Shenandoah (ar Bass)
Traditional American folk song, arranged by Randol Alan Bass)
General Info
Year: 2009
Duration: c. 4:50
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Alfred Publishing
Cost: Score and Parts - $68.00 | Score Only - $9.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
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
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Celesta
Harp
Timpani
Percussion, including:
- Bells
- Crotales
- Marimba
- Suspended Cymbal
- Triangle (large and small)
- Vibraphone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Oh Shenandoah (also called simply Shenandoah or Across the Wide Missouri) is a traditional American folk song of uncertain origin, dating at least to the early 19th century. Shenandoah was first printed as part of William L. Alden’s article Sailor Songs, in the July 1882 issue of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.
The song had become popular as a sea chanty with sailors by the 1880s. Ike Skelton, a U.S. congressman from Missouri, noted in 2005 that local artist George Caleb Bingham immortalized the jolly flatboatmen who plied the Missouri River in the early 19th century; these same flatboatmen were known for their chanties, including the lovely Oh Shenandoah. This boatmen’s song found its way down the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to the American clipper ships, and thus around the world.
In the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, Washington & Lee University chorus singers and bands play this song in homage to their alma mater. The Virginia Military Institute Regimental Band and Glee Club frequently perform this song, as it is widely considered their school’s theme song. In this interpretation, Shenandoah refers to the home of the Virginia Military Institute and expresses the longing that a cadet experiences once he is reminded of the valley’s beauty by his travels across the “wide Missouri.” Shenandoah is the official school song of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, located at the north end of the valley. The song features prominently in the soundtrack of the 1965 movie Shenandoah, starring Jimmy Stewart, and is also heard as a part of a medley in the 1962 Cinerama film How the West Was Won.
- Program Note by The Contra Costa Wind Symphony, adapted from Wikipedia
Media
- Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
- Audio: Reference Recording. U.S. Army Field Band (Thomas H. Palmatier, conductor)
State Ratings
- Louisiana: IV
- Texas: IV. Complete
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Maryland Winds (Columbia) (Timothy J. Holton, conductor) - 24 April 2022
- Grace College (Winona Lake, Ind.) Community Wind Ensemble (Eric Criss, conductor) – 17 November 2017
- University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) Wind Ensemble (Kenneth Ozzello, conductor) – 4 February 2017
- Contra Costa Wind Symphony (Walnut Creek, Calif.) (Duane Carroll, conductor) 17 May 2015
- U.S. Army Band (Timothy J. Holtan, conductor) - 31 January 2015
- Contra Costa Wind Symphony (Ben Loomer, conductor) - 9 March 2014
- Antelope (Calif.) High School Wind Ensemble (Sonora Mello, conductor) - 16 March 2013 (2013 Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno, Calif.))
- United States Army Field Band (Washington, D.C.) (Thomas H. Palmatier, conductor) – 17 December 2008 (2008 Midwest Clinic)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- An American Celebration (2005)
- Casey at the Bat (2008)
- Champagne and Roses (2002)
- Fanfare pour un Événement Spécial
- Gloria (1990/2011)
- Grand Canyon Suite (as transcriber)
- High Adventure
- Hill Country Fanfare (1975)
- L'Esprit du Tour (2006)
- A New Birth of Freedom (2010)
- The Night Before Christmas (2007)
- Shenandoah (as arranger) (2009)
- Silverado (as arranger) (1985/2008)
- Southwestern Wildflowers (2011)
Resources
- Oh Shenandoah, Wikipedia Accessed 4 January 2017