Divertimento - Vincent Persichetti.mov

Vincent Persichetti's "Divertimento" for band, composed in 1950.

[@abbyriley3877]

0:00 - Prologue 1:29 - Song 3:37 - Dance 4:41 - Burlesque 6:30 - Soliloquy 8:55 - March

[@BryanKujawa1]

thanks for these timestamps

[@cjdixon1995]

Now i really like all of the movements. they all bring something different to the table.

[@stanelias8398]

I played this on bass clarinet in high school, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I had forgotten how utterly delightful -- and fun to play -- this piece is.

[@JJ-ic9pw]

Stan Elias lmfao I’m playing it this year on bari sax and I hateeeee ittttt

[@kathrynraymond2547]

@@JJ-ic9pw I'm playing this year on bari sax ☹😒

[@jax8455]

I'm playing it this year on bass clarinet as well! Always fun to see another bass clarinet in the wild

[@elisecurran9497]

Yeah, there's that great run in the 3th mvt that nobody else has, at the end...wicked cool!

[@pippop6825]

im playing it this year on bass clarinet!

[@katherinemandzak2927]

Bruh the piccolo part is easily in my top 5 kick-my-undergrad-ass ensemble pieces

[@MaxTooney]

Awesome performance! I particularly want to compliment the cornet soloist on Soliloquy. That high concert G gets splattered more often than a piece of greasy bacon.

[@kylestyyle987]

MaxTooney That octave at the end of the movement is so clean and in tune as well.

[@jsquad2138]

Solos in song and soliloquy were awesome. I love the 1st cornet part!

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

Prologue seems rather safe to me. I find myself wishing for more energy, as one finds in the old Eastman recording. None the less, this is extremely well played and well recorded.

[@MiniMaciosek]

Thanks for the fantastic performance of a great Persichetti piece! It sounds great.

[@caseyandalex5734]

I love being a trumpet player and playing this piece

[@quintinpeters629]

Same! I played 2nd trumpet at District Honor Band when I was a freshman. I loved the piece.

[@redfrenchhorn4539]

Quintin Peters Hey I am also a trumpet player but I played French horn in this piece. French is my main instrument now but that Soliloquy was pretty hard for the trumpet players in my band. Trumpet struggles are real.

[@brianbaumgarn5795]

I agree with you Casey, and it bears a striking resemblance to John williams "with malice towards none" from Lincoln.

[@jennazak8842]

Okay but what about being a tuba player for movement 4?

[@Bugleur]

normally it's a solo cornet on the score !

[@Misayah29]

Absolutely amazing.

[@MrAkihiros]

Beautiful!

[@cjdixon1995]

so far i like the 1st and 3rd and 4th movement. and we're playing this this year

[@callmeBe]

Wonderful performance! The best I have ever heard. The choice of tempi throughout is particularly noteworthy--most conductors rush their way through, and so a lot of the musical nuances simply get slaughtered. But, not here! The tempi were performed dead on. And, I very much agree with Kylestyyle, the cornet solo is brilliantly performed; it is lush and yet highly controlled, and in tune, throughout. Larry, thanks so much for this post!

[@LGwalt]

Pleased to be able to do so. There are many wonderful contemporary compositions for band, but there's just no beating the "cornerstone" works that have been around for many decades. Persichetti's "Divertimento" is one of them.

[@callmeBe]

". . . many wonderful contemporary compositions for band." Hmmm, Larry, I am not aware of a single work, or a single writer for that matter. (I don't consider Persichetti a contemporary). But yes, I certainly agree with you as far as this work being a "cornerstone" (I like that term) in concert band writing.

[@padraicfanning7055]

@@callmeBe You might be able to find one in Julie Giroux's "Shine" or Joseph T. Spaniola's "Blow, Eastern Winds", for example.

[@callmeBe]

Padraic, I listened to "Shrine, and "Blow," but in all fairness--and I am sure you like these pieces, this is melody and accompaniment music block orchestrated for a good high school. If I was a director (again), I would be looking for such things to perform. Yes. But, in no way shape or form can these works approximate the Persichetti. It is so much more professionally written. Thanks for your references, I appreciate that!

[@joeyallen2368]

When I played this in 9th Grade, I got the opportunity to play both trumpet solos. I always struggled with Soliloquy, specifically the High G# and A#. Despite these being within my range, I could never make them flow. The first concert performance, I royally butchered it and went home in tears. But for whatever reason, my director believed in me. And when we finally played it for UIL, those notes finally came out, clean, clear, and beautiful.

[@WeiMusicProductions]

Nice

[@MrTechTalkTutorials]

Nah it's cuz there weren't other good trumpet players

[@slugoz7709]

lol i have to play it tonight for a concert and I've been listening to every rendition of this solo i can find.

[@shadowentity_0043]

That random snare shot at 9:41 is so Persichetti

[@redfrenchhorn4539]

I absolutely love this piece of music. It was the greatest struggle getting it ready for assessment but in the end it was worth it. Playing second horn was fun though but now I wish I played first. My most favorite movements are the first, second, and fourth.

[@BenjaminGessel]

I am a horn and piano player as well, composer, private music instructor, etc. I remember this was one of my favorite pieces I played in college as well. Where do you study, and how far along are you in college, etc.? Also, what kinds of music do you like the best?

[@BenjaminGessel]

The fourth movement is AWESOME!!!! :)

[@redfrenchhorn4539]

BenjaminGessel Oh haha we'll I haven't started college yet. Wow you do all that??? That's amazing. The only other thing I do is play trumpet. I'm fresh out of high school. I would love to keep playing French horn though. That's life right there. I honestly would say I like any type of band and orchestral pieces. Well ones that mainly feature French horns. 😁

[@BenjaminGessel]

Ok. Gotcha. :) Well, I may have some suggestions for you, composer/piece-wise, regarding the late/neo-romantics, bitonal guys, EXTREMELY rich harmonies, etc... I'm assuming you know about Vincent Persichetti, as well as his other works already, etc. 1.) Howard Hanson: Symphony #2, Merry Mount Suite 2.) Sir Edward Elgar: Symphony #1, Salut d'Amour, Chanson de Matin, and Enigma Variations 3.) Ralph Vaughan-Williams: Everything he wrote 4.) Henryk Gorecki: Totus Tuus (Polish, Catholic composer) 5.) Morten Lauridsen: Everything he has written 6.) John Rutter: Everything... 7.) Percy Grainger: Yes. (Band guy) 8.) Sergei Rachmaninov: Everything, esp. Symphony #2 and Piano Concerto #2, Vocalise, 18th Variation, etc. 9.) Maurice Ravel: Everything except Bolero ( :D ). You would LOVE Ravel if you love Persichetti... 10.) Claude Debussy: Everything 11.) Arnold Bax: November Woods 12.) Gustav Holst: Planets Suite, Band Stuff (Military Marches) 13.) Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture, Symphonies, pretty much everything... 14.) Gabriel Faure: Pavane 15.) Carson Cooman and Randall Thompson: Good Christian/Choral stuff... 16.) Crawford Gates, K. Newell Dayley, Michael McLean, Lex de Azevedo: Good LDS Stuff... 17.) Alexander Scriabin: Romance for Horn 18.) George Butterworth: Everything 19.) John Barry: Everything (British film composer) 20.) Syd Dale: Everything (British stock tv/film/big band/easy listening composer) 21.) Alexander Borodin: Polovtsian Dances 22.) Michel Legrand: Summer of '42 (French film composer) 23.) Burt Bacharach: Everything (easy listening/popular songwriter, film composer) 24.) Norman Dello Joio 25.) Paul Creston 26.) And my stuff... :) Should get you started. :)

[@redfrenchhorn4539]

BenjaminGessel Whoa!!! That's a lot. I'll be sure to look up all of these thank you so much. The cool part is I've played music from some those composers already. 😁

[@Thomas94K]

Burlesque makes me picture a pirate ship looming towards us from the distance

[@AlyssaGriffin1117]

Thomas94K fun fact this was in Pirates of the Caribbean 😁😁

[@sarpong09]

Makes me think of a dancer from the 1950s. Like ballet.

[@dschooo]

One Piece vibe

[@thomaselley4736]

@@AlyssaGriffin1117 where? I don't remember it being in PotC at all

[@MrAkihiros]

A very strong Stravinskian influence.

[@blu_koral]

Dance and song are the best

[@meij_musicenthusiast]

My favorite movements are and shall always be the Song and Burlesque.

[@BenjaminGessel]

Meijah Lieteau For me: Prologue and Dance. :) The March is ok too, plus the Burlesque. The slower stuff isn't quite as strong in my opinion as his faster stuff...

[@TheRealGr33nGuy]

Agreed, I love Song. I play for about 12 total measures on the horn but I still like it.

[@bugleboy666]

Very nice solo on Soliloquy soloist ... and band.

[@EldritchKraken]

i was first flute on this in high school over 10 years ago. always loved playing the solo for soliloquy, fit right into my play style

[@jefferywilliams9253]

I can't stop listening to this. I also think I've forgotten the definition of tonal music. >.>

[@BenjaminGessel]

All that matters is melody and motivic content (and its development, form, etc.), plus the harmonies and rhythms that accompany that melody. Tonality is just a "grounding" effect, pieces can be quite effective and memorable whether they return to their tonic or not, of course. More clearly dissonant harmonies, of course, will always be viewed as being more dissonant. No escaping that, no matter how purely "cerebral" a piece is... :D

[@DjGeneralBeats]

thats very good

[@pigeon4422]

so much fun :D 0:51 mmmmmm also I love the part where everyone starts to add on top of the bass line one at a time in burlesque at 5:35 but more specifically at 5:53 when the trombones come in with the crunch

[@breaknight2118]

Karla this will be fun

[@williamblackwelder1495]

These are great performances, as is the recording by Tokyo kosei wind orchestra

[@AjiSabaki]

The Grosse Pointe North Symphony Band played this in 1971 as well as Persichetti's Sym. No. 6. My good friend, Mike, played the lead cornet part on his trumpet. He killed himself in 1986 which really pissed me off. I can't listen to the Soliloquy without thinking of Mike.

[@breaknight2118]

Wow true

[@raymondgonzalez5690]

Elite

[@grantkoeller8911]

There is a wrong note in bar 127 on beat 3.

[@MrStarman926]

How bout a timestamp for those of us without sheet music?

[@tbonesfa]

Of course it's perfect... it's UNT. ;)

[@wibled4162]

Best part be the march!

[@stormz_cloud]

Wow, based on the comments this is high school music?! They're making me, and I'm in Middle School. Kinda cool but harddddddd

[@TrumpetShadows1230]

karla ! ! ! the trumpet solo ! 😱

[@KingOfTheBeez]

I mean this was played by the Symphonic Band at my University. The video actually says North Texas Wind Symphony, which is my uni.

[@trupet1]

None of this piece has hard rhythms or style(except piccolo, which has some hard parts). The hardest thing is making it sound balanced, and smooth. Which shouldn't take too long.

[@stormz_cloud]

Reflecting now on my comment 7 months ago. I stand corrected and know that this piece is hella awesome and not that difficult , a bit in dynamic part. Oh well this music rocks 😁🎶

[@BenjaminGessel]

Middle School??? Are you in a music magnet school, or is your band director more of just the "fearless" type??? WOW...

[@ducksfan_1149]

9:37

[@camilleon352]

Here because Troopers

[@fredletel7276]

Nice meme

[@mtmanzeb]

After having grown up with Wind Ensemble classics like this, it is painful and nauseating for me to hear the pablum high school bands are playing today.

[@fredletel7276]

Leafy brought me here

[@74laxman]

How?

[@fredletel7276]

its joke!

[@grantkoeller8911]

We must indoctrinate the masses, and spread the fact that this music is what they want and need, and not Katy Perry top 40 pop.

[@grantkoeller8911]

Take off your clothes for the burlesque movement.

[@praneelmadhuvanesh3770]

bad

[@juliec8641]

9:38