Concerto for Wind Ensemble

Commissioned by the Michigan State University Alumni Band, this three-movement work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Karel Husa was the winner of the first Louis Sudler International Wind Band Composition Competition in 1983. It received its presentation performance by the United States Marine Band (Col. John Bourgeois, conductor) on April 15, 1984 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. with the composer conducting. Previously available only in rental, we are proud to offer this important work for publication. Notes from the composer: Divided into three movements, this work is a display of virtuoso passages given to solo instruments as well as to the groups of the ensemble. In the Fanfare of the first movement, the brass section 'concertizes' in groups of four brass quintets spread from left to right in back. The saxophone choir is placed in front of the brass quintets, and the woodwinds occupy the front of the stage, with percussion on the left and right side. These groups, like the brass quintets, play in the concertante style, particularly in the first and last movements. At the same time, each movement contains individual solo passages (e.g., timpani and flute in Movement I - Drum Ceremony, and English horn and other low woodwinds in Movement II - Elegy). The composition of this piece was prompted by the excellence of wind and percussion players today, and by the incredible growth of wind ensembles, orchestras, and bands in the last 25 years. It is intended for their enjoyment.