San Ludovico

Creating church musical celebrations is one of the most compelling tasks of a wind band. For the 60th birthday of the pastor of his hometown Ebensee am Traunsee (Upper Austria), the Austrian composer Fritz Neuboeck wrote the chorale "San Ludovico". A work full of color, melody and harmony that enriches the sacred wind band repertoire. With its variable instrumentation (Basic Sound) it is also very suitable for smaller ensembles.

The title "San Ludovico" refers to the religious character. Chorale - originally an unaccompanied liturgical chant of the Roman Catholic Church - has evolved over the centuries. Many great Romantic composers, such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy or Johannes Brahms created chorales in different variations and instrumentation.
 

In recent decades, numerous chorales for wind band were composed using the tonal range and colours of woodwinds, brass and percussion.

At the beginning of "San Ludovico", woodwinds have the melody, followed by an eight-bar lyrical tenor solo, after four bars with flutes in upper voice. In the middle section, woodwinds and brass are balanced. At the end the full chorale returns in the brass with a figured upper voice in the high woodwinds.

The calm and solemn "San Ludovico" chorale is also ideal to improve intonation and tonal balance.

BASIC SOUND
From S to XXL – Music for any band instrumentation

"Basic Sound" is a series by RUNDEL Music Publications offering an attractive and diversified repertoire to bands at grade 2 or 3 level, of sizes S to XXL. "Basic Sound" allows for performances by groups with limited instrumentation. Minimun requirements are clearly bracketed in the score.
The smallest size (S) of "Basic Sound" is based on the following instruments:
one (1) flute, two (2) clarinets, one (1) alto-saxophone, two (2) trumpets, one (1) trombone, one (1) baritone/euphonium, one (1) tuba and percussion.
Each edition also includes a full set of parts (XXL). That way the conductor can adjust the pieces of the "Basic Sound" series to his band's instrumentation.