TITLE: Serenade No. 1 for Ten Wind Instruments (1929)

COMPOSER: Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Persichetti was born in Philadelphia in 1915. He began his musical career at the age of five, first studying piano, and then becoming proficient at organ, double bass, tuba, theory and composition. By the age of eleven, he was paying for his music education and helping to support himself by performing professionally as an accompanist, working as a radio staff pianist, orchestra member and church organist. Persichetti was a composer who used many different styles in his music. He would use aspects of atonaly, modality, polytonality and tonality in his works. He composed the Serenade No. 1 for Ten Wind Instruments at the very young age of fourteen.

MOVEMENTS: Five

1. Prelude
2. Episode
3. Song
4. Interlude
5. Dance

PERFORMANCE TIME: 10' 00"

INSTRUMENTATION: 10 Instruments (Double Quintet)

• 1 Flute, 1 Oboe, 1 Clarinet, 1 Bassoon, 2 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 1 Trombone, 1 Tuba

EDITIONS: Available for Purchase

1. Elkan-Vogel - Publishers

COMPOSITION SKETCH AND MUSICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Persichetti's Serenade No. 1 for Ten Wind Instruments was written in 1929. Serenade was one of the contraband pieces of the period, written away from the conservatory, but under the unofficial eye of his composition teacher, Russell King Miller. The chorale melody consists of two short phrases with no final cadence, and was used as the opening of my personal cantus firmus for many of the exercises written while he was a student. This work was premiered at a concert for the alumni of Combs Conservatory in 1929, by students interested in music after Brahms. I played seven of the parts on a tracker organ and the other three parts were played on a violin, oboe and tuba.

Note by Vincent Persichetti

SELECTED RECORDINGS:

RELATED WEBSITES:

Persichetti Bibliography - http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/4E/04E3A000.htm?z=1&pg=2&br=1