Abstract:
The wind band has come to be regarded as a premier and distinct performance ensemble, particularly as represented by college and university ensembles. Although the wind band has a military heritage and was, during the first half of the twentieth century, largely conceived of as entertainment, it has evolved to its present status as a unique vehicle worthy of attention by recognized composers. This research was designed to provide an historical perspective on the evolution of contemporary college wind band repertoire in the United States with particular focus on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and extending through the first decade of the twenty-first century. The evolution of wind band/ensemble repertoire in the United States was traced from predominantly orchestral transcriptions to the contemporary era in which wind band compositions are sometimes transcribed for orchestra. Instrumentation was studied from an historical perspective as it related to development of repertoire. The evolution of repertoire comprised the major portion of the research.
