Canzona

Peter Mennin was on the composition faculty at Juilliard for ten years, later returning to the school as its president for an unmatched 21 years. A lifetime composer with a sizable catalog of works which defy easy classification, Mennin wrote only one piece for concert band, the Canzona. From the Program Notes -- "Canzona is a short, brisk work, which opens with a declamatory idea expressed in massed sonorities. Next, a broad melodic line is introduced and supported by powerful rhythmic figurations. This is followed by a cantabile section. These materials are developed and expanded, and the piece closes with the opening statements brought back in a more dramatic presentation." Newly engraved and thoroughly edited for the first time.