Huntingtower
Ballad for Band
Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936)
In
1932, commissioned by Edwin Goldman and the American Bandmasters Association,
Respighi composed Huntingtower. This proved to be his only original work
for band. Subtitled “Ballad for Band”, this composition is a tone
poem in four distinct sections, each capturing a different mood, and reflecting
the Scottish castle after which the piece was named. Respighi’s Romantic
predilection for a broad spectrum of orchestral tone colour led him to use large
instrumentation such as a complete family of saxophones.
The piece opens in the sombre key of E-flat minor and off beat entrances in the lower voices leads to a brief climax. Of particular interest is the overlapping of rhythmically independent parts, a result of different meters being utilized simultaneously. Much of the piece reflects a late Romantic harmonic language and musical interest.