almost impossible to program too often

[bloke]

I've personally grown weary of the Berlioz, but I really like its Waltz and the solo cornet - "Au Bal"...but I'm probably an old grump, and (simply) have probably played it too many times. The fact that it ends very loudly C major chords (though they don't represent anything particularly "good") guarantees a "standing O", which newly-hired and auditioning conductors desperately seek...and I've played under quite a few of those.

I liked Beethoven 6 - prior to it bringing "Soylent Green" to mind, every time I now hear it. I'm not going to do any online research while posting, but I seem to remember that this symphony involves two trombones in the finale movement, and those parts are donut-ish...

After all these years, I still like the Meistersinger Prelude (and not just because the tuba - which should be "in the sound", rather than "drowning out the sound" - plays so much), but the fact that it's (actually) rarely programmed probably contributes to me liking it.

[MN_TimTuba]

Carmina Burana is fun, but I don't think it's a play-again-and-again type thing.

In the band realm: every program should have at least one (1) piece by Sousa, Karl King, Holst, RVW, Grainger, or Alfred Reed.

[LeMark]

I just played Carmina over the weekend. Used the small CC and it was a great choice

Nailed both of the solos...

[MN_TimTuba]

Personally, I'd like to see each of our band concerts feature a soloist, section, or small ensemble, preferably band members but a ringer is cool too. I love it when our very talented euphonium player has performed one of the old theme and variations cornet solos with band accompaniment. We sometimes have our Dixie ensemble play a tune, or our flute section or full woodwind ensemble, but we don't do that enough. I just think there's always some kid in the audience who'll say, "Hey, Mom, I never knew an F Horn could play like that! Can I try it?"
Priming the pump for future generations.
Tim

[bloke]

By saying this, I am not at all trying to create work for myself or think that I should be hired to do this...

... Tim mentioned ringers, and I've always wondered what it would be like if some of the less flashy-sounding community bands created a budget to pay professionals really modest amounts to serve as principals in their sections. Truth be told, only one person can fill those chairs anyway, so it's not like they're really denying the most of the band members anything, and having really strong section leadership could offer really good models for players who would benefit from that.

To further ward off hard feelings, these could be auditioned chairs with absolutely blind auditions with two or three people listening who have absolutely no connection with the band, and of course completely open to band members themselves.

There's no way that I could suggest this locally, because it would just appear as though I'm trying to find myself a little extra source of income. Again: no.

[rodgeman]

In the community bands I have played in - Sleigh Ride for Christmas. I feel it is over done as every Christmas concert .

Yes, but I'm asking which really big works - that take 20 minutes or twice that long to play - do NOT become tiring - regardless of how often they are programmed.

Specifically to your comment, I don't mind playing Sleigh Ride two or three times at various venues each December, but what disappoints me or how bad the horse whinnies always sound... particularly as one of my close friends is the world's authority on playing them:

I misunderstood. Sorry about that.

[rodgeman]

In the community bands I have played in - Sleigh Ride for Christmas. I feel it is over done as every Christmas concert .

BOOOO!!

Give the people what thy want.

Ok. I get it. No problem. Just my humble opinion.

[bloke]

I think people who play for the love of playing only particularly deserve to express that they are tired of playing particular pieces of music.

[dsfinley]

Wind Band: Maslanka 4, Holst 1st Suite

Orchestra: Tchaikovsky in any manner

[Finetales]

Most of my favorite pieces would fit here of course, and I'm sure it would be the same for most people.

The one that first jumps out at me as "yeah, I could perform this every week and it would never get old" is Tchaikovsky 4, on bass trombone specifically. What a blast to play.

[bloke]

I've given away both Tchaik 4 and Carmina Burana...

...other orchestras overlapping schedules...

Tchaik 4 - given up for Dvorak 9

Carmina Burana - given up for Mahler 1

Did the D/M orchestra pay mo' money...??

well...yeah...and...??

[MikeS]

BOOOO!!

Give the people what thy want.

Something that Clifton Webb (if not actually John Philip Sousa) figured out here in the 1952 movie “Stars and Stripes Forever.”



I don’t think I’ve ever played “Dixie” other than in the Jerry Bilik “American Civil War Fantasy,” but then I’m from up north.

[bloke]

It's really stupid to ban songs...

We sang "yankee" Civil War songs in elementary school and we sang "Dixie" as well...several choruses...

...and - rather than ALWAYS the "Saints Go Marchin' In"...we used to finish jazz band concerts with "Dixie" or "Sweet Georgia Brown" (which - I suppose - is now considered "racist" to play, unless you're brown).

[kingrob76]

I can't think of a single chart for Orchestra I'd want in an annual rotation that isn't seasonally oriented.

Mahler 1 and Brahms 2 come very close though, and - for me - Hanson 2. Put those 3 on a 3-year rotation and I'm fine with that. Sign me up.

[tofu]

.

[Tubeast]

Scheduled in community band too often: Jupiter Hymn (arrangement taken from G.Holst´s "Planets", somewhat scaled down to make it manageable by us hobbyist band musicians) Never scheduled: any of the other movements of the same work.

I´m not qualified to answer the original question due to lack of exposition to long works of music that will contribute to the "greatest hits" of classical music.

[bloke]

By saying this, I am not at all trying to create work for myself or think that I should be hired to do this...

... Tim mentioned ringers, and I've always wondered what it would be like if some of the less flashy-sounding community bands created a budget to pay professionals really modest amounts to service principals in their sections. Truth be told, only one person can fill those chairs anyway, so it's not like they're really denying the most of the band members anything, and having really strong section leadership could offer really good models for players who would benefit from that.

To further ward off hard feelings, these could be auditioned chairs with absolutely blind auditions with two or three people listening who have absolutely no connection with the band, and of course completely open to band members themselves.

There's no way that I could suggest this locally, because it would just appear as though I'm trying to find myself a little extra source of income. Again: no.

Nah - hard pass on this.

It's community band - the whole idea of people from the community entertaining their fellow community members. My old Muni Band was/is one of the best in the nation. Pays union scale. All seats are blind auditions annually - even with tenure you have to audition or will be assigned last chair. The director flies in every week for 2 days from several states away where he is the Director of Music for a well known university. This band only plays a summer season.

When they went to this model they pretty much wiped out everyone from the community. Most years there are people from 3 or 4 other states traveling a minimum 90 miles to be in the group. A huge amount of annual turnover and it's kind of become a summer gig for music professors and people chasing the dream on the endless audition circuit. A couple years ago all 4 tubas either had a DMA in tuba performance or were in the process of getting one. Geez - who from the community is gonna have 10 hours a day to practice to compete with this?

Not a lot of deep longtime friendships get formed and not a lot of fun to play in as chasing a world class sound is serious business. They also lost a lot of community support as nobody knows a neighbor in the group or has a family member etc. in the group to relate to. Consequently the city cut the funding & now only supplies half of their funding vs the previous 100% and concerts have become begathons.

While I did have tenure I left years ago
for a group that plays year round, has a crowd that is 5 times the size and the group is made up of folks from the area. Huge community support and we're probably the best funded municipal or community band in the nation. We have no problems filling principal positions with capable folks who want to be long term members. Average tenure in the group is 25 years.

I've seen a lot groups start chasing that world class sound business which starts out with paid ringers and they lose sight of who they are & what they are. It is eventually their ruination.

I'm suggesting offering something like $20 a rehearsal and $30 a concert for principals only, and holding the auditions for everyone and anyone, and not just so-called professionals or people with union cards. The small honorarium could be raised up for some places where it costs more to get around and it costs more to live, but it's just enough to let someone know that the the band considers it important for them to be there and to coach their sections. Obviously, some status quo current principal players in some community bands would object to this, and it wouldn't be needed in community bands where all the players are pretty strong, but I'm talking about the ones that are sort of marginal and could use more coaching than a few words for a few seconds from the podium during the weekly rehearsals and a few whispered comments from section leaders that are more specific would greatly benefit, along with really good playing models to imitate.
The admitted >> problems << with my suggestion is that community band stuff is often filled with intrigue, small pond politics, and sometimes not a tremendous amount of interest in perfecting things, but more of a social thing. I could see another problem with this being that some people - who made this or that honor band 35 years ago - might consider themselves to be quite the player, and aren't particularly accustomed to being coached or told that what they're doing isn't quite right (in contrast to professionals, who are often told to change or improve very subtle things during rehearsals - regardless of their own opinion of the changes - and are completely accustomed to just sucking it up). Of course these attitudes are stronger or weaker, depending on the dynamics of the particular band.

In summary, it would partly depend on the corporate level of ego, and the level of sincere interest in reaching closer towards perfection. The idea of auditioned and modesty stipened principals would not be to cover up bad playing, but to elevate playing via (again) whispered coaching and excellent models.

Finally, a local marginally okay community band comes to mind to me whereby the tuba player - who sort of is the unofficial section leader and an amateur - provides a good model, which defines the section as good. ... the same goes with the clarinet section, not so much in the euphonium section, nor in several of the other sections. Those few sections with strong principal players are much better sections.

[arpthark]

When I was in high school, I joined my community band, which was sponsored by the local newspaper. Members got paid for every performance, usually $50. We played at lots of community events, dedications, and local festivals, with a spring and fall concert series to boot. The summer was spent in preparation for the Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville, and we all got paid (I want to say) around $75-100 for that one. There were also many other performing opportunities around town for small groups, for which we also got paid by either the private venues or our sponsor.

How shocked was I when I went to college and was asked to play as a ringer in a local community band for a summer concert. I politely asked what the gig rate was, and was met with a blank stare. Whoops. My experience was definitely not the norm.

[bloke]

Yeah...
Most community band members pay to be in the bands to cover expenses and to pay the conductor a little bit of money...so even paying seven or eight principal players a collective total of $1000/mo. would offer a tremendous challenge to many of them.

Many newspapers are teetering on bankruptcy, and have become quite thin with about the page height/width of two pieces of typing paper on top of each other, these days. The Internet isn't the only reason that newspapers are failing, but if I were to go into others, this post would be targeted for review, so never mind on that. (I'm thinking that the newspaper in Memphis is mostly a big empty giant building, and that they no longer even print their own newspapers.)

[arpthark]

Many newspapers are teetering on bankruptcy, and have become quite thin with about the page height/width of two pieces of typing paper on top of each other, these days. The Internet isn't the only reason that newspapers are failing, but if I were to go into others, this post would be targeted for review, so never mind on that. (I'm thinking that the newspaper in Memphis is mostly a big empty giant building, and that they no longer even print their own newspapers.)

The actual sponsor was the publisher of our newspaper, who was a very wealthy/philanthropic woman, and she basically ensured that the band was getting paid (from her own pocketbook, sometimes?). When she passed away, of course the money dried up, and now it's a volunteer organization. But more to your point, the quality dropped dramatically, from top to bottom, once the money was gone.

(I also attribute that to many fine musicians passing away -- I joined in, I want to say, 2005, and by that point, some members of the band were the last generation of circus band performers, in their sixties-through-eighties, Windjammers folks, ex-Barnum & Bailey players. Over the following decade many of them passed away.)