Southern Harmony

From Wind Repertory Project
Donald Grantham

Donald Grantham


General Info

Year: 1998 / 2008
Duration: c. 13:15
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Piquant Press
Cost: Score and Parts (Rental) - $375.00    |   Score (Purchase) - $55.00


Movements

1. The Midnight Cry - 2:05
2. Wondrous Love - 3:40
3. Exhilaration - 1:20
4. The Soldier's Return; Thorny Desert - 5:10


Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III-IV
Euphonium (div. a2)
Tuba (2 players)
String Bass
Piano (doubling Celesta)
Timpani
Percussion I–II-III-IV, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Glockenspiel
  • Gong (Tam-tam)
  • Snare Drums (2)
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tambourine
  • Triangle
  • Tubular Bells
  • Vibraphone
  • Wind Chimes (metal)
  • Xylophone

Players clapping


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

In 1835, William "Singin' Billy" Walker's songbook Southern Harmony was first published. This remarkable collection contains, according to its title page, "a choice collection of tunes, hymns, psalms, odes and anthems; selected from the most eminent authors in the United States." In fact, few of the numbers in the book are identified as the work of a particular composer. Many are folk songs (provided with religious texts), others are traditional sacred tunes, while some are revival songs that were widely known and sung throughout the South. The book was immensely popular, selling an amazing 600,000 copies before the Civil War, and was commonly stocked "along with groceries and tobacco" in general stores across the American frontier. From 1884 until World War II, an annual all-day mass performance of selections from Southern Harmony, called the "Benton Big Singing", was held on the Benton, Kentucky, courthouse lawn. The event drew participants from Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois.

The music of Southern Harmony has a somewhat exotic sound to modern audiences. The tunes often use modal or pentatonic rather than major or minor scales. The harmony is even more out of the ordinary, employing chord positions, voice leading and progressions that are far removed from the European music that dominated concert halls at the time. These harmonizations were dismissed as crude and primitive when they first appeared. Now they are regarded as inventive, unique, and powerfully representative of the American character.

In his use of several tunes from Southern Harmony, the composer has attempted to preserve the flavor of the original vocal works in a setting that fully realizes the potential of the wind ensemble and the individual character of each song.

Southern Harmony was commissioned by the Southeastern Conference of Band Directors.

- Program Note by composer


Awards

  • ABA/Ostwald Award, 1999, winner
  • NBA/William D. Revelli Prize. 1999, winner


Media


State Ratings

  • Alabama: Class AA
  • Florida: V, VI
  • Iowa: VI
  • Louisiana: IV, V
  • Michigan: Senior High School Band Class AA
  • Minnesota: I
  • North Carolina: VI (play any three movements), Masterworks (play all)
  • Oklahoma: V-A
  • Tennessee: VI
  • Texas: IV. Three movements
  • Texas: V. Complete
  • Virginia: VI


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble (Kevin Michael Holzman, conductor) - 17 October 2023
  • Arizona State University (Tempe) Wind Symphony (Jamal Duncan, conductor) - 25 April 2023
  • University of Texas (Austin) Wind Ensemble (Michael Lebrias, conductor) – 26 February 2023
  • Maryland Winds (Baltimore) (Timothy Holtan, conductor) - 29 January 2023
  • Capital University (Bexley, Ohio) Symphonic Winds (John Climer, conductor) - 2 October 2022
  • University of Texas, Arlington, Wind Symphony (Douglas Stotter, conductor) - 25 February 2022
  • William Mason High School (Mason, Ohio) Wind Symphony (Edward Protzman, conductor) - 19 February 2022
  • Stephen F. Austin University (Nacogdoches, Tx.) Wind Symphony (Tamey Anglley, conductor) - 25 April 2021
  • Benedictine College (Atchison, Kan.) Wind Symphony (Brian Casey, conductor) - 2 May 2021
  • West Virginia University (Morgantown) Wind Symphony (Scott C. Tobias, conductor) – 9 March 2020
  • University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) Wind Ensemble (Travis J. Cross, conductor) – 5 February 2020
  • Henderson State University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Shaun R. Popp, conductor) – 7 February 2020
  • Florida All-State Symphonic Band (Tampa) (David Waybright, conductor) – 11 January 2020
  • Henderson State University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Shaun R. Popp, conductor) – 19 November 2019
  • Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.) Peabody Wind Ensemble (Roger Wu Fu, conductor) – 25 October 2019
  • East Tennessee State University (Johnson City) Wind Ensemble (Christian Zembower, conductor) – 17 October 2019
  • University of Florida (Gainesville) Wind Symphony (Gainesville, FL) (David Waybright, conductor) - 26 September 2019
  • Lone Star Wind Orchestra (Dallas, Tx.) (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) – 22 September 2019
  • Shenandoah Conservatory Wind Ensemble (Winchester, Va.) (Timothy J. Robblee, conductor) – 21 September 2019


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

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