First Prelude: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Ben Hawkins captures the restless energy of Gershwin's original without sacrificing the intimate character that makes this prelude compelling. The samba-influenced rhythmic undercurrent translates seamlessly to concert band voicing, giving your ensemble something genuinely groovy to sink their teeth into rather than another stately classical arrangement. Your audience will hear a work they recognize filtered through a fresh sonic landscape.

Cosmopolitan and restless, with the kind of sophisticated blues-tinged harmony that sounds effortless but demands close listening. The samba pulse gives it an infectious, almost dance-like quality that lives somewhere between a concert work and a real-world musical expression.

Bands at the Grade 5 level looking to program something both stylistically important and genuinely fun to perform. Directors who want to introduce their students to a canonical American composer without reaching for the same tired transcriptions that every band plays.

• Balance the syncopated figures between sections so the harmonic movement stays clear; this isn't a rhythm section feature, it's a collaborative texture that lives in the ensemble.
• Shape the longer melodic line with sensitivity to the underlying harmonic rhythm rather than playing it straight; Gershwin's phrasing expects rubato and response.
• Lock into the samba feel early in rehearsals by having your rhythm section practice independently first, then layer in the melodic voices once the groove is secure.

Pair this with other American masterworks arranged for band to build a concert devoted to the composers who defined twentieth-century music stateside. It works equally well as an opener that establishes an energetic, contemporary tone for your program or as a mid-concert palate-cleanser between heavier works.

• Syncopation and rhythmic independence across sections
• Blues-inflected harmony and chromatic voice leading
• Balancing melodic projection with rhythmic texture
• Interpreting jazz and popular idioms in concert music