{"id":4634,"date":"2019-10-30T23:59:53","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T04:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=4634"},"modified":"2019-12-15T19:51:34","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T01:51:34","slug":"pushing-the-limits-of-band-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2019\/10\/30\/pushing-the-limits-of-band-expectations\/","title":{"rendered":"Pushing the Limits of Band Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why is it that bands are not held to the same standards as orchestras? This is what I found myself asking when reading a <\/span>Manitou Messenger<\/span><\/i> article from 2007 titled, \u201cSt. Olaf band pushed limits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tom Niemisto, \u201cSt. Olaf Band pushes limits,\u201d Manitou Messenger<\/em>, February 16, 2007, https:\/\/stolaf.eastview.com\/browse\/doc\/44635111<\/span><\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

The \u201climits\u201d to which the article is largely referring struck me as notably particular to the band world:<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, the St. Olaf Band has developed a reputation for pushing the limits of what to expect from band ensembles. Mahr is deliberately expanding the traditional band repertoire through his own compositions and daring concert programming. The band\u2019s home concert in the Skoglund auditorium on Feb. 8 was a solid portrait of the agility of style that the band has reached.<\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/span><\/p>\n

One of several highlights of the concert was alternating tour soloist Jennifer Maki ’07 performing the jubilant Weber Clarinet Concertino. The texture of the band accompaniment playing this delicate late classical-period music with Maki exceeded my expectations.1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why is it that having the ability to play \u201cdelicate\u201d music well constitutes \u201cpushing the limits of what to expect from band ensembles\u201d? Orchestras are certainly expected to be able to play delicately. The focus of the article is not on the quality of the band intrinsically, or as an undergraduate band, but basically that it\u2019s very good <\/span>for a band<\/span><\/i>. This provides some interesting insight into the hierarchy of the ensembles. This also to me does not seem to be through any fault of the instruments themselves\u2014woodwinds, for example, are known for their delicate sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

Woodwind delicacy is one of the features of the Weber Clarinet Concertino mentioned above. To hear what may have been so impressive about a band arrangement of this, I listened a recording of the original orchestral version.<\/span><\/p>\n