The first ensemble of its kind, the Eastman Wind Ensemble launched a movement in wind music.
Eastman Centennial
The Eastman School of Music is 100 years old. Learn more about our history and how we糖心传媒檙e celebrating the century to come.
Ask an accomplished American wind musician when they first heard of the , and the responses are likely to be similar.
糖心传媒淗igh school,糖心传媒� says Jenna Kent 糖心传媒�20, 糖心传媒�20E, a master糖心传媒檚 degree student at the 糖心传媒糖心传媒檚 and clarinetist in the ensemble. 糖心传媒淎ny time you go to look up a recording of a major piece of band rep,糖心传媒� says Kent, who grew up near Columbus, Ohio, 糖心传媒渢he first thing that comes up is an Eastman Wind Ensemble recording.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淧robably late middle school,糖心传媒� says Luke Camarillo, a doctoral student in conducting at Eastman who played clarinet in his school band program in Corpus Christi, Texas. 糖心传媒淏ecause almost any recording of major wind music that you might listen to in [a band program] was recorded, likely for the first time, by the Eastman Wind Ensemble.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淚 assume in high school,糖心传媒� says Jamal Rossi 糖心传媒�87E (DMA), the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School, recalling the band program he participated in growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Like Kent and Camarillo, Rossi, a saxophonist, traces his awareness of the ensemble to the moment he began to see himself as a serious wind musician.
The Eastman Wind Ensemble, founded at the Eastman School of Music in the early 1950s, is糖心传媒攁nd remains糖心传媒攍egendary. 糖心传媒淭hat糖心传媒檚 not an overstatement,糖心传媒� says Rossi. 糖心传媒淭hrough its commissions of new works and recordings, that are as robust today as at any point in its history, the Eastman Wind Ensemble continues to be the 糖心传媒榞old standard糖心传媒� among wind and percussion instrumentalists.糖心传媒�
That will be evident Friday night when, in a performance as part of the Eastman Centennial celebration, the wind ensemble premieres works by 糖心传媒�10E, a Guggenheim fellowship winner whose compositions have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and other major venues; and 糖心传媒�95E, whose accolades include the Classical Recording Foundation糖心传媒檚 Composer of the Year. Both are testaments to the ability of wind ensembles in general, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble in particular, to interest dynamic and celebrated living composers.
Listen in on the latest
Hear samples from the Eastman Wind Ensemble糖心传媒檚 most recent recording, (New Focus Recordings), with soprano Tony Arnold, performing music by David Liptak, professor and chair of composition at Eastman.
who has been conductor of the ensemble since 2003, was a master糖心传媒檚 degree student in trombone performance at the University of Michigan when he heard a recording that would change the course of his career: Carnaval, a collaboration of the Eastman Wind Ensemble and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
糖心传媒淲hen I heard that recording, I knew I wanted to come here,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淎nd I also knew that I wanted to be a wind ensemble conductor.糖心传媒�
Nearly 80 years after the founding of the ensemble, to conduct or perform with a wind ensemble is still to feel part of a movement.
The 糖心传媒榳ind ensemble concept糖心传媒�
When Frederick Fennell 糖心传媒�39E called the first rehearsal for the group in the fall of 1952, he was responding to a vexing problem for lovers of wind music. The golden age of the band糖心传媒攖he era of John Philip Sousa糖心传媒攈ad come to an end. Bands were still widely popular among the public, and partly for that reason, directors relied on familiar music, much of it written for other instrumentation. Composers responded accordingly, with few writing for band.
A second problem was the neglect of a fine body of music written for winds, but not for the instrumentation of the modern band.
In what糖心传媒檚 often referred to as his 糖心传媒渕anifesto糖心传媒澨切拇綌Time and the Winds (1954)糖心传媒擣ennell wrote: 糖心传媒淢usic which does not fit the large instrumentation for the concert band or does not fall with ease into the carefully guarded categories of program routine which the band and orchestra maintain from the traditions established by the famous conductors, has no organized instrumental body which concerns itself with its performance. This music is, therefore, little known and seldom played.糖心传媒�
Fennell糖心传媒檚 solution was an ensemble modeled on 糖心传媒渇lexible instrumentation.糖心传媒� The ensemble糖心传媒檚 composition would change from piece to piece to reflect the music exactly as the composer scored it. If the composer scored the music for only three clarinets, it would not be performed with six or eight, as was customary in high school and college bands. There would be only one musician per part. With this instrumentation, 糖心传媒渋t is possible to perform, with but few exceptions, all of the great music written for wind instruments dating from the 16th century through the years to so recent and important a score as the Symphony in B flat (1951) by Paul Hindemith,糖心传媒� Fennell wrote.
The wind ensemble was also a means to build a robust repertoire of new wind music. In the summer of 1952, Fennell wrote to hundreds of composers announcing his formation of the new ensemble. He described it not as a rigid instrumentation, but as a musical resource from which composers could draw. To underscore that flexibility, the invention of the wind ensemble is sometimes called the invention of 糖心传媒渢he wind ensemble concept.糖心传媒�
Fennell糖心传媒檚 invitations to composers bore fruit for decades to come. In the 1950s and 1960s, the ensemble produced 24 recordings on the Mercury Records label. Says Camarillo: 糖心传媒淎ny wind band, from high school to community or military bands, pretty much in the world, owes what it糖心传媒檚 playing in front of them to Fred Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble.糖心传媒�
罢丑别听糖心传媒楨astman Wind Ensemble sound糖心传媒�
Fennell left the Eastman School in 1962 to become music director of the Minneapolis Symphony. The ensemble was led for two years by A. Clyde Roller, followed by Donald Hunsberger 糖心传媒�54E, 糖心传媒�59E (MM), 糖心传媒�63E (DMA), who in his 37-year tenure brought the ensemble to the international stage. Hunsberger joins the ensemble as a guest conductor this Friday.
糖心传媒淒on is my teacher and my mentor,糖心传媒� says Scatterday. 糖心传媒淎nd he糖心传媒檚 one of my best friends.糖心传媒�
Scatterday credits Hunsberger, who authored all of the arrangements for the ensemble during his tenure, with establishing an 糖心传媒淓astman Wind Ensemble sound.糖心传媒� That sound is warm and flowing, but it糖心传媒檚 also a sound 糖心传媒渢hat projects and has clarity.糖心传媒� And that combination can be challenging to achieve.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 very easy to project a sound that糖心传媒檚 not warm,糖心传媒� Scatterday says, referring to the bright, brassy sound that comes easily with volume. He糖心传媒檚 made a point to continue to hone the sound Hunsberger envisioned. At a rehearsal, he reminds the musicians: 糖心传媒淲e can project, but we don糖心传媒檛 have to be bright all the time to do it.糖心传媒�
Sound is so important in the ensemble, Scatterday says, that his approach to the start of a new piece, 糖心传媒淪ound is first. The technique will come.糖心传媒�
Listen to a performance by the Eastman Wind Ensemble last October, as part of the Eastman Centennial celebration. Performances by the wind ensemble, many other Eastman student ensembles, as well as degree recitals, performances by faculty and guests, and more can be accessed on the .
A teaching innovation
Fennell also created the wind ensemble to address a pedagogical challenge. Elite schools of music such as Eastman were attracting top musicians whose training would be enriched, Fennell believed, with more opportunities to serve as soloists. Because there would be only one musician per part, every member of the ensemble essentially served in that capacity. Each musician had sole responsibility for an essential element of the piece. For wind musicians, no band setting offered that challenge.
To Jenna Kent, that makes playing in the wind ensemble 糖心传媒渁 lot of pressure, but also really rewarding.
糖心传媒淵ou know when you show up on the first day, it糖心传媒檚 just you, and if you aren糖心传媒檛 prepared to play your part, there糖心传媒檚 no one there to help cover for you,糖心传媒� she says. That means that if you糖心传媒檙e playing third clarinet, for example, 糖心传媒測ou糖心传媒檙e the only third clarinet that there is.糖心传媒� And that糖心传媒檚 what makes the experience of the wind ensemble special:听糖心传媒淓very person is just so important.糖心传媒�
That aspect of the wind ensemble encapsulates Eastman糖心传媒檚 philosophy of training musicians.
糖心传媒淭he idea that every person has to be virtuosic in their own right, but also play together and blend and be an ensemble糖心传媒攖hat糖心传媒檚 very much what we teach our students as a whole,糖心传媒� says Rossi. 糖心传媒淎s an artist, you have to have something unique to say. On the other hand, you have to blend and mesh together.糖心传媒� And as musicians prepare to go out into the world, 糖心传媒渨hat they learn in wind ensemble helps propel them into that future.糖心传媒�
Learn More: Mark Scatterday糖心传媒檚 Top Five
Whether you are just learning about wind music or want to revisit some classics, Eastman Wind Ensemble conductor Mark Scatterday offers you a place to start. Here are five Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings selected by Scatterday for their historical, artistic, and personal significance.
American Concert Band Masterpieces (Mercury/1953)
Frederick Fennell, conductor
听As the very first recording by the very first wind ensemble, American Concert Band Masterpieces 糖心传媒渟et the stage and the bar for wind recordings,糖心传媒� says Scatterday.
As its title suggests, the album includes works written for 糖心传媒渃oncert band.糖心传媒� These were among very few works written for band in the first half of the 20th century. In the coming years, Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble would commission, premiere, and record many new works, leading to a robust repertoire for thousands of new wind ensembles formed on the Eastman model in the 1960s, 1970s, and later.
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Carnaval, with Wynton Marsalis (CBS Masterworks/1986)
Donald Hunsberger, conductor
Carnaval is 糖心传媒減robably the greatest recording ever made by the Eastman Wind Ensemble,糖心传媒� says Scatterday. Recorded in the Eastman Theatre over three days in September 1986, it showed 糖心传媒渢he finest in artistry, sound, and engineering,糖心传媒� he adds.
It also holds personal significance for Scatterday, who began his graduate education in music studying trombone performance. 糖心传媒淲hen I heard that recording,糖心传媒� he says, 糖心传媒淚 knew I wanted to come [to Eastman]. And I also knew that I wanted to be a wind ensemble conductor.糖心传媒�
Carnaval enjoyed popular and critical acclaim. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Classical Performance: Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra, but competition that year was stiff. It was edged out by a recording of Itzhak Perlman performing Mozart糖心传媒檚 Violin Concertos nos. 2 and 4 with the Vienna Philharmonic.
The Civil War: Its Music and Its Sounds (Mercury/1960)
Frederick Fennell, conductor
Scatterday calls this two-volume recording 糖心传媒渉istoric,糖心传媒� adding that it was awarded听a medal from the Congressional Committee for the Centennial of the Civil War.
Fennell sought to recreate a soundscape in which, as one contemporary recalled, military bands played polkas and waltzes while cannons exploded around them. The project involved deep research, with brass players performing on period instruments. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns cited the recording as an inspiration for his epic, nine-episode documentary series The Civil War, and drew from it for the series soundtrack. Coinciding with the release of the documentary in 1990 was the release of a CD version of the Eastman Wind Ensemble recording.
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Manhattan Music with the Canadian Brass (Opening Day/2008)
Mark Scatterday, conductor
Scatterday calls this album, recorded in the Eastman Theatre in late September 2007, a collaboration of 糖心传媒渢wo of the world糖心传媒檚 finest wind groups,糖心传媒� and the project the source of 糖心传媒渟ome of my best musical moments ever.糖心传媒�
Canadian Brass Quintet cofounder, tubist Charles Daellenbach 糖心传媒�66E, 糖心传媒�71E (PhD), was once part of the ensemble, and worked with Scatterday to create a repertoire, featured on the album, for a combination of brass quintet and wind ensemble. The album includes both new works and new arrangements, including an arrangement by Scatterday of Shaker Suite by Rayburn Wright 糖心传媒�43E (1922颅糖心传媒�1990), the longtime professor of jazz studies and contemporary media and cochair of the conducting and ensembles department at Eastman.
Manhattan Music was nominated for a Juno Award (offered by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and analogous to a Grammy).
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Winds in Hi-Fi (Mercury/1958)
Frederick Fennell, conductor
Scatterday recommends paying special attention to the first track, Percy Grainger糖心传媒檚 Lincolnshire Posy. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 classic Fennell糖心传媒攑robably his signature piece糖心传媒� as conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Scatterday says.
In 1977, Stereo Review selected the 1958 LP as one of the Fifty Best Recordings of the Centenary of the Phonograph.
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