UCLA

Since the 1960s, many band composers have been inspired to write works memorializing victims and honoring survivors of violent acts, war, and social uprising. Ronald Lo Presti’s Elegy for a Young American (1967) and more recently Omar Thomas’s Of A New Day Begun (2015) outline the broad time frame in which significant compositions of this type have been composed for wind band. This study focuses on those works written as timely responses to tragic events inthe U.S. Following an introduction and a historical springboard acknowledging precedents for this type of repertoire, three core chapters unfold chronologically, contoured by attention to compositions related to the following events: the deaths of John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,and the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing; the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11, and the Boston Marathon bombing; and gun violence in public spaces, places of worship, and schools. Historical, musical, and sociological perspectives enrich understanding of multiple layers of embedded meaning in this repertoire, complemented by excerpts from the author’s interviews with composers, band directors and ensemble members. This multi-faceted approach to select wind band compositions associated with tragic events and the repertoire lists provided in each chapter support ensemble directors striving to teach, rehearse, and perform works of this nature effectively. Informed, mindful choices have the potential to encourage individual and group healing, promote social cohesion, and nurture overall personal and community emotional well-being.