William Johnson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Orchestra Conductor, Professor of Music Emeritus, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
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One of the most important tasks for conductors is to select the most appropriate works for public... more One of the most important tasks for conductors is to select the most appropriate works for public performance. Here are some thoughts that may be helpful to the conductor who must make the difficult decisions as to which of the thousands of pieces available will ultimately be chosen to be performed on the next season's concerts. First we must understand that the terms repertoire and literature have different meanings. The term repertoire is understood by most people in the world of music to mean a body of compositions for a particular performance medium that is well known and performed often. Many of these works would be considered to be masterpieces. The term literature simply means all of the compositions available to a performance medium. Next we must understand that the repertoire for the 21st Century wind band is in the building stage and cannot be compared in quality or quantity to the already mature repertoire of the 18th and 19th Century symphony orchestra. Great progress has been made, however, in the world wind band repertoire during the past 50 years, and there is strong evidence the wind band and smaller wind ensemble will continue to integrate itself into the mainstream of international musical activity. The literature for the wind band and symphony orchestra is vast. Much of the literature, especially recent literature, is outstanding in quality and will perhaps someday become commonly recognized as repertoire. Unfortunately, some of the literature published for the wind band, as well as any other performing medium, would be considered by most musicians to be artistically inferior. Some of it is poorly written and has little substance. It is a serious mistake to believe that because a work is published, it must, of necessity, have artistic merit. A great deal of the higher quality literature is still unpublished.
One of the most important tasks for conductors is to select the most appropriate works for public... more One of the most important tasks for conductors is to select the most appropriate works for public performance. Here are some thoughts that may be helpful to the conductor who must make the difficult decisions as to which of the thousands of pieces available will ultimately be chosen to be performed on the next season's concerts. First we must understand that the terms repertoire and literature have different meanings. The term repertoire is understood by most people in the world of music to mean a body of compositions for a particular performance medium that is well known and performed often. Many of these works would be considered to be masterpieces. The term literature simply means all of the compositions available to a performance medium. Next we must understand that the repertoire for the 21st Century wind band is in the building stage and cannot be compared in quality or quantity to the already mature repertoire of the 18th and 19th Century symphony orchestra. Great progress has been made, however, in the world wind band repertoire during the past 50 years, and there is strong evidence the wind band and smaller wind ensemble will continue to integrate itself into the mainstream of international musical activity. The literature for the wind band and symphony orchestra is vast. Much of the literature, especially recent literature, is outstanding in quality and will perhaps someday become commonly recognized as repertoire. Unfortunately, some of the literature published for the wind band, as well as any other performing medium, would be considered by most musicians to be artistically inferior. Some of it is poorly written and has little substance. It is a serious mistake to believe that because a work is published, it must, of necessity, have artistic merit. A great deal of the higher quality literature is still unpublished.