Band Music with Western themes?

[jon112780]

Any suggestions from pieces you've played or heard that were really neat?

These could be transcriptions/arrangements or works composed for band/wind ensemble. Funny how there's always a woodblock part...

I'll go first:

Rodeo- Copland
Cowboys- Williams/Curnow
Silverado- Broughton

[djwesp]

Any suggestions from pieces you've played or heard that were really neat?

These could be transcriptions/arrangements or works composed for band/wind ensemble. Funny how there's always a woodblock part...

I'll go first:

Rodeo- Copland
Cowboys- Williams/Curnow
Silverado- Broughton

"The Rough Riders: The life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt" by Charles Booker


AWESOME Work. A wind ensemble hornist feast, or worst nightmare (depending).


Chuck is a great guy, under recognized as a composer, a good band director at a small college, and runs a HECK of a community band.

[pierso20]

The Wrangler - Carter Pann


Very entertaining and, in my opinion, musically challenging. Definitely worth a check out.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

American Overture for Band - Joseph Willcox Jenkins
American Pioneer Suite - Walter J. Halem
American Salute - Morton Gould (well, western-"y")
American Variants - Robert Foster
Americana Folk Suite - Barry Kopetz
Go West! - arr. Ralph Ford (western movie themes)
Overture on an American Folk Tune - Douglas Akey
Paint Your Wagon - arr. John Cacavas
Prairie Dances - David Holsinger
Suite of Old American Dances - Robert Russell Bennett

Just a few of a very long list, I'm sure. Western themes seem to be a favorite of wind band composers.

[pierso20]

Just a few of a very long list, I'm sure. Western themes seem to be a favorite of wind band composers.

And a lot of western themes however, I hate to say, are pretttty cheesy (not saying anything in particular, as it's my own opinion). What is always great, is finding a western styled piece that is NOT cheesy. Hard to do, but WELL worth it.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

And a lot of western themes however, I hate to say, are pretttty cheesy (not saying anything in particular, as it's my own opinion). What is always great, is finding a western styled piece that is NOT cheesy. Hard to do, but WELL worth it.

I don't necessarily disagree. It is interesting to note, however, that almost every time I've played one of these pieces in a concert that the after-concert comments from "non-musicians" is how that piece was their favorite. Eye of the beholder, I suppose...

[pierso20]

And a lot of western themes however, I hate to say, are pretttty cheesy (not saying anything in particular, as it's my own opinion). What is always great, is finding a western styled piece that is NOT cheesy. Hard to do, but WELL worth it.

I don't necessarily disagree. It is interesting to note, however, that almost every time I've played one of these pieces in a concert that the after-concert comments from "non-musicians" is how that piece was their favorite. Eye of the beholder, I suppose...

Reminds me an episode of that cooking show with Chef Ramsey and how a chef ran out of time in a challenge, so she used some store bought frozen hot wings as a side. The people who ate a world class meal thought their favorite dish was the hot wings.....

[bort]

American Overture for Band - Joseph Willcox Jenkins

This was the first one I thought of...great piece, a lot of fun to play. I got to perform this in Austria a few years ago (okay, 5 years ago), and it's always made me think of the West.

[Mark]

Isn't there a band arrangement of Grand Canyon Suite?

[Matt G]

El Salon Mexicano - Copland (I believe a 1958 arrangement by him?)

La Fiesta Mexicana (1949) - H. Owen Reed

I think these would also program well with a 'western' concert.

[brianggilbert]

Try - "Tulsa - A Portrait in Oil" by Don Gillis

Pretty cool stuff. Old school...

[NickJones]

Cowboys Overture - John Williams

[twoconnguy]

"The Red Pony" by Copeland. "Walk to the Bunkhouse" is fun if your low woodwinds can count. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how well you can count, the tuba is tacit for this movement. There is a good recording by the Marine Band on their site.

[DavidK]

Sonoran Desert Holiday - Ron Nelson
I don't think there this one has a wood block part. That should mak3e it a shoo-in !!!!

Tender Land- Copeland

Any of the western movie themes of great film composers like: Ennio Morricone, Bernard Herrmann, Elmer Bernstein, Franz Waxman (yep he did some, too) Jerry Goldsmith, to name a few.
No promises on available wind ensemble arrangements, but worth investigating.

[winston]

.

[Bandmaster]

These are not heavy weight pieces but the audience will enjoy them.

"How The West Was Won" arranged by Robert Hawkins (music from the movie)
"The Good Ol' West" by James Christensen

and parts of this one would fit the theme:
"A Very American Overture" by James Barnes

[Adam C.]

Santa Fe Saga - Morton Gould

[dwerden]

And let's not forget the euphonium solo "Home on the Range," arranged by Erik Leidzen. It's probably only for brass band, but while in the Coast Guard Band I did a few solos with brass band parts. We just used the regular brass section and let the woodwinds rest.

[Dean E]

Theme from The Magnificent Seven, Elmer Bernstein.

Hornsmoke by Peter Schickele.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, score by Ennio Morricone,

Dances with Wolves, Academy Award for Original Music Score — John Barry

High Noon, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Dimitri Tiomkin), and Best Music, Song (Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington for "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'", sung by Tex Ritter)

The Hanging Tree

Streets of El Paso, Marty Robbins

Davey Crockett

Bonanza

The Rifleman

Johnny Yuma

The Lonely Bull, Herb Alpert

Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson

Seven Spanish Angels, composed in 1985 by Eddie Setser and Troy Seals, recorded by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson.

Enough for now.

[tubaribonephone]

Stampede by Steven Bryant.

http://www.stevenbryant.com/stampede.php" target="_blank