Africa: Ceremony, Song, and Ritual by Robert W. Smith - Score & Sound

[@MiraDaWulf]

This man Robert W Smith... i think he was a horn player

[@desired2396]

Mira! His daughter was I think

[@mlefeb]

He's a trumpet player

[@dontmindme_.]

Oh no, he definitely not! He would know how awful it would be to play this part! *was

[@hercishernandez3079]

HE WAS A TRUMPET PLAYER!!

[@lindsflea8634]

oh definitely not because he also wrote into the storm

[@NightMage64]

Rest in Peace Robert W. Smith. You will be remembered

[@DarktoneX]

This is one of my favorite wind band pieces. I played it in high school almost 15 years ago….. I just had a dream I was playing it again and I haven’t played music since college….what a masterpiece.

[@LemonNerdBird]

Oh. My gosh. That bass clarinet ❤️❤️❤️

[@jaybird8899]

I know right, this composer has a bass clarinet fetish, all of his songs have at least one awesome bass clarinet part and the bass clarinet scores in these songs are always a treat.

[@bluesteno64]

Who said Bass Clarinet 😳

[@talonander1914]

I played this freshman year. I’m like crying listening to it why do I have to be a senior already.

[@KagamineRoni]

Talon Ander I played this as a freshman, and again as a junior, and I’m in my second year of college now. I looked this up on a whim and it’s like I got punched back to my high school days when everybody was super pumped to play this song. Its an intense nostalgic feeling

[@talonander1914]

Nika so true!!!! I’ve been listening to all of the pieces we’ve played and like, even the ones from last year I’m like I REMEMBER THAT PART. It’s so nice to like, listen to the old songs. Also, what do/did you play??

[@noellezavattieri7904]

I am about to play this as a freshman and I am so excited! It sounds sooooo cool!!!!

[@kaceynewhart3224]

woah i played this my freshie year too

[@jaybird8899]

Same and as the first chair bass clarinetist that was awesome!

[@spike6192]

Robert w. Smith always makes great music. In a percussionist and I love his songs. They are so percussive.

[@keithsy75]

This is not gr.1 Mary and her little lamb. It is rare to hear this quality. I am the GNYA. My people cannot do this. Teachers and kids ain't worth a shit. This takes heart, guts and a brain.

[@spike6192]

@@keithsy75 wise words

[@youngmathematician9154]

Same!

[@nancyforeman1292]

I played tympani in this piece when in college. When we played this at our home concert, our conductor put it just before intermission so us percussionists could have 10 minutes to recover.

[@spike6192]

@@nancyforeman1292 must've been so fun. Timpani is my favorite instrument

[@AnAdorableWombat]

Best modern composer period.

[@kyley3802]

Listening to this makes me shake and shiver

[@wtzhangwtzhang9439]

Best song for percussionists

[@z.jkendic9436]

We played this back in 1996 or 1997, I was the euphonium player. This really takes me back, its trippy

[@hunterhemmila960]

26-7 years later, I'm doing the same thing

[@jamesngamesgamingandmusic6676]

I’m playing the euphonium part for our spring concert this year

[@Jerry_attrick]

Me, a bass clarinet player: wow I can't believe my band director has selected a piece for me and me only :)

[@blinky9824]

You must be good! Directors are always looking for good harmony clarinetists. They're hard to find at a younger level. Fun piece! Ask him about performing "Incantation and Dance" lol

[@vampiresln1]

Better yet do The Ascension from the Divine Comedy :D

[@gracegorman3306]

It's GREAT for bass clarinet - I also loved playing bass on it

[@hunterhemmila960]

Euphoniums get a solo

[@laurennierengarten1474]

We played this at contest and got a perfect score and our flute soloist had a fractured wrist 😂

[@greyghost6125]

Lauren Nierengarten weird flex but ok

[@xaviermitchell7052]

literally after I played this my wrist was more like falling off!

[@EJ_70]

Played this my freshman year, absolutely loved it as a tuba

[@quintonthomas1073]

What a great memory of playing this. My school played this when we were in middle school. We were pretty advanced for our young age. At that time, we had a district that put music at the front which was awesome. Can't say that now...

[@jaybird8899]

We did this in High School concert band and man I loved it. Let me tell you it has some wild parts for bass clarinet. Especially that bass clarinet, piccolo soli/duet starting at 1:06 (and a half really), but man is this a ride of a song on bass woodwinds. I had a blast.

[@vampiresln1]

We did this at mine too and I was the bass clarinet and I don't think I've ever been so nervous and winded in my life afterwards. It was fun especially hearing it all together.

[@physes1139]

Ok, the ending of this piece is hella cool

[@davemillet4160]

For percussionists, this is a dream come true.👍

[@schneider_man8770]

This is our marching show this year, sounds great

[@GenesisHancock-m7i]

I loved playing this piece

[@jadalaws7770]

We're playing this at my school for our spring concert and I have the oboe solo!

[@kingegs4312]

Jada Laws ayyee I get to play the bass clarinet part in the duet

[@xxwood_windxx-bb4413]

Jada Laws same

[@Commanderthebarbarian]

As a percussionist I have found my dream piece.

[@ethanboe8239]

3:25 I’m playing this solo on a Soprano Sax when we perform it. Such an amazing piece of music.

[@kiwi81234]

Loved playing this 1st clarinet in high school ❤

[@andreweddy7278]

i played the "mallet" part for this a couple years back and absolutely LOVED it. it was an absolute blast. not only did i get to do some cool mallet stuff, but i got to mess around with some cowbell too

[@conwaytheel]

Same! The trumpet section jumped every time at the cowbell solo after the ballad portion :) What an amazing and busy part!!

[@StormSpottersTN]

Spring Concert of 1996, East Coweta High School, Sharpsburg GA. We played this piece. It's still my absolute favorite band piece of all time! I played piccolo on this. I am trying to convince our community band director to let us do this one. Cross your fingers!!!!!

[@noahwalker8359]

I remember summer band camp for high school and the rival high school band for Pioneer played this while having to swallow my pride a bit.

[@maxjonak6742]

if your horns are not absolutely top tier you have no good reason to play this

[@a_rocknrolladdict.0312]

Max Jonak this and Alfred Reed’s El Camino Real need a top horn section!

[@ephraimpinckney8209]

Ouch, but true😂😞

[@fiizzi1]

Ours are not. - a horn player

[@AylsfromWales11]

This is a Masterpiece of music right here ❤

[@noahovalle5737]

Oh the bass clarinet

[@MiraDaWulf]

YOU GO PICCOLO

[@whoismelk7151]

I play base clarinet and we’re playing this

[@jaybird8899]

Yeah, this score is killer for bass clarinet right? I loved it so much.

[@rakkae2007]

the perc 😩omgggg

[@jessicavolke7298]

we played this at out last convert and my mom thought or bass drum player was going to break the drum head. also we didn't have a flexitone so my band director mad all of us whistle

[@racosta0511]

I love the flexitone. My highschool band director bought one for this song

[@spike6192]

It must've sounded like a bunch of birds on the loose

[@keditsyoutube]

Spike Gamz212 LOL

[@spike6192]

@@keditsyoutube thank you ill be here all night

[@GDDubya]

I wish I did this piece, but I'm one of eight percussionists in my high school wind ensemble this year.

[@nicolasrenaud6875]

When I played the djembe the time I did this piece, it was one of my most memorable musical experience XD

[@mildperspiringyellowglobule]

horns goddamn

[@connexedsoul6474]

Lol ye

[@MalloryHasCats]

Yeah my band director played trumpet so we played this and a lot of stuff like this.

[@蒲焼さん次郎]

36 1:44 93 4:22 115 5:51 133 6:43 141 7:09

[@tysonr9080]

Africa by smith… how culturally accurate

[@Commanderthebarbarian]

I envy that percussion player with his supreme control over the flexitom.

[@maraudersmoonypadfootprong5522]

Oh lord I'm scared to play this 😨 I play french horn.......

[@MalloryHasCats]

It's awesome - you will love it.

[@keithsy75]

WHY? Show off! You live once.

[@leohe6781]

You're the star in this! Don't be scared.

[@Nando_NY]

4:38 when the French horns come in. Beautiful.

[@noxzemagirl007]

1996. We played this for Marching band.

[@milagros_sponch1883]

RIP Robert W. Smith 🕊

[@tylercoughranmusic]

I love how the tenor sax is the only one that ends on concert G

[@TheTwitchyGreen]

dam u right, i think he made a mistake or smth. he mighta thought the tenor stave was the bari sax stave and thought he was writing a concert c

[@tylercoughranmusic]

@@TheTwitchyGreen :(

[@BladeTNT2018]

7:56 The moment where everyone goes insane

[@physes1139]

Is this piece supposed to have 2 piccolo parts? How come there's split piccolo parts during the lyrical

[@mlefeb]

Just for that section I think, it looks like there's a note in the flute part that says go to 2nd piccolo, and I'm guessing it's only for that section because it doesn't say anywhere to go back to flute, huh....

[@haleylukes6784]

I'm currently playing this piece and I am our piccolo player! My part does call for 2nd piccolo in a few places, although I can't tell you specific measures.

[@physes1139]

@@haleylukes6784 that's cool. I think the flutes are just playing rly high so the score wrote it into the piccolo staff.

[@lovermuzak]

This piece has 1 person on picc and another 1 doubling on flute/picc. The person playing the 2nd picc part should just play picc when the part has the 2 parts and then just switch back to flute for the rest.

[@pseudonym50]

playing the conga part lol

[@lorddorogoth]

SHANGO!

[@BladeTNT2018]

7:30 Best part ever

[@stevechauvette]

Does anybody think piece is racist/exotifies Africans? The program notes indicate playing in a "primal" manner, ad lib "native vocals" (7:24) and state the piece is based on the "primitive folk music of West Africa"... Hazo has several "exotic" world music pieces, like Fantasy on a Japanese Folk Song and Arabesque. Any thoughts?

[@LuisDiaz-dy5sm]

Steve Chauvette I do think the Phrasing of the descriptions are a bit off putting but I don’t think It’s racism however I don’t get the comparison to hazo

[@MannytheMan]

This is what my entire band class was thinking. We legit had a 30 minute conversation about if this was racist. What me and other members said during that part was "culturally insensitive".

[@benfleishman2944]

I totally agree - Hazo's music can be insensitive but it's far less egregious than this piece. If a white composer wants to write music evoking Africa pre-European colonization, which IMO can definitely be cultural appropriation, they should at least do their research rather than basing an entire piece on preconceived ideas of an entire continent.

[@joshrauw545]

@@benfleishman2944 Nailed it. Is it racist? That's certainly debatable. Is it cultural appropriation? Absolutely, especially based on how ill-informed it seems.

[@tylercoughranmusic]

I don't think this song is racist. It shows the culture of Africa and is very exciting.

[@dc-jb3lt]

Can you reupload this arrangement to make it more clearer? I really want to be able to practice this score

[@shakeddai8717]

אפריקה בסלון ממש

[@estellegrindeland9462]

2:51 flute solo

[@BladeTNT2018]

Is it just me or does the English Horn solo sound like Old Macdonald's Farm?

[@srjiang4822]

sounds like tribal drums

[@joshrauw545]

As a horn player, this piece is definitely fun... but I've yet to decide if it's "good" or not?

[@derrickjeromeweaverjr.2404]

2018 anyone

[@jayusofficial6348]

Derrick Weaver Jr 2019!

[@angelagesta1061]

Jayus official 2020

[@monalisa3510]

xAirLift 2022!

[@keynotes840]

2023!

[@maxjonak6742]

I think my boy robbie hates Horn players....

[@javierquiles953]

Max Jonak loves*

[@WysteriaNight]

And according to my section leader... Flute and Piccolo.

[@ShanellLeverette]

When you have to play 3 trombone part 👀👀

[@rollertoaster]

That last note really bothers me. They should have held it out longer.

[@Azriel-b7t]

Bassoon moment

[@UgoNwakanma]

AWFHAEJKFHHAKJEF WHAT IS THIS!!!!!!!!!!

[@GiordanDiodato]

0/10 no Toto song

[@AylsfromWales11]

Shut it this is a masterpiece

[@Emmy521]

2:49 flute solo