San Antonio Dances

From Wind Repertory Project
Frank Ticheli

Frank Ticheli


General Info

Year: 2010
Duration: c. 10:05
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manhattan Beach Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $175.00   |   Score Only - $26.50


Movements

1. Alamo Gardens - 5:25
2. Tex-Mex on the Riverwalk - 4:30


Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
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 Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bongos (optional)
  • Castanets
  • Claves
  • Cowbell
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Maracas
  • Marimba
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tambourine
  • Timbales
  • Vibraphone
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

San Antonio Dances was composed as a tribute to a special city, whose captivating blend of Texan and Hispanic cultural influences enriched my life during my three years as a young music professor at Trinity University. It has been 20 years since I lived in San Antonio, but the city still tugs at my heartstrings and lives in this music.

The first movement depicts the seductively serene Alamo Gardens and its beautiful live oak trees that provide welcome shade from the hot Texas sun. A tango mood and lazily winding lines give way to a brief but powerful climax depicting the Alamo itself.

The second movement’s lighthearted and joyous music celebrates San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk. Inspired by the streets and canals of Venice, Italy, architect Robert Hugman proposed his idea of converting the San Antonio riverfront into a beautiful urban park back in the 1920s. It took decades to complete, but the Riverwalk eventually became a reality -- a 2-1/2 mile stretch of stunningly landscaped waterfront lined with hotels, restaurants, night clubs and shops.

Picture a group of friends seated at an outdoor patio of one of the Riverwalk’s many Tex-Mex restaurants, enjoying the scenery, the food, the company. In time, the evening settles in, the air cools, the mood brightens, the crowd picks up, and music is heard from every direction. Before you know it, the whole place is one giant fiesta that could go on forever.

Viva San Antonio!

- Program note by composer


Media


State Ratings

  • Texas: IV. Complete


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Symphony Band (Frank Ticheli, conductor) - 17 November 2023
  • University of Rhode Island (Kingston) Alumni Wind Ensemble (Brian Cardany, conductor) - 11 February 2023
  • Tallahassee (Fla.) Winds (Patrick Dunnigan, conductor) - 27 September 2022
  • OMEA District 4 & 7 Viking Band (Birch Browning, conductor) – 13 November 2021 (OMEA All-State Conference 2021, Cleveland State University)
  • Florida State University (Tallahassee) Wind Ensemble (Thomas Willmann, conductor) - 9 November 2021
  • University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) Symphonic Band (David Roush, conductor) – 17 October 2019
  • Baylor University (Waco, Texas) Symphonic Band (Richard Floyd, conductor) – 26 April 2019
  • University of Kentucky (Lexington) Concert Band (Dana Biggs, conductor) - 14 April 2019
  • Walled Lake (Ohio) Central High School Wind Ensemble (Dave Rogers, conductor) – 7 March 2019
  • Penn State University (University Park) Concert Band (Gregory Drane, conductor) – 25 April 2018
  • State College (Penn.) Area Municipal Band (Ned Deihl, conductor)- 15 April 2018
  • Houghton (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Timothy McGarvey) - 14 April 2018
  • University of Colorado Boulder Concert Band (Matthew Dockendorf, conductor) – 26 February 2018
  • Spartan Youth Wind Symphony (East Lansing, Mich.) (Simon Holoweiko) – 3 December 2017
  • Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) Symphonic Band (Kirk Saville, conductor) – 7 November 2017
  • Baldwin-Wallace College (Berea, Ohio) Symphonic Band (Dwight Oltman, conductor) – 21 April 2017
  • Lawrence University (Appleton, Wisc.) Symphonic Band (Matthew Arau, conductor) – 4 March 2017
  • Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble (Oneonta, N.Y.) (Scott Rabeler, conductor) – 15 May 2016
  • California State University, Northridge, Wind Ensemble (Lawrence Stoeffel, conductor) – 3 May 2016
  • Strasbourg Conservatory of Music (Strasbourg, France) Orchestre à vents (Miguel Etchegoncelay, conductor) - 25 January 2015


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Frank Ticheli website Accessed 6 July 2020
  • Heidel, Richard Mark. "San Antonio Dances." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 9, edit. & comp. by Richard Miles, 616-625. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2013.