterattack that led to eventual victory, although with great loss of U.S. life.

Williams references the code in his march with a repetitive set of staccato notes in the brass. The march was composed in 1976 as part of the soundtrack for an epic movie. Despite its big-name cast, the movie was not a smashing success, but in June 1992, a more successful re-edit of the extended version aired on the CBS network commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Regardless of the success of the film, the score produced one of Williams’s most popular marches, Midway March.

- Program Note by the Austin (Texas) Symphonic Band concert program, 7 February 2015

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Kansas State University Wind Symphony (Alex Wimmer, conductor) - 28 November 2023
North County Winds (San Diego, Calif.) (Vince Hernandez, conductor) - 11 June 2023
Sacramento (Calif.) Symphonic Winds (Matthew Morse, conductor) - 19 March 2023
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) Gold Campus Band (Jacques Tousignant, conductor) - 5 December 2022
Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro) Band (Pat Stuckemeyer, conductor) – 17 November 2022
Rollins College (Winter Park, Fla.) Wind Ensemble (Aaron Lefkowitz, conductor) - 22 November 2022
The Arizona Winds (Phoenix) (Richard Shelton, conductor) – 6 May 2022 (ACB 2022 Annual Convention (Santa Fe, New Mexico))
Texas All-State Concert Band (Richard Mark Heidel, conductor) - 12 February 2022 (2022 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
Triangle Wind Ensemble (Cary, N.C.) (Evan Feldman, conductor) - 30 May 2021
West Virginia University (Morgantown) Wind Symphony (Scott C. Tobias, conductor) - 23 February 2021
Grove City College (Grove City, Penn.) Wind Ensemble (Andrew S. Erb, conductor) - 9 October 2020
University of Iowa (Iowa City) Symphony Band (Richard Mark Heidel, conductor) – 29 February 2020
Austin (Tx.) Symphonic Band (Bill Haehnel, conductor) – 10 February 2019
University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) Wind Ensemble (Travis J. Cross, conductor) – 7 March 2018
Iowa City (Iowa) New Horizons Band (Nolan Hauta, conductor) - 18 June 2017
Allan Hancock College (Santa Maria, Calif.) Concert Band (Greg Orwell, conductor) – 11 March 2017
Oakland (Calif.) Municipal Band (Troy Davis, conductor) – 4 July 2016
Ventura County (Calif.) Concert Band (Julie Budd, conductor) – 8 November 2015
Virginia Grand Military Band (Loras John Schossel, conductor) - 23 May 2015

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Great Movie Adventures (arr. Sweeney) (Flex instrumentation) (2006)
Highlights from "Jurassic Park" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1993)
Raiders March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Lavender) (1981/2017)
Selections from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (2016)
Selections from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Murtha) (2017)
Selections from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (2019)

All Wind Works

The Adventures of Han (arr. Lavender) (2018)
The Adventures of Mutt (arr. Lavender) (2008)
Adventures on Earth (tr. Lavender) (1982/2007)
America ... The Dream Goes On (arr. Higgins and Lavender) (1982/1985/1989)
American Journey (arr. Lavender) (1999/2012)
The Asteroid Field (tr. Lavender and Nowlin) (1980/)
At the Movies with John Williams (arr. Justin Williams) (2016)
Call of the Champions (arr. Moss) (2002)
Cantina Band (arr. Kalver) (1977/2014)
Catch Me If You Can (arr. Bocook) (2011)
Chillers and Thrillers (arr. Moss) (2006)
The Complete Harry Potter (arr. Brubaker) (2013)
Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra (arr. Lavender) (1988/2016)
Coronation March from "Star Wars" (arr. Burden) (1977/1978)
The Cowboys (arr. Curnow) (1972)
The Cowboys (Grade III) (arr. Bocook) (1972)
The Cowboys (Grade V) (arr. Bocook) (1972/2007)
Dance of the Witches (arr. Lavender) (1987)
Dartmoor, 1912 (arr. Bocook) (2011)
Duel of the Fates (arr. Story) (1999)
The Empire Strikes Back (tr. Bullock) (1980)
Escapades (arr. Bulla) (2002/2012)
Excerpts from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (arr. Bulla) (1978/2009)
Excerpts from "Far and Away" (arr. Lavender) (1992/1996)
Fanfare for Fenway (2012)
Fanfare from E.T. The Extraterrestrial (arr. Lavender) (1982)
Flight to Neverland (arr. Lavender) (1991/2016)
Flying Theme (tr. Lavender) (1982)
For New York (arr. Lavender) (1988/)
For the President's Own (2013)
Great Movie Adventures (arr. Sweeney) (Flex instrumentation) (2006)
Harry Potter Symphonic Suite (arr. Smith) (2001)
Harry's Wondrous World (arr. Brubaker) (2003)
Harry's Wondrous World (arr. Lavender) (2006)
Helena's Theme (tr. Lavender) (2022)
Highlights from "Harry Potter" (arr. Story) (2001)
Highlights from "Hook" (arr. Bernaerts) (1991/2005)
Highlights from "Hook" (arr. Heide) (1995)
Highlights from "Jurassic Park" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1993)
Highlights from "Return of the Jedi" (arr. Jennings; orch. Lavender) (1983)
Hogwarts Forever (2001)
Home Alone 2, Lost in New York (arr. Lavender)
A Home Alone Christmas (arr. Lavender) (1990/2006)
Hooray for Hollywood (as arranger; tr. Bocook)
A Hymn to New England (arr. Lavender)
Hymn to the Fallen (arr. Lavender) (1998/1999)
Hymn to the Fallen (arr. Sweeney) (1998/2000)
The Imperial March (tr. Bulla) (1980/2008)
Indiana Jones Selection (arr. Heide) (1981/2007)
Jaws (arr. Steven Walker) (1975/2004)
Jedi Steps and Finale. See: Suite from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
John Williams: Evening at Pops (arr. Higgins) (1987)
John Williams: A Fantasy of Flight (arr. Smith) (2002)
John Williams in Concert (arr. Lavender) (1992)
John Williams: The Symphonic Marches (arr. Higgins; orch. Lavender) (1984)
John Williams: Symphonic Soundtracks (arr. Moss) (2001)
John Williams Swings (arr. Bocook) (2011)
Jurassic Park Soundtrack Highlights (arr. Lavender) (1993)
Liberty Fanfare (arr. Curnow) (1986/2002)
Liberty Fanfare (arr. Bocook) (1986/2010)
Liberty Fanfare (arr. Lavender) (1986/)
Lincoln (arr. Bocook) (2013)
The March from "1941" (arr. Lavender)
March of the Resistance. See: Suite from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
Men of the Yorktown (arr. Lavender)
Midway March (arr. Lavender) (1976/2010)
Midway March (arr Curnow) (1976/1990)
Midway March (arr. Moss) (1976/1994)
The Mission Theme (arr. Lavender) (1987)
Music for Brass (2014)
Music from "Lincoln" (tr. Lavender) (2013)
Music from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (arr. Sweeney) (1977/2016)
Olympic Fanfare and Theme (arr. Curnow) (1984)
The Olympic Spirit (1988)
The Olympic Spirit (tr. Bocook) (1988/1996)
The Olympic Spirit (tr. Rose) (1988)
The Olympic Spirit (arr. Curnow) (1988)
Olympics: A Centennial Celebration (arr. Moss) (1996)
Out to Sea and the Shark Cage Fugue (arr. Bocook) (1975/2011)
Out of This World (arr. Bocook) (1999)
Parade of the Slave Children (arr. Walker) (1984/1997/2002)
The Patriot (arr. Lavender) (2000/2015)
The Patriot (arr. Moss) (2000/2001)
A Prayer for Peace (arr. Moss) (2006)
Princess Leia's Theme (tr. Lavender and Nowlin) (1977/)
Quidditch (2001)
Raiders March (tr. Lavender) (1981/2004)
Raiders March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Lavender) (1981/2017)
Raiders of the Lost Ark Medley (arr. Bullock) (1981)
The Rebellion Is Reborn (arr. Bocook) (2017)
Revenge of the Sith. See: Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith
Rey's Theme (arr. Lavender). See: Suite from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
Rey's Theme (arr. Torskangerpoll) (2015)
Rey's Theme (arr. Vinson) (2015/2016)
The Rise of Skywalker. See: Soundtrack Highlights from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"
Scherzo for Motorcycle and Band (arr. Lavender)
Scherzo for X-Wings. See: Suite from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
Selections from "E.T." (The Extra-Terrestrial) (arr. Cacavas) (1982/2002)
Selections from "Home Alone" (arr. Lavender) (1990/1992)
Selections from "Superman Returns" (arr. Lopez) (2006)
Selections from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (2016)
Selections from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Murtha) (2017)
Selections from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (2019)
Selections from the "Star Wars" Saga (arr. Story) (1977/2006)
Sinfonietta
Soaring with John Williams (arr. Smith) (2007)
Somewhere in My Memory (arr. Moss) (1991/200-?)
Sound the Bells! (trans. Lavender) (1993/2003)
Soundtrack Highlights from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (arr. Brown) (2015/2018)
Soundtrack Highlights from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (arr. Brown) (2015/2019)
Star of Bethlehem (arr. Lavender) (1992)
The Star-Spangled Banner (as arranger) (1814/2004)
Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace (arr. Smith)
Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones (arr. Smith) (2002)
Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (arr. Smith) (2005)
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (2019)
Star Wars: Main Title (arr. Bulla) (1977/2006)
Star Wars Medley (arr. Burden) (1977)
Star Wars Medley (arr. Kalver) (1977/2013)
Star Wars Medley (arr. Tatgenhorst) (1977)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Closing Credits) (arr. Lavender) (2016)
Star Wars: The Marches (arr. Brubaker) (1977)
Star Wars Saga (arr. Bulla) (2017)
- The Imperial March (arr. Bulla) (1980/2008)
Star Wars Saga (arr. Meij) (1987)
Star Wars Trilogy (arr. Hunsberger) (1977/1997)
Suite from the Star Wars Epic, Part I (arr. Smith) (1977/2007)
Suite from the Star Wars Epic, Part II (arr. Smith) (1977/2007)
Suite from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (arr. Lavender) (2015/2016)
- Scherzo for X-Wings (arr. Lavender) (2016)
- Rey's Theme (arr. Lavender) (2015)
- March of the Resistance (arr. Lavender) (2015)
- Jedi Steps and Finale (arr. Lavender) (2015)
Suite from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (with Nicholas Hooper; arr. Bullock) (2002/2007)
Summon the Heroes (arr. Lavender) (1996)
Superman (arr. Lowden)
Superman March (arr. Lavender) (1978/2008)
Symphonic Marches (arr. Hamers)
Symphonic Suite from "Far and Away" (arr. Lavender) (1992/2013)
Symphonic Suite from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (arr. Bocook) (2016)
Symphonic Suite from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (arr. Bocook) (2019)
Theme from "JFK" (arr. Lavender) (1991)
Theme from "Lost in Space" (arr. O'Loughlin) (1965/1993)
Theme from "Schindler's List" (arr. Custer) (1994)
Theme from "Schindler's List" (arr. Moss) (1993/2008)
Theme from "Superman" (arr. Holcombe) (1979)
Theme from "Superman" (arr. Nowak) (1979)
Theme from "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (arr. Ployhar) (1982/1985)
Throne Room and Finale (tr. Lavender and Nowlin) (1977/)
Trumpet Concerto (arr. Lavender) (1996/2016)
Tribute to the Film Composer (arr. Lavender)
Viktor's Tale (arr. Lavender) (2004/2008)
Viktor's Tale (arr. Rasmussen) (2004)
Wide Receiver (arr. Lavender)
With Malice Toward None (arr. Lavender) (2012/2015)
Young Person's Guide to John Williams (arr. Bocook) (1991)

Resources

None discovered thus far.