Listen to our Music

This magnificent march in Bb Major by Prokofiev (Op.99) was composed in 1943, thus at a time when the composer had been been rehabilitated after earlier being labelled an "enemy of the people" by Stalin who had considered his music to be degenerate. Sampled here is an extract from the exciting finale of this march.

This piece by William Francis McBeth, a prolific American composer for wind ensembles, dates from 1983. As a performer, McBeth is best known as conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. The sample recorded here is taken from the opening measures of this moving composition.

An extract from the middle section of this outstanding composition for band by Norman Dello Joio. By the 1940s Dello Joio was considered one of America’s leading composers, and by the 1950s had gained international recognition. This piece takes as its theme the medieval Christmas carol In Dulci Jubilo.

SALUTE TO AMERICAN JAZZ (790K)

An arrangement of jazz pieces by Sammy Nestico, who had the distinction of playing trombone with the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, and Gene Krupa. He arranged music for Count Basie, for the US Marine Band and the US Air Force Band. The recorded extract from this piece is part of St Louis Blues.

Jack Stamp wrote his Gavorkna Fanfare in the early 1990s. It was inspired by a 1962 World Series Giants game, and discernible within the piece are the National Anthem and the song Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The composition  is full of dissonance and intricate rhythms. Sampled here is part of the opening section.