SOUND IDENTITY

Sara Maganzini

The purpose of my Research is to explore why at the beginning of the XX° century wind orchestras in different Countries in Europe sounded so singular and why nowadays the sound is so similar one to the other. Haven’t found any book which speaks about this specific topic I decided to research about the subject hoping it will maybe be useful or interesting not only for my development as conductor/musician but also to other people, be they conductors, composers, musicians or just wind orchestra music lovers. Above historical issues I will also include some artistic material such as examples, audio samples and scores which support the development of my Research. Special focus will be given to the analysis of a couple of significant original scores from the first decade of the XX° century which will be the guide line throughout my research.

Sound identity is the soul of a wind band, it's the extra something which makes the difference.

Our world has many different languages, music is a big part of the language world. We recognize foreign languages straight away just by listening to people speak, this should happen also in music.

When we listen to a recording we should be able to understand which wind band is playing or at least from which Country it comes from.

To do so, we must take care we have sufficient knowledge about the musical carachteristics which can help us capture the identity.

Danse Funambulesque - Jules Strens

performed by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band

conducted by Col Michael J. Colburn

An example, Danse Funambulesque by Jules Strens (Belgium)

performed by 3 top level wind bands for a sound comparison:

Danse Funambulesque - Jules Strens

performed by the Koninkijke Harmonie Orpheus Tilburg,

conducted by Hardy Mertens

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Danse Funambulesque - Jules Strens

performed by the Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra,

conducted by David Fiuza Souto

3. Why is

"sound identity" important?

Danse Funambulesque

Jules Strens

Born: December 5, 1893, Brussels, Belgium

Died: March 19, 1971, Brussels, Belgium

Instrumentation: Chamber Orchestra

Duration: 11 minutes

Composed: 1925

Jules Strens studied violin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and for a while he received advice from Paul Gilson in orchestration. In 1926 he became member of the “Synthétistes” group of young progressive composers of the twenties who were all pupils of Paul Gilson. During this period, he experimented with electro-acoustic music and began his musical career as violinist and composer. Starting 1922 he was first violinist at the “Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie”. From 1931 to 1934 he was conductor of the “Association Symphonique de Bruxelles”. At the end of his life he was more active as an organist. As a composer, he was self-taught and prolific. His musical production is all embrasing and earned him several awards. His first compositions were undeniably influenced by the conceptions of Richard Strauss. His symphonic variations Gil Blas are a good example of this tendency. Strens’s more mature works use polyrhthm and ostinatio. The Belgian Music Center says "“The most typical compositions written in this technique are Danse funambulesque, Danse tragique andRhapsodie polyrythmique."

Danse Funambulesque was originally composed for chamber orchestra in 1925. Strens re-scored it for band in 1929 and added a dedication to Arthur Prevost, then Director of The Band of the Belgian Guides. Prevost was a leading figure in the musical life of Brussels, leading the first Belgian performances of Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments, Octet, and Piano Concerto, among other notable works.

Danse Funambulesque is inspired by the death-defying feats of a tightrope walker at the circus.

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Danse Funambulesque