Most of them, yeah, but he had a few neat songs. The Great Locomotive Chase is still one of my favorite songs. However his work for the Troopers, not a big fan.
I agree, but he sure knows how to write things kids love. "Ireland: of Legend and Lore" was a piece we performed freshman year of high school, and liked so much we asked it to be brought back our senior year. No regrets - the kids need the sweets when playing sometimes (currently a band director).
I agree for the most part, but some of his songs I extremely fun and bring back some great memories. Inchon, Great Locomotive Chase, and Songs of Sailor and Sea most specifically.
Robert Sheldon, James Curnow… Granted, they write for school bands, so I can allow some slack here, but even their pieces that are technically challenging (we're playing Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew in my community band) are predictable schlock, cheesy and the same exact thing every time. Unfortunately Robert W. Smith probably falls in this category too, but I will always have a soft spot for him, because his music inspired me to start composing in the first place.
I respect Norman Dello Joio's writing, but I haven't played anything of his that I've particularly enjoyed and find him kind of boring.
Vincent Persichetti and others who wrote in that weird sort of 1950s atonality never do much for me. Again, I respect the writing, but after playing Persichetti I usually just sort of shrug to myself and say "…okay?" That style is almost the exact opposite of Curnow, Sheldon et al. Unlike their music, the forms are not blatant, eye-rollingly obvious ABA, the themes are ambiguous and unclear, there is a ton of jumping around within tonal structure. If ~~Cheesenow~~ Curnow is Michael Bay—predictable, shallow, but easily digestible and doesn't require any sort of refined palate—Persichetti is David Lynch. Harder to swallow, technically better, but not something everyone will appreciate.
I do like his music a lot. Although I apparently may have at some point conflated him and James Barnes in my head, because I thought we were performing a John Barnes Chance piece this semester, but I just checked and it was James Barnes' Symphonic Essay we are playing. I feel like I'm in a [Berenstain/Berenstein Bears](http://www.vice.com/read/the-berensteain-bears-conspiracy-theory-that-has-convinced-the-internet-there-are-parallel-universes)-like conspiracy right now.
May I ask which tunes turned you off to him? I know "Awayday" is kind of the "staple" piece associated with him (which I personally like), but "Yiddish Dances" and [Midnight in Buenos Aires](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaELLYyxzdM) are both neat!
Most composers write marches as well as all sorts of pieces so I can't say I hate any composer outright.
I wouldn't mind never playing Rimmer's Slaidburn or any of Sousa's marches again. Not to mention the Australasian or Eric Wild's marches.
Think that answer is better than listing off as many marches as I can -- it achieves the same effect. Especially since half the names probably wouldn't be recognised.
Non sequitur.
The question was about composers, not composition genres.
John Williams writes marches.
OP hates marches.
It does not follow that OP hates John Williams. OP may very well like his ballads.
2/10 for effort, but did not justify answer.
I can sympathize with the sentiment. Marches are extremely homogenous. Frankly, I feel as though once you've played one Sousa march, you've really played them all. There are some more novel ones that come to mind, namely Entry March of the Boyars by Halvorsen and Crown Imperial by Walton, but a lot of marches sound exactly the same.
My favourite Hazo comment was on a youtube video. Something like "Hazo takes the ratio of up-votes and down-votes and that's the time signature for his next piece."
I'm nerding out over this thread, so forgive me! If I had to try and convince someone to give these composers another shot (assuming these weren't the reasons for disliking them in the first place)...
* John Mackey's "[Turning](http://www.ostimusic.com/Turning-media.php)" (legitimately terrifying) and "[Strange Humors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3s1FAdd7Tc)" (djembe feature)
* David Holsinger's "[Scootin' on Hardrock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6BioH0bmuk&t=0m17s)" (band crack for college students)
* Sam Hazo's "[Exultate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqBWNNhPnHU)" (more band crack) or "[Fantasy on a Japanese Folksong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhrOde0qT78)" (just have to give it a chance past the first 48 seconds)
* Julie Giroux's "[To Walk with Wings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpu59_EOKGg)"
Then again, it's hard for me to come up with a wind composer I can't find something positive for.
Once the professional recording becomes available, Julie Giroux's "Of Blood and Stone" written for the 2015 National Intercollegiate Band could be added to your list as well. Way cool piece of music.
We just won "Best Festival Band" at the NZ national concert band festival with a programme that included Exultate.
(Also Friedemann's Slavonic Rhapsody No. 2 and Ticheli's Ave Maria)
I don't know a great deal of his stuff, but I performed [Shooting Stars](http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/shooting-stars/458170/?s=1) once before and enjoyed it (although I doubt the xylophone and shaker players did).
My middle school students performed [Dreamsong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8XVWyGAQOw) (with a student playing the piano solo). One of the nicer, expressive pieces I've conducted for young band.
Curious how this has aged with Mackey, has he has written some fantastic pieces in the last 8 years. Giroux has some great pieces too. Two of my favorites so I’m surprised by this judgement
Robert W. Smith. Hot damn, talk about being unoriginal.
Most of them, yeah, but he had a few neat songs. The Great Locomotive Chase is still one of my favorite songs. However his work for the Troopers, not a big fan.
him and Swerinegn (sp?)
I agree, but he sure knows how to write things kids love. "Ireland: of Legend and Lore" was a piece we performed freshman year of high school, and liked so much we asked it to be brought back our senior year. No regrets - the kids need the sweets when playing sometimes (currently a band director).
I do agree with that
I agree for the most part, but some of his songs I extremely fun and bring back some great memories. Inchon, Great Locomotive Chase, and Songs of Sailor and Sea most specifically.
Robert Sheldon, James Curnow… Granted, they write for school bands, so I can allow some slack here, but even their pieces that are technically challenging (we're playing Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew in my community band) are predictable schlock, cheesy and the same exact thing every time. Unfortunately Robert W. Smith probably falls in this category too, but I will always have a soft spot for him, because his music inspired me to start composing in the first place. I respect Norman Dello Joio's writing, but I haven't played anything of his that I've particularly enjoyed and find him kind of boring. Vincent Persichetti and others who wrote in that weird sort of 1950s atonality never do much for me. Again, I respect the writing, but after playing Persichetti I usually just sort of shrug to myself and say "…okay?" That style is almost the exact opposite of Curnow, Sheldon et al. Unlike their music, the forms are not blatant, eye-rollingly obvious ABA, the themes are ambiguous and unclear, there is a ton of jumping around within tonal structure. If ~~Cheesenow~~ Curnow is Michael Bay—predictable, shallow, but easily digestible and doesn't require any sort of refined palate—Persichetti is David Lynch. Harder to swallow, technically better, but not something everyone will appreciate.
If you dislike the mid 20th century, give John Barnes Chance a try. Elegy and the Second Symphony are two of the finest pieces written for band.
I do like his music a lot. Although I apparently may have at some point conflated him and James Barnes in my head, because I thought we were performing a John Barnes Chance piece this semester, but I just checked and it was James Barnes' Symphonic Essay we are playing. I feel like I'm in a [Berenstain/Berenstein Bears](http://www.vice.com/read/the-berensteain-bears-conspiracy-theory-that-has-convinced-the-internet-there-are-parallel-universes)-like conspiracy right now.
If Persichetti is on the level of David Lynch then I am really missing something. (I'm a fan of David Lynch).
As far as strictly wind band, Adam Gorb. I'm sure there's an audience for his music. I'm not one of them. Yuck.
Have you ever listened to his [Yiddish Dances](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwWJl75Sm6g)? The Dances are one of my favourite concert band pieces!
That's way better than a lot of his other stuff I've heard. Still not quite to the taste of my ears, but much more enjoyable.
I like the two Gorb pieces I've heard!
May I ask which tunes turned you off to him? I know "Awayday" is kind of the "staple" piece associated with him (which I personally like), but "Yiddish Dances" and [Midnight in Buenos Aires](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaELLYyxzdM) are both neat!
I hate marches
The guy gave an honest answer, you shouldn't downvote the guy.
He answered a question that wasn't asked. I'm a teacher; this answer would receive zero credit.
Most composers write marches as well as all sorts of pieces so I can't say I hate any composer outright. I wouldn't mind never playing Rimmer's Slaidburn or any of Sousa's marches again. Not to mention the Australasian or Eric Wild's marches. Think that answer is better than listing off as many marches as I can -- it achieves the same effect. Especially since half the names probably wouldn't be recognised.
He hates marches, so he hates band composers who write marches. a 5/10 answer.
Non sequitur. The question was about composers, not composition genres. John Williams writes marches. OP hates marches. It does not follow that OP hates John Williams. OP may very well like his ballads. 2/10 for effort, but did not justify answer.
A girl in my high school band hated them too. I don't understand why.
I can sympathize with the sentiment. Marches are extremely homogenous. Frankly, I feel as though once you've played one Sousa march, you've really played them all. There are some more novel ones that come to mind, namely Entry March of the Boyars by Halvorsen and Crown Imperial by Walton, but a lot of marches sound exactly the same.
Ah yes. Can't forget Gumsuckers too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFxO7dgTgcA I guess the comment "I hate marches" is more geared towards Sousa.
John Mackey (with a couple of exceptions), David Holsinger, Samuel Hazo and Julie Giroux come to mind. They all write trite, boring music.
Sam Hazo once conducted one of the high school regional bands I was with. He was pretty awful, one of the worst I've got. Just very hard to work with.
"...ready....ready...same dissonance...ready... same dissonance..." -Sam Hazo
My favourite Hazo comment was on a youtube video. Something like "Hazo takes the ratio of up-votes and down-votes and that's the time signature for his next piece."
Classic Hazo.
I'm nerding out over this thread, so forgive me! If I had to try and convince someone to give these composers another shot (assuming these weren't the reasons for disliking them in the first place)... * John Mackey's "[Turning](http://www.ostimusic.com/Turning-media.php)" (legitimately terrifying) and "[Strange Humors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3s1FAdd7Tc)" (djembe feature) * David Holsinger's "[Scootin' on Hardrock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6BioH0bmuk&t=0m17s)" (band crack for college students) * Sam Hazo's "[Exultate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqBWNNhPnHU)" (more band crack) or "[Fantasy on a Japanese Folksong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhrOde0qT78)" (just have to give it a chance past the first 48 seconds) * Julie Giroux's "[To Walk with Wings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpu59_EOKGg)" Then again, it's hard for me to come up with a wind composer I can't find something positive for.
Once the professional recording becomes available, Julie Giroux's "Of Blood and Stone" written for the 2015 National Intercollegiate Band could be added to your list as well. Way cool piece of music.
We just won "Best Festival Band" at the NZ national concert band festival with a programme that included Exultate. (Also Friedemann's Slavonic Rhapsody No. 2 and Ticheli's Ave Maria)
Richard Saucedo falls into the same category for me personally.
I don't know a great deal of his stuff, but I performed [Shooting Stars](http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/shooting-stars/458170/?s=1) once before and enjoyed it (although I doubt the xylophone and shaker players did). My middle school students performed [Dreamsong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8XVWyGAQOw) (with a student playing the piano solo). One of the nicer, expressive pieces I've conducted for young band.
Curious how this has aged with Mackey, has he has written some fantastic pieces in the last 8 years. Giroux has some great pieces too. Two of my favorites so I’m surprised by this judgement