CLIFTON WILLIAMS Caccia and Chorale - "The President's Own" United States Marine Band

[@helenwilliams7065]

This is Helen Williams and I'm Clifton Williams' youngest daughter. I would like to thank these musicians and all of you who have made glowing comments. It is so wonderful to see that his music is still appreciated. Many heartfelt thanks.❤

[@bryanrudy2378]

I played his music several times in high-school on trombone. Incredibly challenging music.

[@helenwilliams7065]

@bryanrudy2378 I have a pic of a very young, very slender Jimmy Williams playing trombone outside his barracks during the war. He was definitely a brass man!

[@p.l.vasquez9040]

Thank You, Helen! Since I was first handed the snare drum part to this timeless, universal-language piece as a shy, newly-deigned Freshman First Chair Percussionist, my Band Director, Ed Shutz, saying “Play this part as it’s meant to be played…”, it has been my favorite piece of Concert Band Music. Most of us had never seen 3/2, and we were given no instructions before the first run. He stopped us right at the first restatement of the introduction. I meekly looked up, and he was smiling, proudly. I hope J. Clifton was, as well. Love everything about this piece, though in this performance, I would’ve liked to see more space between his resting “thoughts”, don’t be in such a hurry! I feel we’re meant to have every existential moment sink into our soul (the backstory is essential here, and Mr. Shutz DID relay this, and only this, to us before we started playing…I’m not certain, but my Band Director was from Louisiana and pretty much inferred that he’d known JCW…I can’t say for certain). In any event, a wondrous piece of challenging, moving Music, that had a HUGE influence on my development as a player/composer.✌🏼❤️‍🩹🦉

[@carl8218]

I played this song for district band my senior year of high school. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever been able to play. I still listen to it every now and then and think about the simpler times when all I had to worry about was playing my trumpet. I appreciate your father’s legacy and how his music moves me! I miss music so much I am considering going back to school for music. I’m also obsessed with his Symphonic Dance No. 3 “Fiesta”. I’m so thankful for your dads’ work!

[@helenwilliams7065]

@@carl8218 Thanks for sharing those memories! I miss playing music too. One of my greatest regrets was quitting after high school. Not sure if it's feasible for you, but I encourage you to pursue music again. Those were some of my best memories. Thanks and I wish you luck.

[@michaelthomisee]

The last two notes were the most peaceful, perfectly played notes I've ever heard.

[@iamarine]

I played this piece back in high school. It was always one of my favourites. When I was a Marine musician, I conducted this in rehearsals. Unfortunately we never performed it in public. Always great hearing The President's Own playing this great Clifton Williams piece.

[@laurakilmer8652]

I got to perform this piece when it was still in Manuscript with Clifton Williams on a Young American Musicians Abroad trip to Central Europe. This is the first time I have heard it since. I am getting goose bumps listening to this. WOW. He was as good a man as he was a composer. I miss that experience so much. My only trip to Europe. what an experience. Thanks for this video. The tympani was the heartbeat.

[@E_Bagels]

I'm just discovering Clifton Williams. Great stuff!

[@helenwilliams7065]

Hi, Laura, this is Helen Williams, Daddy's youngest daughter. What instrument did you play? I played flute. Do you remember me? Sarah was French horn. I apologize if we were jerks to you or anything like that!😂❤

[@laurakilmer8652]

@@helenwilliams7065 Hey, Laura is my wife, I am Charley Kilmer. I was Bill Millers student and I met your Dad when he came to Bills spring concert in Lakeland to guest conduct. We were at Bill Millers house that evening, your Dad showed me the itinerary to the Europe Trip and wanted me to go. I did go. It was the finest trip I ever made in my life. Your Dad was so kind to me. He really knew how to plan Trips and I think your Mother helped a lot. I will Never forget. I also played Alto Sax. I got to conduct on the lst concert in a cathedral built in 1492 iin Neuchatel Switzerland. I just looked your name up in the Flute Section on the program. I lst met your Dad at the Univ. of Miami Music Camp. The funny thing about this Band Camp was that my wife Laura also attended the Camp. She was from Ft. Pierce. I later met her at USF in Tampa. Life has a way of bringing us together. Helen, thank you for responding. I thiink your Dad was the greatest Band Composer ever. !! A lot of people also thought so. Thanks again. Charley Kilmer. ( I was from Auburndale Fl. at the time.) Live in Ocala now.

[@brettboudreaux73]

Masterpiece … absolutely brilliant !!

[@martademerath]

Heather Hanzlik - Your grandfather's compositions touch my heart. I played Caccia and Chorale many times during my tenure at UWSP under the baton of Donald E. Greene - DEG - who also gave me away when I got married.

[@teacherguy]

This is one of my all-time favorite works for wind band. It was commissioned by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point band department so many years ago and I've had the good fortune to perform and conduct it a number of times over the past 50 or so years. The "morse code" effect represents the 3 initials of my conductor's name, Donald E. Greene, from back in the early 1970's.

[@Music-vv9fz]

A stunning performance of a highly emotional work ... emotional on a number of fronts, including the "back story" of this particular work. Now, 50 years after it was written, it remains among the finest wind works in the repertoire.

[@fireballflig]

My favorite Clifton Williams piece! Thank you for this! Clifton Williams had a strong relationship with my high school in Miami ... Sadly he passed away before I was there. This piece has several interesting things in it... Such as at the end of the Caccia, the woodwinds are playing Morse Code - the initials of the band director for whom this piece was written.

[@txmd3519]

Gables!

[@fireballflig]

@@txmd3519 Killian, actually

[@helenwilliams7065]

I KNEW it would be Killian! This is his youngest daughter, Helen, and my sister, Sarah and I both went to Killian. She graduated in 1969 (French Horn) and I in 1973 (Flute/Piccolo). So Dane Wills was the director when you went there? That's so awesome!😂❤

[@fireballflig]

@@helenwilliams7065 so pleased to "meet' you! I was there from 1984-87, Hank Dewhurst was the band director then! I'm still playing my trombone, in a swing band and concert band in Atlanta.

[@helenwilliams7065]

@@fireballflig Wow! How nice to meet you, too. So, you are MUCH younger than me 🤭😂 I think Dane Wills died of cancer in the 80's. I never met Hank Dewhurst. I hope you enjoyed your time at Killian. Daddy loved the brass section, as I'm sure you can tell by his compositions. I have a photo of him when he was in the military, just a skinny kid playing a trombone. I have a funny story about Daddy and the Killian band of your interested. It's ok to say no.🤭

[@manondumouchel5298]

Magnificent.. this is a great piece of music .. I love this .. thank you US Marine Band

[@darlenefetzer4242]

I know Cliftons daughter Sarah! Love your dads music!

[@helenwilliams7065]

Hi, Darlene, this is Sarah's sister, Helen. Sarah has been in a nursing home for the past year, but she's still mentally sharp. How did you know her? I hope you see this. I can give her a message if you like. Did you go to Europe with us?❤

[@itsbjorn]

Horn Section...Nice Job

[@licoricewhip]

This is incredibly expressive. Thank you for posting.

[@craigbritton3213]

What an immense blessing your musical artistry has been through this challenging time for our nation and the world. The best from the world’s greatest nation. Many thanks.

[@mikethetuner]

Nicely done. The woodwind cantabile at 4:28-5:16 is some of the finest band literature ever written and they did it very well here.

[@smiley1322]

4:25 this is for me

[@davidmills1152]

Fantastic woodwind blend and facility.

[@itsbjorn]

Great job Marines!

[@sargentrock333]

So Good!

[@bryanrudy2378]

Difficult to believe I played 2nd trombone on this piece in high-school. We got a Superior. Always thought parts of it sounds like a movie soundtrack.

[@carlosalbertorodrigues9022]

Congratulações!! Gostaria de ouvir Tico Tico no fubá....

[@FrostDeino]

2:38

[@eddiewoods3066]

We did this in high school and I seem to remember there was a percussion part for "brake drum" or some other interesting item. Am I misremembering?

[@williamphillips6247]

Nice English Horn.

[@ToddWilliamWhite]

The hardest part of this piece is to get the Morse Code section correct. In this recording, it happens right before the 3-minute mark. A friend of mine played the premier of this piece from manuscript, conducted by Clifton Williams himself, and Williams explained that the moving part in the upper winds around the 3-minute mark were Morse Code for the initials of a dear friend of his, and should be played as such. Normally, the Marine Band gets everything perfect. In this piece, they get the rhythm is correct, but the phrasing is not correct in that section of the piece.

[@GLC-1979]

Sounded fine to me, just enjoy the piece and don't pick it apart.

[@ToddWilliamWhite]

@@GLC-1979 - well, the problem is that the passage in question was of particular concern to Clifton Williams, the composer. It was so important to him that it be play correctly that he explained to the band what he was trying to do, the importance of it, and worked with them repeatedly until they got it right. That's not nitpicking - that is being true to the composer's instructions.

[@heatherhanzlik]

Ahh but do you know who that friend was? (FYI, I'm Clifton Williams' granddaughter)

[@ToddWilliamWhite]

@@heatherhanzlik - "D" - "E" - "G" stands for Donald E. Greene.

[@Banjoey1]

Yes! We played this in High School over 40 years ago. Our director shared this with us and it made so much difference in our playing. Such an emotional piece of music when you understand it.

[@FrostDeino]

2:42

[@FrostDeino]

2:40