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On the Mendelssohn Marcia funebreOn the Mendelssohn Marcia funebre

Recently, through the generosity of the staff at the Prussian National Library in Berlin, I received a copy of the autograph score of this beautiful original band composition by Mendelssohn.

On the Brahms Begräbnisgesang, op. 13On the Brahms Begräbnisgesang, op. 13

In 1857 Brahms became the conductor of the choral society at Detmold. The fine wind players available in this court are reflected in a number of Brahms’ compositions at this

On the Wagner Trauermusik [1844]On the Wagner Trauermusik [1844]

David Whitwell This score, consisting of music taken from Carl Maria von Weber’s opera, Euryanthe, arranged for large wind band in 1844 by Wagner, is one of the most important

The Conductor and his AudienceThe Conductor and his Audience

David Whitwell [2017] Written in honor of the retirement of Dr. Ronald Johnson from the University of Northern Iowa On the final day of my 2017 conducting tour of Italy

Essays – ContentsEssays – Contents

Essays The Maxime Principle: Thoughts on the origin of dynamic markings Tenuto and Fermata: Rebels Against the Tyranny of Notation On the Significance of the Title The Conductor and his

On the Significance of the TitleOn the Significance of the Title

Reprinted from “On the Significance of the Title,” The NBA Journal, Vol. LV, Nr. 2, Winter, 2015. In April 2015, I will be conducting an all-city honor band in San

Tenuto and Fermata: Rebels Against the Tyranny of NotationTenuto and Fermata: Rebels Against the Tyranny of Notation

For a million years or more, singers and instrumentalists playing on natural instruments made music freely with the sole goal of expressing their feelings. But once notation appeared the “rules”

Chorale Variations on "Vater unser im Himmelreich" - David Whitwell

The Maxime Principle: Thoughts on the origin of dynamic markingsThe Maxime Principle: Thoughts on the origin of dynamic markings

In a communication we recently received from Professor Maxime in Paris, she encouraged all instrumentalists to begin thinking of the Italian piano and forte symbols to mean relative degrees of

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