Kaitlyn Laprise

The History of the Wind Ensemble: An Annotated Bibliography

For over half of a century, wind ensemble conductors and composers have questioned
why the ensemble has had so much difficulty in trying to grow to the full professional status that
the symphony orchestra has maintained since the 17th century. For the earliest examples of our
modern concept of the wind ensemble, it was difficult to find composers willing to write for the
ensemble, which contributed to its perception as an ensemble of lesser quality. Contemporary
ensembles, however, do not face this same shortage of composers who are willing to write for
wind bands. In fact, contemporary composers in some cases may be almost too willing to write
for this ensemble; it is arguable that some of the music being written for and performed by wind
bands today may actually be contributing negatively to the overall effort for the ensemble to be
considered an equal artistic medium. There is no way to know for sure what is holding the
ensemble back, but it is without question that wind music in its many forms has a rich history
which is largely undocumented in most history books. It is through an understanding of this
historythe ensembles struggles, successes, and what its strongest advocates have been fighting
forthat we can hope to find the path to furthering the success of the ensemble.
This bibliography is a collection of resources that trace the history and development of
the wind band as an ensemble from the earliest examples of wind music in ancient civilizations
to our modern concept of the wind ensemble. It includes discussions of repertoire as they relate
to the development of the ensemble, but not as a main focus of the bibliography. There is a
debate among authors on this list about whether or not the professional bands of the early 20th
century are actually a part of the history of the wind ensemble or if they are a separate entity
because their purpose and repertoire are so different from that of the wind ensemble; sources on

both sides of this argument are included in this bibliography. Also, because military bands have
entirely their own traditional history, a full historical analysis of those ensembles was not
included; military bands are addressed only as they relate to the development of the ensemble as
a whole, but not in enough detail to support a full history of those bands. Some sources that
discuss public school bands are included, but only those that discuss these ensembles within the
larger context of wind band history.
It is my intention to bring to light all of the research that has been done on this topic in
the hopes that increased education about the history of wind music can help inform a path for the
future development of the wind ensemble.

Battisti, F. (1993, January). The legacy of leaders with vision. The Instrumentalist, 47(6), 18-27.
Frank Battisti is the founder and conductor emeritus of the New England Conservatory Wind
Ensemble and one of the foremost advocates of wind band music in the United States. In this
article, he outlines a list of important band leaders and composers who made significant
contributions to the 20th century commissioning effort to develop the wind ensemble repertoire.
This article includes commissioning projects done by Edwin Franko Goldman with the Goldman
Band and the American Bandmasters Association, William D. Revelli with the University of
Michigan Bands, and Captain Francis E. Resta with the West Point Academy Band. Battisti also
discusses the significance of Frederick Fennells work with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Hugh
E. McMillens commissions for the Intercollegiate Band, Robert Boudreaus work with the
American Wind Symphony, the commissioning projects Battisti himself worked on with the
High School Band in Ithaca, NY, and other commissioning projects lead by CBDNA. While this
article provides no broad sense of historical context, it does discuss a particularly significant time
period in the development of the wind ensemble and offers a good overview of all of the work
that was done during this time to help establish a repertoire for the ensemble.

Battisti, F. L. (1995). The twentieth century American wind band/ensemble: History,

development, and literature. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Meredith Music.
This book is a well-respected text that wind ensemble conductors use as a resource for
understanding their most significant repertoire. Battisti begins by describing the European
woodwind chamber music traditions that lead up to what he considers the birth of the modern
repertoire: Holsts First Suite in Eb for Military Band. He intentionally does not consider any
transcriptions, although they were commonly performed before there were many original pieces
for wind band. Battisti then goes on to discuss commissioning projects, the growing international
community for wind ensembles, professional versus public school and university band repertoire,
and his concept for the future of the ensemble. This vision calls for creative programming of the
best available repertoire which is a combination of traditional and newly commissioned music.
Lastly, Battisti includes several appendices which outline chronological lists of 20th century
repertoire recommended for professional, collegiate, and high school ensembles, recommended
reading, and lists of the instrumentation of various wind bands in the 20th century. Since his ideas
for the future are so focused on repertoire selection, every chapter includes lists of significant
literature written during that particular time period that Battisti believes should still be performed
regularly with contemporary ensembles. Through these lists, readers can see not only the
development of repertoire, but the growing interest among significant composers in writing for
bands. His vision also includes increased education for conductors, the establishment of
professional wind bands, further commissioning projects, and increased research about historical
repertoire. This book is a widely-used resource for wind band conductors and is an important
consideration for research on this topic.

Battisti, F. (2002). The winds of change: The evolution of the contemporary American wind
band/ensemble and its conductor. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music.
Battistis book is one of the most widely recognized and recommended books for wind band
conductors to use as a means of learning the history of wind bands and as an extensive resource
for repertoire selection. Battisti traces the history of the wind music from the 16th to the 20th
century including discussion about changes within the ensemble as well as the growth and
expansion of the repertoire throughout history. There is also discussion about topics that Battisti
considers to be of interest to current wind band conductors including choosing quality repertoire,
commissioning, expression, leadership, and the advancement of the wind band as an ensemble.
He then goes on to establish a concept for the future development of the ensemble and its
repertoire including anticipated challenges for future directors. Lastly, there is an extensive set of
appendices which provide repertoire lists for University and High School ensembles, lists of
works performed by important wind ensembles in the 19th and 20th centuries, and a recommended
reading list. This book is an invaluable resource documenting the history and literature of the
wind band.

Battisti, F. L. (2012). Winds of change II: The new millennium: A chronicle of the continuing
evolution of the contemporary American wind band/ensemble. Galesville, MD: Meredith
Music.
This book is a continuation of the previous source on this list which discussed repertoire from the
16th to the 20th centuries. Battistis latest book covers 315 new works written both in the United
States and abroad from 2000-2010. His first several chapters, organized by year, delineate new
repertoire, conferences, representative compositions for various instrumentations, and
retirements and deaths of important leaders in the field. He also details the advancement of the
ensemble and its repertoire over these ten years including commissions, programming, increased
performance of wind works by professional symphony orchestras, and performances in
significant venues. Lastly, he makes predictions and suggestions for the future including
cooperation among band associations, better education for ensemble teachers, school bands and
music education, and greater research and documentation of wind band history. As always in
Battistis books, there are several appendices including lists of selected significant works from
these ten years, sample contemporary programs of major university ensembles, an evaluation of
the repertoire in terms of artistic merit, and wind band composition awards and prizes. This book
offers the most complete contemporary look at the results of the genres 20th century effort to
generate new artistic repertoire.

Battisti, F. (2013, November). Goldman, Revelli, and the modern American concert band. The
Instrumentalist, 68(4), 6-8, 45.
This article outlines the efforts of Goldman and Revelli in expanding the repertoire for wind
bands during the 1930s and 40s. Battisti discusses their many commissioning projects which
inspired a turning point in the history of wind music in America and advanced the professional
development of bands. The author believes that Goldmans influence on professional ensembles
and Revellis influence in the academic world of ensembles formed the foundation for our
modern concept of wind bands. In this article, Battisti provides a narrow, but valid reflection on
the work of two of the most influential wind band leaders in history.
Battisti, F. L., Berz, W., & Girsberger, R. (2014). Sourcebook for wind band and instrumental
music. Delray Beach, FL: Meredith Music.
This resource is an extremely extensive bibliography compiling all sources of research about
wind bands and instrumental music. It is organized by subject and includes lists of citations for
sources about professional development and organization websites, specific composers, method
books, conducting, arranging, literature, and historical research. This resource is unique among
other sources of its type because it is so current and has such a broad subject base. It includes all
forms of significant research that has been done about each of these topics including books,
dissertations and theses, articles from periodicals, essays, presentations, and websites. It is
intended to be used as a practical resource for wind band teachers to help them find scholarly
answers to their questions by pointing them in the direction of well-established research as well
as contemporary resources.

Battisti, F. L., & Musgrave, R. B. (2010). The best we can be: The story of the Ithaca High
School Band, 1955-67. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music.
This book is Battistis account of his time as the director of the Ithaca High School Band in
Ithaca, NY from 1955-1967. During these 12 years, Battisti and his band became an important
model for contemporary wind band programs in public schools, making this time significant to
the history of all public school wind band programs. He also discusses the process of their
numerous commission projects which produced works that are now considered some of the most
important in the wind bands repertoire. While this book doesnt provide the historical depth that
some other books do in terms of time span or breadth of subject matter, it does provide a very
detailed look at what one exemplary director did with his outstanding public school band
program. Because of the unwavering respect and admiration for this band program among the
community of contemporary band directors, this book provides an important look into the goals

of contemporary public school music educators. Since there is no truly historical way to look at
contemporary public school bands, having a way to understand what music educators are
currently striving for is the closest way one can hope to understand their significance in the
history of the ensemble.

Berger, K. (1961). The band in the United States: A preliminary review of band research and
research needs. Evansville, IN: Band Associates.
This is a very unique source in that it provides a perfect snapshot of bands in this time period in
terms of instrumentation, repertoire, purpose, and the current state of research. Berger provides
surveys of the number of different types of bands in each state, what percentage of schools at the
time had band versus orchestra or chorus programs, and the size and instrumentation of bands in
public secondary schools, universities, and conservatories from various regions in the United
States. Through these surveys, Berger provides by far the most specific definition of a band of
any of these sources because hes analyzing exactly who is in typical ensembles of this time and
what instruments they are playing. He then includes discussion about every band instrument
including its history, function, how to write for it, and how it was used in band music at that
time. Berger also tackles the question of artistic value, education for bandmasters, and an
analysis of the limited amount of band research that had been done when he wrote the book.
While his scope is small, this book includes immense detail about the specific elements that
define the bands of this time period.

Bodiford, K. (2012). Evolution of contemporary college wind band repertoire and programming
in the United States: 18002010 ((Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI No. 3550013)
Bodifords research traces the development of wind band repertoire and instrumentation in the
United States. On the subject of instrumentation, he gives information about the 18th and early
19th centuries as well as more detailed information about the Gilmore and Sousa bands. He then
extends his research to include developing bands in public schools. For his repertoire analysis,
Bodiford includes brief information about the bands of the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as
more extensive information about literature for school bands, the commissioning process, and
repertoire developments in the second half of the 20th century. He gives an analysis of the current
state of wind repertoire including interviews with composers and additional case studies about
three contemporary pieces for wind band. Lastly, he includes several tables outlining the
instrumentation of specific bands throughout history, various commissioning projects and award
winners, and names of composers and pieces written for band in the late 20th and early 21st
centuries.

Caines, J. E. (2012). Frederick Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble: The transformation of
American wind music through instrumentation and repertoire (Masters thesis). Retrieved
from ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Global. (MR86457)
This masters thesis is an analysis of Frederick Fennells impact on the history of wind music
through his revolutionary work as founder and director of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. The
authors historical information leading up to this important time period lacks extensive detail;
however, the history given about Fennell and his time at Eastman is very extensive and detailed
in comparing Fennells ideas to those of his contemporaries to show how much his ideas about
repertoire and instrumentation have shaped the wind ensemble today.

Camus, R. F. (1980). The golden age of bands a second look. Journal of Band Research, 15(2),
1-7.
This article is openly in direct conflict with Schwarzs, Bands of America, which is also included
in this bibliography. While Schwarz argues that Patrick Gilmore is the father of American bands,
Camus argues that many of the most significant developments in bands happened before
Gilmores bands. He supports this idea with concert reviews, discussion of other significant band
leaders and ensembles in the early 1800s, information about bands in major cities during the
Civil War, and important community bands in the early 1800s. While he does not dispute
Gilmores significance in history, Camus believes that it cannot all be accredited to one person.
This article is important for consideration not only for the information it includes, but also
because of the different perspective it provides when compared to other sources.

Cipolla, F. J., & Hunsberger, D. (Eds.). (1994). The wind ensemble and its repertoire: Essays on
the fortieth anniversary of the Eastman wind ensemble. Rochester, NY: University of
Rochester Press.
This book is a collection of scholarly research papers written for the fortieth anniversary of the
founding of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. Historically speaking, this book includes papers about
the evolution of the wind band as an ensemble ranging from its origins in Harmoniemusik and
other small ensembles of wind instruments, through the development of brass bands and military
bands, and finally to the more standardized instrumentation of today. In terms of our modern
concept of this ensemble, these papers address the evolution of the Eastman Wind Ensemble in
direct relation to the growth of repertoire for and importance of the wind band. The book also

includes analytical papers about a few of the cornerstone works written for wind band and traces
the development of wind band music around the world including the growing wind band cultures
in the United Kingdom and in Japan. This book is a strong and comprehensive resource for the
history and development of the wind band as an ensemble, but includes repertoire only in a more
general sense.

Corporon, E. M. (2007). Historical highlights of the wind band: A heritage and lineage part one:
Antiquity to classical. In Miles, R. (Ed.), Teaching music through performance in band
(Vol. 6) (pp. 67-112). Chicago, IL: GIA.
This chapter is part of a very popular resource used by many wind band directors for
programming purposes and research about specific pieces, so the articles inclusion in this
volume gives it significance among other sources about this topic. Corporons writing is split
into two sections, the first of which is included in this volume. He discusses the unbroken
tradition of wind music from antiquity to the classical period including the wind bands influence
on the development of the orchestra, the modern concept of the wind ensemble, and its greater
aesthetic purpose outside of purely educational and military uses. He also lists contemporary
arrangements and transcriptions of work from each of the eras he discussed. Corporons purpose
is to prove through historical discussion that wind bands have not only a rich history but also a
valid means of artistic expression.

Corporon, E. M. (2009). Historical highlights of the wind band: A heritage and lineage part two:
The French Revolution to the present. In Miles, R. (Ed.), Teaching music through
performance in band (Vol. 7) (pp. 71-122). Chicago, IL: GIA.
In this continuation his previous work, Corporon begins by discussing in the 19th century bands
of the French Revolution making drastic changes to their Harmoniemusik predecessors. In this
volume, he moves through topics such as innovations in instrument construction and invention of
new instruments in the Industrial Revolution, military bands, the American professional bands of
Sousa and Gilmore, significant 20th century chamber wind ensembles, the founding of the
Eastman Wind Ensemble, and the beginning of the school band era. Within each of these periods,
he discusses significant new contributions to the repertoire including special emphasis on leaders
like Frank Battisti, Harry Begian, Donald Hunsberger, John Paynter, and H. Robert Reynolds.
Lastly, he provides a listing of important contemporary band programs, a prediction for the
future, and a list of arrangements and transcriptions from each of these periods as he did in his
previous chapter. The detail included in both chapters provides important information for readers
while the accessibility and frequency of use gives them significance among similar sources.

Dvorak, T. (2003, Sept.). Frederick Fennell looks back on 51 years of wind ensembles. The
Instrumentalist, 58(2), 14.
This article is a transcription of an interview with Frederick Fennell about his work with the
Eastman Wind Ensemble. It provides great insight into how Fennell got his idea for the
ensemble, what his intentions were in creating it, and the ensembles famous Mercury
Recordings. Contemporary readers know the impact that Fennells work had on the history of
bands, and this source is an incredibly interesting look at the initial vision for the group and the
circumstances surrounding its conception.

Felts, J. H. (1967). Some aspects of the rise and development of the wind band during the Civil
War. Journal of Band Research, 3(2), 29-33.
This article supports the argument that the wind ensemble is an outgrowth of military band music
and, therefore, names the French Revolution as the historical event which had the most
significant influence on wind music. There is much discussion about these 19th century military
bands including sources of funding, uniforms, libraries, duties, and challenges facing the bands.
Felts then continues to explain that the bands of the American Civil War were the foundation for
public school music, Dixieland jazz, and serious wind music performances. Unfortunately, he
does not fully support these claims with detailed historical information or connections; however,
the detail in his information about military bands is valuable for study.

Fennell, F. (1954). Time and the winds: A short history of the use of wind instruments in the
orchestra, band and the wind ensemble. Kenosha, WI: Leblanc.
Fennell admits in his introduction to this book that its smaller proportions have forced him to be
very specific in selecting only the musical and historical references that are most important to the
history of the developing wind band. Within this specificity, however, he is very thorough in
tracing the improvements in wind instrument construction and the effects these changes had on
wind bands and ensembles. The book starts with the use of wind instruments in Monteverdis
operas, then moves on to discuss the Classical eras discoveries about using wind instruments to
change an ensembles tone color as well as the development of the standard Harmoniemusik
ensemble. He then goes on to discuss the development of the first bands which resemble modern
instrumentation and the composers who established the repertoire for this new ensemble
including information about the American professional bands of Goldman and Sousa. Lastly,
Fennell discusses the establishment of bands in public schools and universities as well as the
wind ensemble which was considered modern when the book was written. This book is a very
well-respected historical resource among musicians and conductors and is an excellent source for

learning about specific composers and instrumental developments that helped shape the history
of the wind ensemble.

Fennell, F. (1972, February). The wind ensemble: Inception from long distilled thoughts. The
Instrumentalist, 26(7), 17.
In this brief article, Fennell describes his specific goals for the conception of the wind ensemble
as well as his belief that composers were more likely to write for winds if the instrumentation
was flexible enough to accommodate their specific vision. He also gives his reasoning for
naming it an ensemble rather than a band because he didnt believe that it fit with the
standard definition of bands at that time. Admittedly, the information in this article can be found
elsewhere in other sources on this list, but its inclusion in this bibliography was based on its
brevity and simplicity of the way Fennells ideas were laid out.

Fennell, F. (1988). The wind ensemble. Arkadelphia, AK: Delta.

This is a letter that Fennell wrote to Francis McBeth in response to another exchange of letters
between McBeth and an anonymous music professor. It begins with the professor writing to
McBeth about his views about the future of writing for wind bands; he worries that Fennells
invention of the wind ensemble threatens the concert bands ability to inspire new repertoire.
McBeths reply, which is also included, argues that when considering the repertoire of wind
bands, you must consider only music written specifically for artistic performance by a concert
band. Therefore, he argues, the wind ensemble will not replace the concert band artistically
because they are two different ensembles of equal artistic merit. Fennell responds in agreement
to McBeths statements with a very thorough story about his vision in founding the Eastman
Wind Ensemble. He begins by discussing his own musical development from childhood through
his time as a student at Eastman, how he got the idea for the wind ensemble, and the specific
circumstances in his life which lead up to its establishment. He said that the purpose of the
ensemble is to revive music of the past by cutting down instrumentation to one on a part and
making it flexible enough to perform original music for various wind instrumentations. He also
hoped that this flexibility in instrumentation would encourage more composers to write for
winds. Lastly, Fennell discusses his famous Mercury recordings and the amount of interest they
generated in the ensemble at Eastman. This is an incredibly unique resource because it is such a
personal take on one of the most important revolutions in the history of wind bands.

Foster, R. (2013). Wind bands of the world: Chronicle of a cherished tradition. Delray Beach,
FL. Meredith

Fosters book, which reads more like a story than standard historical research, gives a
chronological history of all forms of bands world-wide from the 13th century through the end of
the 20th century. His historical information is relatively broad up to the 1900s, when the main
focus of his discussion shifts to developments happening in just the United States including
important band leaders, school band music, repertoire developments, and WASBE. The authors
stated goal is to cover every type of band in history which does not allow for as much specificity
about each ensemble as one would hope; however, as a single resource which covers such a
broad topic, Foster found an effective way to convey accurate and important historical
information in an engaging way.

Gaudry, D. D. (2013). Lage dor of the chamber wind ensemble (Doctoral dissertation).
Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI No. 3596498)
This dissertation discusses the history of four important chamber ensembles in the 19th and 20th
centuries: the Societe de musique de chamber pour instruments a vents, the Societe modern des
instruments a vents, the Longy club, and the Barrere Ensemble of Wind Instruments. Gaudry
gives information about the lives of each of the ensembles leadersPaul Taffanel, Georges
Barrere, and Georges Longyand presents information about each ensembles repertoire,
performances, public reception, and shared ideologies and programming philosophies in order to
show the important impact these ensembles had on contemporary wind ensembles. Gaudrys
choice to provide information comparing all of these ensembles gives her research a unique
relevance in the study of the history of wind music performance.

Gifford, R. M. (1974). The music and performance practices of the medieval wind band. Journal
of Band Research, 10(2), 25-32.
In this article, Gifford writes that his purpose is to not only discuss medieval wind bands and
their development in the 14th-16th centuries as is the case with most sources about this topic, but
also to expand upon this to include how the development and performance practices of these
ensembles fits within the broader history of all wind bands. To this end, he discusses developing
instrumentation, typical duties for wind bands at that time, repertoire, and the decline of the wind
band in the 16th century. Unfortunately, Gifford does not give the reader much information about
the context of how this time period fits into the overall historical development of the ensemble as
he intended, but his information about this specific and significant time period is important for
consideration.

Goldman, R. F. (1938). The bands music. New York, NY: Pitman.

This source is unique in its discussion specifically of repertoire in relation to its contribution to
the development of wind bands. Goldman gives a brief history of bands and the original music
which helped to shape the genre. He then includes a full list of over 120 composers, their
biographies, and all of their significant works for wind bandincluding both original works and
transcriptionswith program notes. In these notes, Goldman makes no attempt to assess the
quality or artistic merit of these pieces; rather, he developed an impartial list intended to be
representative of the repertory of the time. Where most sources talk about the most significant
repertoire developments coming in the second half of the 20th century when ensembles and band
leaders were working hard to generate new repertoire, this book focuses on the significant
developments that lead up to that point in history.

Goldman, R. F. (1946). The concert band. E. Hutcheson (Ed.). New York: Ferris Printing
Company.
The Goldman Band, which was one of the most important bands in history, was created by
Edwin Franko Goldman and taken over by his son, the author of this book, when he died. Since
the author played such an important role in bands of this time, his views on the developments of
these professional ensembles are significant to research. Goldman begins by defining the term
concert band because it was still a relatively new concept when he was writing his book, and
then discusses why he believes composers had been hesitant to write for winds. He also gives his
beliefs about performing transcriptions as well as an analysis of contemporary instrumentation,
repertoire, and considerations for bandmasters. His historical analysis begins in the 17th century
because he believes that there was no significant music for winds before the military bands of
that time. Though he does present some potentially controversial historical arguments,
Goldmans significance in the history of bands gives his writing validity for consideration.

Goldman, R. F. (1975). The wind band: Its literature and technique. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
(Reprinted 1961, Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.)
Goldman begins with research about the history of wind music including its European origins,
developments in the United States during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and the professional
bands of Sousa, Gilmore, and his father, Edwin Franko Goldman. He then presents an analysis of
contemporary bands of the mid-20th century including professional, military, university, high
school, and community bands, while tracing the development of the repertoire of original works
for band. Lastly, he provides suggestions for improving some of the practical problems that
bands face like repertoire and equipment issues. In total, Goldmans work gives a very detailed
analysis of the bands of his time. His historical analysis is not as thorough as other sources

because his most detailed focus is just on the professional bands in the United States; however,
the detail he provides within his focused subject matter is enough to give the source significance.

Grose, G. (1969). Patrick S. Gilmores influence on the development of the American concert
band. Journal of Band Research, 6(1), 11-16.
In his discussion about the development of independent professional bands from 1865-1920,
Grose argues that Patrick Gilmore was the most influential band leader of this time because he
was responsible for the shift from bands serving mostly military purposes to the famous
professional bands of this time period. The article includes a very brief biography of Patrick
Gilmore as well as a discussion of all of his decisions that the author believes had the greatest
influence on the ensemble including adding more reed instruments, building a repertoire,
developing major festivals that gained national attention, tours with his ensemble, and typical
programming choices he made. While not all scholars on this list would consider Gilmore to be
the most important visionary in the history of bands, his significance is without question which
makes this article about his legacy an important resource to consider.

Guion, D. M. (2007). Wind bands in towns, courts, and churches: Middle ages to baroque.
Journal of Band Research, 42(2), 19-56.
This article provides the history of wind bands beginning with the brass bands of the 14th century
and continuing up to the 17th century. Guion discusses major changes in ensemble size and
instrumentation, the duties of the ensembles of each time period, their presence within towns,
courts, and churches, and finally the decline of the wind band movement in the 17th century due
to the rise of the string orchestra and the increased popularity of opera. Where most sources tend
to focus on the history of bands beginning with the 17th century, this source provides an
important reminder that wind bands have a much deeper history that should not be ignored when
considering the development of the ensemble.

Hansen, R. K. (2005). The American wind band: A cultural history. Chicago, IL: GIA.
This book is unique in that it describes the entire heritage of American wind music in the context
of the countrys social and cultural developments. It includes timelines outlining all events which
the author considers important to both the history of American culture and to the development of
the wind ensemble, as well as separate, brief histories of military, professional, collegiate, public
school, and community bands. Then, based on his historical findings, Hansen gives a vision

statement for future wind band leaders involving striving for artistic quality, commitment to
culture, and service to society and education. He also includes a statement about the current state
of research on this topic including a thorough list of sources organized by subject with very short
annotations which is a fantastic resource for facilitating further research. Lastly, he includes
several relevant appendices including collections of speeches given at wind band conferences
about the history, aesthetics, and future potential of wind bands. This books unique perspective
combined with its various resources make it an important source for wind band research.

Herbert, J. W. (1986). The wind band of the nineteenth-century Italy: Its origins and
transformation from the late 1700s to mid-century (military bands, civil bands,
conductors, musical terms) (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI No. 870430)
This dissertation presents research about the development of Italian wind bands in the 18th and
19th centuries. Since these bands were modeled after the bands of the French Revolution, readers
can draw parallels from Herberts research to the impact these French bands had on all wind
bands of this time. He begins with a brief history leading up to this period, and then discusses
military bands from specific regions of Italy and a few other European countries in order to give
the reader an idea of their structure, instrumentation, and most famous conductors and
performers. He also gives some information about the community bands that were present in
Italy during this time. While most sources that mention the immense impact of the bands of the
French Revolution give very little detail to support this idea, Herberts dissertation gives specific
information about the influence of these bands on the history of wind music.

Hunsberger, D. (1972, February). The symphonic wind ensemble an overview for the 1970s.
The Instrumentalist, 26(7), 18-23.
Donald Hunsberger, an extremely influential band director from the latter half of the 20th century,
writes that his vision for wind ensembles is for them to be considered an equal artistic medium to
all other forms of instrumental or vocal ensembles. He then outlines three concepts for how to
achieve this goal: developing individual performers, developing a wind repertoire, and changing
the image of wind bands to be that of a flexible, artistic ensemble. He follows with a description
of how he believes these principles should be incorporated into contemporary band programs and
organizations. Hunsberger also discusses his views about programming and lists several example
programs from High School, University, and Professional ensembles of the time. When he wrote
this article, Hunsberger was conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman Symphony
Band; prior to his work in these positions, he was trombone soloist and chief staff arranger of the

United States Marine Band. Because of his significance in the wind band world, his opinions and
beliefs are representative of a popular school of thought. By understanding the goals of important
leaders like Hunsberger, we can further understand the state of the ensemble itself at this time.

Jones, W. J. (1974, March). The wind band story--a history: Part 1. The school musician:
Director and teacher, 45, 47-49.
This article is the first in a three-part series about the history of wind bands from ancient
civilizations to present day. In this first article, Jones talks about specific instruments and how
they were developed from the days of cave men through their use in military bands in ancient
Greece, Rome, and Egypt. He then discusses medieval wind instruments and their association
with royalty at that time, while tracing the development of individual instruments as they relate
to changes in the structure of the ensemble. This article is relatively thorough for the vast scope
of the research and is intended to educate current music teachers about the history of their work.

Jones, W. J. (1974, April). The wind band story--a history: Part 2. The school musician: Director
and teacher, 45, 52-53, 69.
To continue his series, Jones talks about the double reed bands of the 17th and 18th centuries
which grew into the standard instrumentation of the Harmoniemusik ensembles. He still traces
developments in instrument construction throughout this period, as well as mentions repertoire
styles and standard pieces of repertoire that emerged during these two centuries. Lastly, he
outlines the influence these ensembles had on the Turkish bands of the 19th century, and discusses
how the history of these ensembles is related to the social history of their respective countries.

Jones, W. J. (1974, May). The wind band story--a history: Part 3. The school musician: Director
and teacher, 45, 48-49, 61
The third and final article in Joness work begins with the culmination of wind instrument
construction and new inventions and the authors belief that the increase in the instruments
capabilities should have led to a massive output of music for the ensemble. Instead, the repertoire
of this time period was limited mostly to marches and dances as well as just a few works by
important composers which are still considered major works for the ensemble to this day. He
discusses the standardization of military band instrumentation, the development of civic bands in
Europe and the United States, and the first school bands. Jones goes on to note that the 20th
century showed increase in the amount of new music being written for the ensemble. Lastly, he

finishes his work with a prediction of future successes and potential problems for wind bands. In
total, Joness work lacks the specificity of some research due to the scope of his topic, but for its
use as a resource about the development of wind instruments and a general history of all wind
music, his articles are useful resources.

Kappey, J. A. (1894). Military music: A history of wind-instrumental bands. London: Boosey.

Kappey provides a history of military wind bands that dates back to pre-notation instrumental
ensembles. He includes detailed information about the construction and technical development of
all wind instruments and the effects these developments had on instrumentation. He also gives
several musical excerpts that show the range and typical period writing for each instrument as it
developed. Included in his discussion of instruments is information about the specific order in
which each family of instruments was added to the military band. While his historical scope is
relatively small, Kappeys work is very detailed about the developing instrumentation that lead to
the bands of the French Revolution which, he argues, had the greatest impact on contemporary
wind bands.

Kreitner, K. (1990). Discoursing sweet music: Town bands and community life in turn-of-thecentury Pennsylvania. Urbana and Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Kreitner describes the history of town bands in a particular area in the United States. His
intention in keeping his subject focused was to allow him to go into greater detail about the
bands with the understanding that the history of these bands was paralleled in other communities
throughout the country. He executes his vision well through analysis of the bands both musically
and socially, investigating what they played, what they sounded like, and how the public
received them. His work is missing the connection of these bands to a more complete historical
context and there is no mention of their contribution to the future of the ensemble, but because
town bands of this time played such a significant role in society, the detail provided in this book
about these ensembles is an important part of research.

Leitzel, G. E. (2006). The history and development of the American public school concert band,
(19201941) and its influence on concert band repertoire (Doctoral dissertation).
Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI No. 3227365)
Leitzels research outlines the developments in public school bands during the first half of the
20th century. His work includes information about repertoire, contests, influential educational
philosophies, and professional and community bands. While the very narrow focus of this

dissertation provides important information about the development of specifically American

public school bands, its relevance in research about wind ensemble history can be found most in
his discussion of school bands influence on wind ensemble repertoire as a whole.

Longyear, R. M. (1978). The Banda Sul Palco: Wind bands in nineteenth-century opera.
Journal of Band Research, 13(2), 25-40.
Longyears article is very unique in its specific focus on wind band music in operas. While most
sources mention this music as only a minor development, this source considers it significant to
wind band history. Banda sul palco translates to Band on the stage, which was the first use
of bands of wind players on or under the stage or in the wings as a dramatic effect in Italian and
French opera. Longyear talks about the history leading up to the constant use of music for
dramatic effect in Shakespeares, Goethes, and Schillers plays as well as the dance orchestras
used on stage in several of Mozarts and Purcells operas. He also uses score excerpts and
analyses of opera excerpts from Meyerbeer, Wagner, Glinka, and Verdi to note the changes in
instrumentation of these ensembles and the types of music written for them.

Manfredo, J. (1995). Influences on the development of the instrumentation of the American

collegiate wind-band and attempts for standardization of the instrumentation from 19051941. Eurasburg, Germany: Hans Schneider.
Manfredo studies the history of collegiate wind bands in terms of their development and
attempted standardization of instrumentation. He conducted studies at major universities such as
Indiana University, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Ohio State, and the
University of Wisconsin-Madison for his research. In his conclusion, Manfredo writes that even
though band leaders were defending the need for standardization of instrumentation as he was
writing his book, there still had not been a definitive decision made about what that ensemble
should look like. In the end, such inconclusive results make his research feel slightly incomplete,
but, as a resource about the history of college bands in America, Manfredos work is a strong
analysis.

Martin, P. J. (1983). A status study of community bands in the United States (Doctoral
dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI No.
8400706)

For his research, Martin questioned over 600 community bands in the 1980s for information
about their conductors, their ensemble, and their opinions about the status of community bands at
the time. He compiled their responses and was able to analyze information about the education,
philosophy, and motivations of the conductors, history and financial information about the
organizations, demographics of the ensemble members, and rehearsal and performance
schedules. Through this extensive research, Martin was able to provide a very accurate picture of
the status of community band music making which is an important outgrowth of the development
of wind bands.

Milburn, D. A. (1982). The development of the wind ensemble in the United States (1952-1981)
(Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI
No. 8221498)
Milburns research details how the founding of the Eastman Wind Ensemble in 1952 spread
throughout other American colleges and universities. For his study, he surveyed hundreds of
college band directors, publishers, and composers and interviewed Frederick Fennell, Donald
Hunsberger, H. Robert Reynolds, and Frank Battisti. These interviews gave him information
about the founding of the Eastman Wind Ensemble as well as allowed him to compare the
function of the wind ensemble in two of the most well-respected contemporary band programs in
the country. The results of his study show the immense impact Fennells Wind Ensemble had on
collegiate level wind band programs and, therefore, the history of wind band music as a whole.

Resendes, J. M. (2007). The history and development of the symphonic band (Masters thesis).
Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. (MR32036)
This masters thesis gives an overview of the history of symphonic bands beginning with pre-14th
century traditions, then moving through technical improvements in wind instruments, and finally
to the 20th century with directors like Frederick Fennell and how each influenced the
development of the ensemble. What is most interesting about this research is that the author is a
composer, so what he considers to be the most important information in his writing is the section
about the contributions of important composers and bandleaders and their effect on the history of
the ensemble. As a culmination of his research, the author wrote three pieces which were
inspired by his research on this subject and demonstrate his modern representation of
contemporary and historical compositional practices for wind ensemble. Though the historical
research is not as in-depth as the most thorough sources in this bibliography, this source presents
a unique perspective on the history of the ensemble in the author using his interpretation of the
ensembles past to inspire three new works intended to continue to expand the future of the
ensemble.

Schwarz, H. W. (1975). Bands of America. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. (Reprinted 1957 New
York, NY: Doubleday.)
Schwarz discusses the history of American bands from the 1850s through the 1950s including
mention of all of the significant band leaders in America during that time. Because the scope is
fairly limited, he is able to include information about more bandmasters than most books of its
type. Within the discussion about each of these bandmasters, Schwarz talks about how each
ensemble influenced the social reception of bands as well as the standard repertoire and
instrumentation. While most books only include information about Sousa and Goldmans bands
because they are two of the most significant bandmasters of the 20th century, the inclusion of
numerous other important band leaders gives the reader a much more complete picture of bands
of this time period.

Stoffel, L. (2010, Jan.). Early band works. The Instrumentalist, 64(6), 22.
This article encourages current band directors to incorporate the history of bands into their
curriculum through the performance of historical repertoire. Stoffel argues that performing works
originally written for ensembles of wind instruments provides a more authentic experience for
students than the more commonly performed transcriptions of keyboard and string music. The
author also provides a brief history of wind bands in the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and
Romantic eras including important ensembles, musical developments, social movements, and
significant composers and works for winds. Following each eras description is a list organized
by grade level of works written during that time period which have been arranged for
contemporary concert band instrumentation. The addition of these historical repertoire lists
makes this a valuable resource for anyone looking to share this historical knowledge with
students in a performing ensemble.

Stoneham, M., Gillaspie, J.A., & Clark, D. L. (1997). Wind ensemble sourcebook and
biographical guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Stonehams book is a great reference for tracing the history and development of the wind
ensemble through discussion of very specific pieces and ensembles. He begins with information
about international repertoire and instrumentation as it has developed throughout history in
England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Scandinavia. This discussion includes the specific
origins of the ensemble, changes in instrumentation, and the many venues for wind music in each
country. He also considers technical developments and performance practice as influential
elements and includes a full timeline of ensemble developments from 1650-1900. The limitations

of this resource are part of what makes it unique; choosing to disregard wind music before 1650
and after 1900 allows Stoneham to be even more specific about the European development of the
wind ensemble which some scholars argue provided the basis for our modern wind ensemble
concept.

Whitwell, D. (1969, October). The incredible Vienna octet school: Part I The work of Johann
Wendt. The Instrumentalist, 24(3), 31-35.
David Whitwell is one of the foremost contemporary scholars of wind band history, and this
article is the first of his five-part series of articles that outline very specifically the history and
contributions of the Vienna octet school. Whitwell begins his discussion with the genesis of these
ensembles, their early instrumentation, initial purpose, original music, and their first uses in
opera transcriptions. He also provides a list of compositions and transcriptions for octet written
by Johann Wendt, who was one of the most important early composers for this ensemble. The
second article is intentionally left out of this annotation because its relevance to this research is
minimal. While the subject of these articles is very narrow, Whitwells detail about these
important ensembles is immense, as always, and is important for consideration.

Whitwell, D. (1969, December). The incredible Vienna octet school: Part III Joseph Triebensee
and the second period (1790-1811). The Instrumentalist, 24(5), 42-46.
In this continuation of his research, Whitwell describes important soloists during the second
period of the Vienna Octet School and the development of the Liechtenstein Octet, which was
one of the most influential ensembles of the time. The principal oboist of the octet, Joseph
Triebensee, copied and compiled all of his transcriptions for his octet and gave his work to the
Imperial Court Library of Liechtenstein. This is still one of the most important collections of
historical octet music in the world. Whitwell then goes on to list the full repertoire that is
included in this collection, providing a fantastic resource for scholars and performers.

Whitwell, D. (1970, January). The incredible Vienna octet school: Part IV Wenzel Sedlak and
the third period (1812-1837). The Instrumentalist, 24(6), 38-40.

In Whitwells fourth article, he gives information about important clarinet soloists in Vienna
coupled with the retirement and passing of the leading oboists in the octet at the time. He argues
that these events caused the clarinet to replace the oboe as the primary soprano melodic
instrument in octet music and cites transcriptions by Wenzel Sedlak which reflect this change. He
also documents the passing of Liechtensteins prince and the subsequent end of the Liechtenstein
Octet which is significant because this octet was active for almost two thirds of the entire octet
movement in Vienna.

Whitwell, D. (1970, February). The incredible Vienna octet school: Part V The contributions of
Beethoven. The Instrumentalist, 24(7), 31-36.
Whitwells fifth and final article describes Beethovens contribution to the repertoire for this
ensemble including his first few wind pieces written in his early period in Bonn as well as his
pieces and transcriptions written in Vienna. The detail provided in these five articles is not only
significant but also is difficult to find in work by any other author. Whitwells choice to provide
so much information about parts of history which are often mentioned but rarely described in full
detail gives his work much significance in research about the history of wind bands.

Whitwell, D. (1982). The history and literature of the wind band and wind ensemble. (Vols. 1-9).
Northridge, CA: Winds.
This is an extremely extensive presentation of the history of all forms of wind music from before
1500 through 1900. Whitwells purpose was to bring light to the areas in the early history of the
wind band which are so often neglected in most historical discussions. Volume 1 presents the
historical music of Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt while also discussing medieval wind
performance traditions. Volume 2 is dedicated to the developments and changes in wind
instruments and ensembles during the Renaissance, including discussion about the purposes of
most civic and religious ensembles in Western-European countries, significant composers, and
performance practices of the time. In Volume 3, Whitwell gives information about wind bands in
the Baroque era and discusses the first military bands which were formed during this time. The
ensembles of the Classical period are covered in Volume 4, where he gives information about the
music written for Hautboisten and Harmoniemusik ensembles. Many of his examples are still
recognized as cornerstones of wind ensemble repertoire today. Whitwell intentionally does not
discuss how the development of wind bands influenced the developing symphony orchestra,
though he is careful to point out that this relationship will be important for future research
because the impact is much greater than is generally recognized. This volume ends with his
discussion of the band music of the French Revolution, which is often times cited as the origin of

the modern wind band instrumentation. In Volume 5 of this series, Whitwell focuses on the
Western-European wind bands of the 19th century when the military band became such an
important cultural phenomenon. He traces the full history of these ensembles in Germany,
Austria, France, England, Russia, and Italy, and discusses the new traditions of civic wind bands
including public concerts, the first band competitions, and the birth of brass bands in England.
Volumes 6 through 9 are catalogs of all of the wind band music from each period discussed in his
first five volumes. In these catalogs, he gives the listings, locations, and call numbers for around
30,000 wind band manuscripts and also includes information about instrumentationif it was
specified by the composerand whether it is a single piece or part of a larger collection. More
specifically, Volume 6 catalogs multi-part music for instrumental ensembles and for undesignated
instrumentation from before 1600 which, based on performance traditions of the time, would
likely have been performed on wind instruments. Volume 7 addresses more than 1500 works for
court, civic, military, and church wind bands in the Baroque. In Volume 8, Whitwell attempts to
present all of the literature written for the ensembles of the Classical era. He admits in his
introduction to this volume that since these ensembles were so popular, it would be impossible
for him to call this collection complete because it is entirely possible that there are a few works
that he missed because they have yet to be cataloged by historians or the manuscripts did not
survive through history. His last volume includes over 20,000 works for large wind bands of the
19th century, but he is clear about the limits of this particular volumes collection: he has included
only original works for band and he does not have any military music from Italy, Austria,
Denmark, or Czechoslovakia because their libraries have yet to catalog their military music
collections. Whitwells nine volumes are by far the most extensive and detailed resource in this
field of research and his goal to bring light to the history of these ensembles is certainly
accomplished in this work.

Whitwell, D. (1985). A concise history of the wind band. St. Louis, MO: Shattinger Music.
In this book, Whitwell essentially takes his 9 volumes of historical information and condenses
them into this single book, stating that his purpose was, once again, to give information about
wind band history because it is typically left out of most undergraduate music history courses.
He gives very brief detail about the development of wind music in its many forms from ancient
ensembles through the end of the 19th century. He is careful to limit his research to European
ensembles and stop his discussion before the 20th century because he believes that there is
already enough information in circulation about 20th century American wind bands. Naturally,
there is considerably less detail in this book than in his 9 volumes, but this brevity creates
increased accessibility for the average reader, which further justifies its inclusion in this list.

Whitwell, D. (1988). The Longy Club: A professional wind ensemble in Boston. Northridge, CA:
Winds.

The Longy Club was one of the most famous professional wind ensembles of the late 19th
century. It was modeled after Paul Taffanels La Societe de Musique de Chambre pour
Instruments a Vent. Whitwell begins his book with Taffanels ensemble, and explains the
influence it had on both the Barrere Ensemble of New York City and the Longy Club of Boston.
He then goes into great detail about the Longy Club and its development and repertoire,
discussing every season of their work together including the program of each concert, reviews,
critical discussion about the significance of each work they performed, and full lists of all of the
repertoire they performed and their instrumentation. Whitwell gives immense detail about this
ensemble and its historical significance which had an enormous influence on future American
wind ensembles.

Whitwell, D. (2013). Essays on the modern wind band. C. Dabelstein (Ed.). Austin, TX:
Whitwell.
While the specific historical information in this book is limited, especially when compared to the
historical research that can usually be expected from David Whitwell, it does give a brief
summary of the use of wind instruments from ancient civilizations to present day. What is most
interesting about this source, however, is that Whitwell reached out to important contemporary
composers to ask them their thoughts about composing for wind bands in order to determine
whether the perceived prejudice about the ensemble exists among significant composers. The
remainder of the book, as the title suggests, is essays about the current state of wind bands
including concerns about forgotten repertoire and commissioning projects, thoughts about the
musical and ethical responsibilities of contemporary band directors, recommendations for the
national band organizations, and discussions about bands in high schools and universities.
Because this source is so current, it is an excellent source for an analysis of where wind bands
stand today at the temporary culmination of this history which makes its inclusion in historical
analysis necessary.

Whitwell, D., & Ostling, A., Jr. (Eds.). (1977). The college and university band: An anthology of
papers from the conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, 19411975. Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference.
This book is a compilation of papers presented at CBDNA conferences from 1941-1975 by
authors such as William D. Revelli, Frederick Fennell, David Whitwell, Bernard Fitzgerald, Paul
Creston, Keith Wilson, Harold Bachman, Paul R. Bryan Robert Vagner, William A. Schaefer,
James Neilson, and Charles Minelli. While all of the papers in the book are of interest to anyone
involved with wind bands, part one, The Concert Band and its Music and part two, The
Concert Band and its Instrumentation are the two most relevant sections in the collection. This

source receives added significance because of the time period from which it draws its papers; we
know now in hindsight that these years1941-1975were a particularly revolutionary time in
the history of bands in America. In part one, authors talk about the pressure from wind band
leaders of this time period to commission new works, research about the new literature that was
being written at the time, and their beliefs about the purpose of college and university bands.
Possibly the most historically significant paper in this section is Fennells writing about CBDNA
committee meeting discussions concerning the need for wind band music to be considered an
equal artistic medium, which marks the documented beginning of this movement which remains
a driving ambition of wind ensembles and their leaders to this day. There is also a discussion
about whether or not the wind ensemble as a concept needed to separate itself from the
professional bands of this time period in order to accomplish this goal of achieving greater
artistic significance. In part two, authors talk about the developing instrumentation of the
ensemble in America as well as world-wide, which offers a broader perspective than most
sources. This book is an excellent resource for examining the thoughts of the leaders in this field
at such an important time in the history of the wind ensemble. It provides great insight into their
thinking which we now recognize as the beginnings of a revolutionary era.