The Best of Rooms by Randall Thompson is a famous choral work that has been transcribed by Tyler S. Grant for concert band, making a wonderfully moving and profound lyric selection for concert programming. (4:45)
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Randall Thompson (1899-1984) was an American composer whose choral writing defined a generation of American sacred and secular music. His works prize accessibility and emotional directness without sacrificing compositional sophistication, making them staples in both professional and educational settings. Thompson served as director of the Curtis Institute of Music and composed extensively for chorus, orchestra, and chamber ensembles, leaving a legacy rooted in the belief that great music should speak to broad audiences.
Why we love this
This arrangement transfers Thompson's profound lyricism to the concert band idiom without losing the spiritual weight that makes the original unforgettable. Tyler S. Grant's orchestration respects the source material while opening access to programs where the choral version may not fit, and the Grade 5 level ensures your ensemble can meet the emotional demands without wrestling through technical extremes.
What to expect
Solemn and introspective, with moments of luminous warmth. Thompson's harmonic language draws the listener into intimate reflection, and Grant's band arrangement deepens that quality through color and texture rather than diminishing it.
Who it's for
Band directors seeking repertoire that satisfies both artistic and educational needs will find this invaluable. Your ensemble gets to perform a masterwork while building interpretive maturity and ensemble balance skills that transcend the piece itself.
How to get the most out of it
Shape the melodic lines as though they were sung; Thompson's choral DNA runs throughout the arrangement, so vocal phrasing principles apply even on instruments.
Balance harmonic color over rhythmic precision in slower passages. The richness of Thompson's harmony is the point; clarity of texture matters more than metronomic alignment.
Allow the ensemble to breathe at natural phrase endings rather than pushing through to the next downbeat. This music earns its four-minute-plus duration.
How to use it
This works beautifully as a centerpiece for a concert themed around American composers or spiritual/reflective music. Its substantial length and emotional depth make it ideal for a second-half opener, where an audience is settled and ready to attend closely.
Skills your students will build
Sustaining legato phrasing across phrases and full sections
Balancing harmonic color and transparency in four-part and extended harmonies
Responding to dynamic and textural shifts as interpretive tools rather than technical markers
Ensemble intonation in slow, exposed harmonic writing
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