Seventh Symphony

Description

Piccolo 1, Piccolo 2, Flute 3, Flute 1, Flute 2, Oboe 1, Oboe 2, English Horn, Clarinet in Eb, Clarinet in Bb 1, Clarinet in Bb 2, Clarinet in Bb 3, Clarinet in A, Alto Clarinet, Basset Horn, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Bassoon 1, Bassoon 2, Contrabassoon, Alto Saxophone 1, Alto Saxophone 2, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Cornet 1, Cornet 2, Cornet 3, Trumpet in Bb 1, Trumpet in Bb 2, Horn in F 1, Horn in F 2, Horn in F 3, Horn in F 4, Trombone 1, Trombone 2, Trombone 3, Baritone Horn, Tuba, String Bass, Organ, Timpani, Percussion 1, Snare Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Wind Chimes, Percussion 2, Tenor Drum, Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Percussion 3, Xylophone, Crotales — The 1950s were fertile years in the compositional output of Vincent Persichetti. It was during this decade that he composed his earliest and most enduring contributions to the band repertoire: the Divertimento, Psalm, Pageant, and the Symphony for Band. The 1950s are notable for his orchestral output as well, with four of his nine symphonies being composed in this period. This period also saw the completion of Persichetti’s first book of Hymns and Responses for the Church Year, which contains music that runs like a thread throughout many of his concert works. Materials from the Hymns and Responses often appear in short-form treatment in Persichetti’s concert pieces, like the chorale preludes. The Seventh Symphony is unique in that it explores these materials across a large form with symphonic development.With melodies derived almost exclusively from the Hymns and Responses, Persichetti’s Seventh Symphony transforms symphonic form into a large-scale exploration of intrinsically liturgical material from his own hymnbooks. The “Liturgical” seventh therefore approaches symphonic form from a very different angle than the Symphony for Band, written two years prior. It is distinctly less neoclassical in form and character than the other works of this period, and more overtly symphonic in scope and Romantic in character. The Seventh Symphony, Op. 80 (1959) has been performed infrequently and recorded only once. However, portions of it achieved greater prominence as A Lincoln Address, Op. 124 (1973), which extracted and repurposed large sections of the symphony. Originally for narrator and orchestra, Persichetti subsequently transcribed A Lincoln Address for narrator and band (Op. 124a, 1974), which would remain his only band transcription of a symphonic work.This edition of the complete Seventh Symphony for band restores the passages Persichetti omitted when creating A Lincoln Address, inserting new transcriptions into Op. 124a. These newly transcribed passages were undertaken in the spirit of Persichetti’s own approach to Op. 124a, following careful study of his sketches and manuscripts. Persichetti’s SEVENTH SYMPHONY is a monumental and deeply personal artistic statement. Drawing its themes from the composer’s own Hymns and Responses for the Church Year, the complete symphony has been expertly recast for band by conductor-scholar Chris David Westover-Muñoz, who meticulously followed Persichetti’s own orchestra-to-band transcription methods from A Lincoln Address (itself derived from portions of the SEVENTH SYMPHONY), to stunning effect. College, community, and professional ensembles the world over will be eager to add this “new” symphony by one of the great band composers of all time to their repertoires, as it takes its place alongside the beloved Divertimento, Psalm, Symphony for Band, and other Persichetti classics.