musclebud Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I was sad to hear of the passing of a great band composer today. Although he did not directly work with drum corps so many of us that did march corps were lucky enough to perform his music at some point in our lives. I would love to hear a corps perform Kaddish this year. My personal preference would be Santa Clara. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellodramatic Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Of Sailors and Whales. That one was pretty awesome. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjordansc Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I don't know if it is still widely played today, but what high school concert band did not play Chant and Jubilo in the 70s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrajedi8 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 W. Francis McBeth was an incredible composer for bands. This music educator will honor his legacy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I played "To be Fed By Ravens" in college....strange piece, but enjoyable. A great loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobrien Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 One of the few band composers back in the 70s whose work actually asked us percussionists to contribute in a meaningful way. From that standpoint, he was 20 years ahead of his contemporaries. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Francis never recovered from a stroke he suffered in November of 2010. I found out about the stroke from Jared Spears when I ran into him at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Jared updated me at the recent Midwest Clinic. (Jared was a good friend of Francis...They both taught in Arkansas.) Several years ago, I attended a breakfast at the Midwest as a member of the VanderCook College of Music Alumni Board of Directors. The college band was performing pieces by both McBeth and Karel Husa later in the day and both composers were at the breakfast. For reasons I didn't understand, I was assigned to sit between both McBeth and Husa. Both were impressive conversationalists with someone who was a non-entity in the music world. I hadn't thought about that until reading of Francis' passing. He was a real gentleman and he influenced many composers who are presently contributing to the world of educational music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbass598 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Sad to hear. We played parts of "Through the Countless Halls of Air" in our show when I marched Golden Lancers in 1996. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) Very sorry to hear this news. He was an interesting composers and will be missed! If only a drum corps would play some of his music. Westerville South MB (1991) did a WONDERFUL job with his music when they were annually in BOA finals. I can only imagine what Phantom, Crown, or SCV could do with this music. Maybe even Academy would fit... Listen to Of Sailors and Whales and tell me that wouldn't be a great show for some corps! Edited January 7, 2012 by jjeffeory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Kaddish is a fundamental piece that shaped my tastes and understanding of classical music. I was 14 when I first tackled it, and it opened my eyes tremendously. Just a wonderful playing experience for an entire ensemble. I hope contemporary wind writers pay him the tribute he deserves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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