Solemn Music, A
General Info
Year: 1949
Duration: c. 7:00
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: G. Schirmer Inc.
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo I-II
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat 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
Cornet I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Baritone I-II
Tuba I-II
String Bass
Timpani I-II
Percussion (4 players), including:
- Bass Drum
- Field Drum
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tam-Tam
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
A Solemn Music (1949), written for band and later orchestrated, was composed in a rather conservative atonal idiom. Written in memory of [Gertrude] Stein and the painter Christian Bérard, it is one of Thomson's most powerful works.
- Gale Encyclopedia of Biography
This work was commissioned by the League of Composers for the Goldman Band and first performed at the season's opening concert of this organization on June 17, 1949, in Central Park, New York City, the composer conducting.
- Program Note from score
Media
- Audio CD: Boston Modern Orchestra Project
- Audio CD: Eastman Wind Ensemble (Frederick Fennell, conductor)
State Ratings
- Alabama: Class A
- California: VI Class AA
- Louisiana: IV
- Massachusetts: V
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College-Conservatory of Music Wind Symphony (Kevin Michael Holzman, conductor) – 31 October 2018
- Eastman Wind Orchestra (Mark Davis Scatterday, conductor) - 15 April 2015
- Keystone Wind Ensemble (Indiana, Penn.) (H. Robert Reynolds, conductor) – 22 February 2001 (CBDNA 2001 National Conference, Denton, Tx.)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- At the Beach (1963)
- Barcarolle for Woodwinds (arr. Thomson) (1940/1944/1950)
- Edges: A Portrait of Robert Indiana
- Fugue and Chorale on Yankee Doodle (arr. F. Erickson) (1971)
- Joyful Fugue (arr. Fussell)
- The Louisiana Story
- A Solemn Music (1949)
- Study Piece: Portrait of a Lady
- Symphony on a Hymn Tune (arr. Hanna)
Resources
- Girsberger, Russ. Percussion Assignments for Band & Wind Ensemble: Volume 2 L-Z. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2004, 308. Print.
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Virgil Thomson." Accessed 24 October 2018
- Nichols, Todd, and William Berz. "Virgil Thomson's A Solemn Music and A Joyful Fugue: An Overview and Analysis." WASBE Journal, Vol. 26/2020, pp. 40-51. Print.