The unpublished wind band music of James Clifton Williams: Overview, annotations, and performance strategies of Prelude for Concert Band and

Abstract

The published music of James Clifton Williams (1923--1976) has served as a cornerstone in the repertoire of the wind band for over fifty years. Williams' compositional exploration of rhythm, tonality, motivic development, and orchestration was significant enough at the time of composition to gain the attention of many conductors, scholars, and educators. The result of this recognition was the wide-spread performance and publication of thirty-one of his works for wind band over the final twenty years of his life. This study reveals Williams' wind band materials that presently remain unpublished. Specifically, two works, Prelude for Concert Band and Dramatic Interlude, from the beginning and end of his career respectively, are the focus. Included are highlights of Williams' compositional output and parallels to his published work are drawn in order to establish relevancy and quality of his breadth of composition. A listing of the known unpublished wind band works is added as appendix B. By doing so, the wind band community gains a cursory knowledge of the amount of unpublished materials that deserve further attention and possible exploration. This study produced computer-generated performing editions of Prelude for Concert Band and Dramatic Interlude. The performing editions have been compiled and edited for contemporary usage from existing original manuscript scores and parts. Chapter 1 contains a biographical sketch, a summary of his works, a performance background of his compositions, and a survey of the composer's compositional style. Chapter 2 provides an overview, annotations, and performance strategies for Prelude for Concert Band and Dramatic Interlude . Chapter 3 gives a summary of Williams and his unpublished compositions. The appendices F and G provide full conductor scores of Prelude and Dramatic Interlude.