Following on the success of Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 adapted for band, Oliver Nickel’s transcription of Conga del Fuego Nuevo (Conga of New Fire) gives an added kick to the concert band repertoire. In contrast to the elegant, sinuous Danzón, Conga is an uptempo, celebratory piece, bright and catchy, with the percussion section providing the signature kick at the end of the conga pattern. Márquez slows things down in the middle section to spotlight the first trumpet in a melody that recalls the mariachi tradition. The alto saxes pick it up and relax into a ritard … only to be interrupted by the return of the opening material. The piece ends in fiery fashion.

– Program Note from publisher

Fortress of Peace was completed in January of 2015, commissioned by the Southwest Community Concert Band, Ray Florenza, conductor.  This very fine community ensemble performs in a variety of churches on the southwest side of Chicago, and specifically asked me to create a work that combined traditional hymn tunes in a contemporary wind band setting.  The three songs selected were “A Mighty Fortress is our God” written by Martin Luther, “It is Well with my Soul” lyrics by Horatio Spafford and music by Phillip Bliss, and a traditional hymn tune known as “Fairest Lord Jesus” or “Beautiful Savior”, and many other names as well. 

The first was selected in honor of Pastor Steve Andres, one of the pastors at Calvary Church in Naperville, Illinois whose wife unexpectedly passed away at a young age.  Our whole congregation watched Pastor Steve struggle with his loss, and since he often led worship, the struggle was often public.  Although he was best known among the youth for his exciting renditions of contemporary worship songs, in his time of grief Pastor Steve turned to many of the old hymns of the faith, commenting on how the substance of these older songs helped sustain him.  “A Mighty Fortress” was one of his favorites during this time, and I was deeply moved each time I heard him sing it.  Steve is now fully restored to ministry at Calvary Church, and preaching and singing more passionately than ever.  I included this song as a tribute to him and his willingness to share his journey with the members of our church. 

“It is Well” is a favorite tune for both my wife Erica and I.  The words and the story behind them are equally profound.  Lyricist Horatio Spafford lost a fortune in the great Chicago Fire of 1871, then two years later lost all four of his daughters in a shipwreck at sea.  The lyrics to this beautiful song were penned when he visited the site of the shipwreck.  Finally, “Fairest Lord Jesus” was one of my earliest musical memories from high school.  I heard an All-District Treble Choir sing a wonderful arrangement of this hymn at a festival in Springfield, Misssou when I was 14 or so and the music has stayed with me ever since.  Notes by Thomas Bough 

 

Mighty Fortress

A Mighty Fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. 
Our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. 
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. 
His rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure. 
One single word shall fell him. 

 

It is Well With my Soul

When Peace, like a River, attendeth my way.  
When sorrows like sea billows roll. 
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, 
It is Well, it is well, with my soul. 
It is well, with my soul. 
It is well, it is well, with my soul. 

 

Fairest Lord Jesus 

Fairest Lord Jesus, 
Ruler of the Nations 
O, Thou of God, and Man the Son. 
Thee will I cherish, 
Thee will I honor 
Thou, my Souls glory, joy, and crown. 

This intrepid concert fanfare for advanced bands exudes feelings of exhilaration and resilience from beginning to end. The work opens with sparkling melody lines and brilliant technical passages before settling into the rhythmic dance section. Hereafter, the music once again asserts itself with the powerful statements from the beginning before coming to the dramatic close.

– Program Note from publisher

Variations on a Korean Folk Song is based upon a folk tune that the composer learned while serving the U.S. Army in Seoul, Korea. The tune is known as Arrirang, a song of love and heartbreak that can be found in many variations, with an origin that may date back 1000 years. In autumn 1966, for the Journal of Band Research, Chance said: “I became acquainted with the folk song while serving in Seoul, Korea, as a member of the Eighth U.S. Army Band in 1958-59. The tune is not as simple as it sounds, and my fascination with it during the intervening years led to its eventual use as the theme for this set of variations.”

– Program Note adapted from University of Texas Wind Symphony concert program, 30 November 2016

As a member of, and musical arranger for the Eighth U.S. Army Band, John Barnes Chance served in Seoul, South Korea, during the Korean War. It was during this time that he became familiar with a traditional Korean folk song called Arirang. Chance explains, “The tune is not as simple as it sounds, and my fascination with it during the intervening years led to its eventual use as the theme for this set of variations”.

Arirang is a tune based on the pentatonic scale, and it can be dated back to the 18th century as a song of love and heartbreak. It was utilized in the 20th century as a resistance anthem during the Japanese occupation of Korea, when the singing of patriotic songs, including the national anthem, was criminalized. Chance’s set of variations, written for concert band in 1965, begins by presenting the Arirang theme, and proceeds to develop it through five variations. The piece alternates between fast and slow variations, with the final variation being marked “Con Islancio” (“with impetuousness”), and it uses a variety of time signatures and rhythmic motives to alter the theme. Chance maintains the Eastern influence of the original tune through his use of the pentatonic scale, as well as prominent use of distinct percussion instruments, such as temple blocks, cymbals, and a gong.

The piece was awarded the Ostwald Award in 1966 by the American Bandmasters Association.

– Program Note adapted from Baylor University Symphonic Band concert program, 15 September 2022

Rhythm Stand pays tribute to the constant presence of rhythm in our lives, from the pulse of a heart beating to the rhythmic sounds of the world around us. Celebrating the “regular order” we all experience, Jennifer Higdon incorporates traditional and non-traditional sound within a 4/4 meter American style swing to heighten student awareness and enhance their creativity. Organized in unique compositional and rhythmic patterns, this work invites students to explore multiple ways of organizing sounds and making music.

In the composer’s own words:

“Since rhythm is everywhere, not just in music (ever listened to the tires of a car running across pavement, or a train on railroad tracks?), I’ve incorporated sounds that come not from the instruments that you might find in a band, but from ‘objects’ that sit nearby … music stands and pencils! Music stands are played with pencils, which are both ‘objects’ at hand. Not only that, but some of the performers in this piece get even more basic … they snap their fingers. Because music can be any kind of sound arranged into an interesting pattern, I decided to add sounds that you wouldn’t normally hear coming from band instruments, sounds which are created out of ordinary things that might be sitting nearby. Composing is merely the job of combining interesting sounds into interesting patterns. And interesting patterns create cool rhythms. So … I’m making a STAND FOR RHYTHM!”

Program Note from score

Thomas Bough joined the faculty of Northern Illinois University in the fall of 2005 as the Director of Athletic Bands. He also conducts the Wind Ensemble and the Wind Symphony and teaches graduate conducting and instrumental arranging. Bough holds MM and DMA degrees in Tuba Performance from Arizona State University, where he was a student of Sam Pilafian and Dan Perantoni. He holds the degree Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Missouri State University, where he was active in both vocal and instrumental music. From 1999 – 2005 Bough served as the Assistant Director of Bands and Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, and from 1992-1999 as the Band Director at Westwood High School in Mesa, Arizona. He served as the founding conductor and music director of the Fox Valley Brass Band in Aurora, Illinois from 2017 – 2021.

Bough’s diverse performance background includes wind bands, brass bands, orchestras, chamber music, jazz bands, Dixieland, the Walt Disney World All American College Band and the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. He is a Yamaha sponsored artist, and performs on the Yamaha 822 CC tuba and Yamaha 822 F tuba. In this capacity, he served as a brass consultant and guest instructor with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps for six years. He was also an instructor with the Phantom Regiment Alumni Corps in 2016. Bough has contributed over twenty articles and hundreds of new music reviews to the Instrumentalist magazine, School Band and Orchestra magazine, and DCI Today, as well as articles to five volumes of the Teaching Music Through Performance series as well as Teaching Music Through Performance in Jazz. He is also an ambassador for the Denis Wick company, and a lifetime performer on their mouthpieces and mutes.

Bough is an active conductor, arranger, composer, clinician, and adjudicator for concert band, marching band, and brass band, with dozens of appearances per year to his credit across the United States. His music is published by Alfred Publications, Cimarron Music and GPG Publications. He has served as a frequent masterclass clinician and/or conductor for the Music For All Summer Symposium and the Music For All National Concert Band Festival for over fifteen years. He has presented masterclasses at the Eastman School of Music, the Crane School of Music, Arizona State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Toledo, and UNC-Greensboro, among many others. Bough has presented four times at the Midwest Clinic and twice at the U.S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference, as well as the International Society for Music Education Conference in Beijing, China, and Helsinki, Finland, four NAFME multi-state regional conventions, the International Horn Society Conference, the International Women’s Brass Conference, and the Midwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. In addition, he has presented at Music Educators Association State Conventions in Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Iowa, Tennessee, Alaska, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Colorado, Nebraska, Arkansas, North Carolina, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Washington, Florida and the Texas Bandmasters Association.

 

In May of 2014, his first compact disc was released, entitled, Concertos for Brass: The Music of Thomas Bough. This disc features three original concerti for solo brass instruments and wind band, as well as a transcription of the Concerto in Eb by Neruda. It is available on the Summit Records label at www.summitrecords.com. Since then, recent commissions have included “Ring the Bell” for The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; “Esse Quam Videri” for Olivet Nazarene University; “Chester’s Diadem” for Hauser Junior High School; “Musings on Mahler” for Solo Trumpet and Band; “Legacy of Luther” for Concordia University in Chicago; “Air Mobility Fanfare” for the U.S. Air Force Band at Scott Air Force Base; and “Poorest of the Poor: Music for Mother Teresa”, for the University of San Diego.

Learn more about his work at www.TomBough.com.

Leif Albertson is the current graduate assistant for the NIU Huskie Bands and studies wind band conducting with Dr. Thomas Bough. Leif grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Iowa State University. Leif has attended conducting symposiums at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, the University of Kansas City, Missouri, and Northern Illinois University, Leif has also participated at the Music For All Summer Symposium as a director in 2024.  Leif taught 6th-8th grade middle school band in Elkhorn, Nebraska, for two years before coming to NIU to pursue a master’s degree.