Festival Overture
by Hal Peterson
Instrumentation: Full Score, Flute 1 (8), Flute 2 (8), Oboe (2), Bb Clarinet 1 (8), Bb Clarinet 2 (8), Bass Clarinet (2), Bassoon (2), Alto Saxophone (8), Tenor Saxophone (4), Baritone Saxophone (2), Bb Trumpet 1 (8), Bb Trumpet 2 (8), Horn in F (4), Trombone (8), Baritone T.C. (2), Baritone B.C. (2), Tuba (8), Convertible Bass (2), Timpani, Glockenspiel, Snare Drum and Tenor Drum (Tom) (2), Cymbals and Bass Drums (2), Triangle and 2 Woodblocks or Temple Blocks (2).
The convertible bass can be used by a string bass, electric bass, piano or synthesizer to cover or double the bass line if you are short of tubas.
Duration: 4 minutes
Suggested Programming Formats: Concert or festival performance where a dynamic overture featuring your percussion section is appropriate.
Program Notes: Festival Overture was composed by Hal Peterson in the spring of 1975 as the result of a commission by the elementary band program in the Alisal School District, Ronald Bobb, director. The composition was later revised for performances by the all-district elementary honor band of the San Jose Unified School District in 1986, and this edition is based on that revision.
Festival Overture was composed to provide an accessible work for young bands usable in a concert, honor band, or festival venue. To accommodate the technical abilities of young players, the parts are carefully structured for range and rhythmic complexity. Although the instrumental ranges tend to be narrow, the work takes advantage of chromatic tones easily playable at this level to provide a richer harmonic texture. The work is appropriate for elementary or middle school bands and is rated at Grade 1 to 2 in difficulty
After a brief maestoso introduction, trumpets introduce a fanfare tune that is responded to by drums and percussion. The tune is then developed with passages by the full band, flutes and clarinets, and bass instruments. A percussion section soli provides a transition to another Maestoso section which takes the introduction theme and develops it using chorales and canonic figures. The chorale builds to a loud climax, and then drums set up an ostinato pattern accompanied by a Bb-F drone in the clarinets. A solo flute then introduces a fife-like tune that is echoed by a solo clarinet and then the entire woodwind section. The ostinato continues to build with a accented fifths in the trumpets, and then we have a return to the fanfare theme played in the first Allegro section. After the theme is recapitulated through the various sections of the band, it builds to a final coda that completes the overture.
About the composer.
About the Edition. The full score for Festival Overture is published in a spiral bound edition. The instrumental parts are folded paper.
View a pdf file of some of the full score pages. (Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in required)
Listen to a MIDI-band recording of Festival Overture.
Ordering Information:
Order conductor's full score.
Order a complete performance set which includes a full score and the 104 parts listed above.
