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 Graduation Music
Author: Jacy 
Date:   2002-03-23 20:14

Every year our band gets to suggest pieces for the commencement (grad, for you Americans) ceremony in October. Usually for lack of any better ideas, we've been stuck in a loop of suggesting and playing Pomp and Circumstance or Fanfare and Flourishes (Curnow), but there's always a weird idea like the Theme from Star Wars...any ideas for good processional music?

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: GBK 
Date:   2002-03-23 21:00

http://jenn.aurdev.com/vegedance.html

(By the way, if you play this piece, please invite JMcAulay to your commencement)...GBK

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: Katfish 
Date:   2002-03-23 21:53

Sine Nomine by Ralph Vaugh Williams arr. by Bruce Houseknecht (my old high school band director)

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: Don Poulsen 
Date:   2002-03-23 22:44

Are you looking for recessional music as well? I am trying to recall what our band has played for the Marian College commencement each year. We always play Pomp and Circumstance for the processional. (You'll find my opinion of this piece in an earlier thread on least favorite music.) It's an American tradition. Most high schools and colleges use it.

Dang! I was about to let you know what we are planning on using for the recessional this year, but I don't have my music with me and my memory for names/titles is terrible. Let's see... In the past we've used the theme from <i>Masterpiece Theater</i>. (Quick, someone name that tune and the composer.) And then there was some Beethoven march. Arrrrgh! My mind is going. Dave, please don't do this to me Dave. Daisy, daisy...

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: GBK 
Date:   2002-03-23 22:56

Don...The theme from "Masterpiece Theater" was originally entitled
"Rondeau" by Jean-Joseph Mouret. It was extracted from his larger opus "Symphonies and Fanfares for the King's Supper." ...GBK

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: Jean Adler 
Date:   2002-03-23 23:03

When my husband and I got married we didn't want to do the "standard" recessional music. Since my husband's ancestors are Scottish we had a bagpiper play Scotland The Brave.

Back to your original question, aren't there some William Walton
pieces that might do the trick. How about, and this title might not be 100% correct..."A history of the English Speaking People" comes to mind.

And speaking of John Williams, has anyone ever done a work called
"The Cowboys"? Lots of fun.

Jean

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: Beth 
Date:   2002-03-23 23:08

Is there a band arrangement of Brahms' Academic Festival Overture? That's what my child's school orchestra plays every year at graduation.

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: William Hughes 
Date:   2002-03-24 04:14

Our community band just picked up John Williams' "Call of the Champions (The Official Theme of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games)." Nice fanfare piece.

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: willie 
Date:   2002-03-24 04:24

I like "Procession of the Nobles" by Rimsky-Korsikov(sp). Very regal sounding!

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: jenna 
Date:   2002-03-24 04:51

If you liked that Williams piece, William, try "Summon The Heroes"... written for the Summer Olypmics in Atlanta, I believe. Decent bass parts, clarinets don't seem to have it so bad, and the trumpets have fantastic leads and whatnots.

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: Jim E. 
Date:   2002-03-24 05:32

Instead of Star Wars, how about the theme from Rocky(1) "Gotta Fly Now." including the fanfare. Just kidding I think. Always did like that fanfare!

I've seen Rondeau used quite well at weddings, it has a nice feel and flow, though I suspect it suffers from association with the TV show.

I did the Academic Festival Overature at the dedication of one of my schools of higher learning, quite classy sounding though I don't know if there is a band arrangement.

My wife and I, not wanting to use the trad. operatic wedding music, used the wedding processional from "Sound of Music." There is sheet music of it for organ at least. In the show it goes into the song "Maria" but there is an optional cut and repeat to avoid that. We put 2 other couples onto this and they both used it. I saw it used at least one more time as well. Our recessional was Bach "Jesu Joy..." A bit hard to walk to with the triplets, but we were young.

How about the Grand March from Verdi's Aida (March Triumphia) skiping the intro and chorus part and beginning with the trumpets.

There is a neat march in Lawrance of Arabia, "March of the Guns" not as militaristic as you would think, a lot of it is in minors. I have no idea if the music is available.

On a light note, the "Swing March" from the movie "What did you do in the War Daddy?" The march was written by Mancini, I've heard it done by band so there must be music somewhere.

The Strauss "Radetsky" march. I know there is a concert band arrangement, I've played it.

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: David Pegel 
Date:   2002-03-24 15:37

We did a peice one year "March from Valdres" or something like that. It worked out fairly well.

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: Lindsey Ondrey 
Date:   2002-03-25 02:44

We used the general Pomp and Circumstance (I admit... I don't relish playing it but for the tradition of walking into graduation, it was nice to hear).. but our band and choir in HS also had the tradition of playing a special piece.... the piece we played in 98 was Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral which isn't too bad. It's a pretty piece. Personally, however, I am still amused by the piece we played my senior year-- an arrangement of the William Tell Overture. I remember looking out over the other graduates as I played going from the soft quiet beginning where everyone looked bored to the beginning of the familiar "Hi Ho Silver, Away!" section. :) I remember most this guy Eric that I went to school with sitting there in his robe realizing what piece it is and sitting in his seat pretending to ride a horse while we played (unvisible to the audience).... heheh.
The big thing w/ stuff like that is be creative-- don't always look at the traditional stuff... it will create a more vivid memory.

I like Mars too... that's fun.

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: diz 
Date:   2002-03-25 23:53

One year our school's marching band (they were pretty good, by the way) played and arrangement of Holst's Jupiter - from the Planets. It wasn't easy but it was fun and had a certain majestic quality that suited out graduation.

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 RE: Graduation Music
Author: Jeff 
Date:   2002-03-29 05:25

At my school, we do Pomp and Circumstance as well as the March from 1941, which isn't bad. Jean Adler--my school band just finished with Williams' "The Cowboys"....great piece, quite difficult. I played the first oboe part, which seemed to be significantly easier than the clarinet part, but challenging nonetheless.

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