The History and Literature of the Wind Band and Wind Ensemble: The Wind Band and Wind Ensemble of the Classical Period

The Wind Band and Wind Ensem­ble of the Classical Period is the fourth vol­ume in Dr. David Whitwell’s ground break­ing thir­teen vol­ume His­tory and Lit­er­a­ture of the Wind Band and Wind Ensem­ble series. Whitwell’s metic­u­lous schol­ar­ship reveals the con­tin­u­ous his­tory of the wind ensem­ble, from its ear­li­est roots to the twentieth cen­tury — an unbro­ken tra­di­tion of wind music that music schol­ars have never been fully able to appre­ci­ate until now. This vol­ume includes the story of the transformation of the twelve-member Hautboisten bands into the remarkable Harmoniemusik repertoire of the Classical Period. This is the climax of the history of the small band with the greatest composers, including Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert, composing for an ensemble associated with the highest society. At the same time occurs the beginning of the preference for the modern large ensemble, created for an integral role in the political celebrations of the historic French Revolution.