For Those Who Have Gone Before: 2nd B-flat Clarinet
Music by Gary Fagan
Grade: 3 (Medium Easy)
Item: 00-PC-0000666_C2
$3.00
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Description
Featuring a fanfare, wonderfully constructed melodies, and soaring horn/alto saxophone counter-melodies, this emotionally stirring work is sure to have a major impact on your audience. This would make a great addition to any concert, especially when programmed with other patriotic works.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Concert Band
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
2
SKU:
00-PC-0000666_C2
More about this title
About the Composer: Gary Fagan
Gary Fagan brings four decades of band directing experience to his work as a composer and arranger. A Virginia native educated at Bridgewater College and James Madison University, he spent 36 years leading the band program in Albemarle County before transitioning to university supervision and adjunct teaching in orchestration at JMU. His compositions and arrangements have been heard at prestigious venues including the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the White House, and the gubernatorial inauguration of former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder.
Fagan's contributions to music education have earned him recognition as Central Virginia's Outstanding Middle School Teacher and multiple Outstanding Educator Awards from the Virginia Governor's School for the Visual and Performing Arts and the Piedmont Council of the Arts. He serves as Assistant Director and percussionist with the Charlottesville Band, maintains active involvement with the Music Educators National Conference and Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association, and continues to work as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the region.
Why we love this
Fagan constructs this piece with the kind of architectural clarity that makes Grade 3 literature memorable rather than forgettable. The interplay between fanfare figures and singing melodies, especially those rich horn and alto saxophone counter-lines, gives every section something substantial to play. It programs seamlessly with patriotic repertoire while carrying enough emotional weight that audiences recognize its reverence.
What to expect
The piece unfolds with ceremonial confidence, opening with assured fanfare that gives way to genuinely soaring melodic lines. Throughout, there's a sense of tribute paid with sincerity rather than sentimentality, with instrumental voices layering into rich textures that feel earned rather than manufactured.
Who it's for
Band directors seeking Grade 3 repertoire that speaks to occasions requiring dignity and reflection without technical overreach. This works equally well for concert settings and contest or festival programs where you want to program music with genuine substance.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the fanfare elements so they establish character without overwhelming the lyrical passages that follow. These contrasts define the piece's emotional arc.
- Give the horn and alto saxophone counter-melodies room to bloom; they're not accompaniment figures but equal melodic voices that deserve projection.
- Shape phrases through the lower woodwinds and brass as a unified section. This creates the sense of collective dignity the piece calls for.
- Let the tempo breathe slightly in the singing sections. Fagan's construction rewards expressive phrasing over metronomic precision.
How to use it
This pairs naturally with other patriotic selections as a centerpiece or closer to that section of your concert. It also works effectively as a standalone piece commemorating service or reflection, particularly in summer concert programs or 4th of July celebrations where you want repertoire that rises above the predictable.
Skills your students will build
- Balancing independent counter-melodies while maintaining ensemble cohesion
- Shaping longer lyrical phrases across multiple measures
- Distinguishing articulation and character between fanfare and song sections
- Sustaining tone quality through exposed melodic writing