USA Eastern Territory
The Salvation Army
USA Eastern Territory
Music Department
440 West Nyack Road
West Nyack, NY 10994-1739
USA Eastern Territory Music Department: www.salvationarmy-usaeast.org/music/
The USA Eastern Territory encompasses the northeastern part of the United States. The Territorial Music Secretary is Ronald Waiksnoris.
American Band Journal
The American Band Journal was created in the mid-1950's by the music department of the Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory. Subtitled "Brass Music for Evangelism", it was intended for use by groups small enough to be used in the open air, as well as in regular meetings and concerts. The series has a required set of nine parts, with optional parts supplied for larger groups.
The first issue of the American Band Journal was a small booklet containing twelve pieces. The pieces were chosen in a territorial music competition. After the initial booklet, the series has been issued in groups of four to six items, on a somewhat irregular schedule.
Because the journal is published in the United States, some attempt has been made over the years to feature American composers and American themes. The early years of the journal were dominated by the music of Erik Leidzén, who emigrated from Scandinavia to the US and became a fervid American patriot. Leidzén's influence over the music played by Salvation Army bands in the United States is profound. Entire generations of Salvationist musicians were influenced by him, including well-known brass composers such as Stephen Bulla and Bruce Broughton.
For many years, this journal suffered from irregular musical standards, production quality, and issue dates. Some years ago, the journal was put under professional editorship from well-known brass composers such as James Curnow and Kevin Norbury, and has regained its former high quality.
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American Band Journal Instrumentation Soprano Cornet (optional) First Cornet Second Cornet Flugelhorn (optional) First Horn Second Horn Baritone (optional) First Trombone Second Trombone Bass Trombone (optional) Euphonium Bass Eb Bass Bb Percussion (optional) |
In the early years of the journal, the optional parts were omitted from the printed score. Some editions were printed with the optional parts at the bottom. The current practice is to print the optional parts in the score at the appropriate places, sometimes in a slightly smaller size. Bandmasters wishing to play pieces from this journal must carefully study the scores. Many pieces make extensive use of the optional parts, and although they can be played without them, the quality will be much diminished. The First Cornet part is sometimes written divisi. The Euphonium part also contains some divisi writing, but at least one voice is almost always doubled in another part, so that only one player is required. One bass part is required, either Eb or Bb. The requirement of nine players assumes that two will be playing the First Cornet part. In recent years, this journal has been published with parts for C instruments, and bass clef parts, making it more usable by concert bands, orchestras and non-Salvation Army groups. |
Triumphonic Collection
This is a collection of major brass band works, published as individual titles. As of this writing (February 2002), ten works were available. Because this collection is not published as a "series", there is no set timetable for additional offerings. There are slight differences in the instrumentation between items, however, these are major works requiring the full brass band. Most instrumentation is similar to that of the Festival Series.
Brass Ensemble Journal
Although the American Band Journal requires only nine players, it was evident that many bands could not adequately cover the parts. The Brass Ensemble Journal is written for four parts, with an optional fifth part. The instrumentation is similar to that of the Unity Series, published by Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, Ltd.
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Brass Ensemble Journal Instrumentation (part numbers in parentheses)
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Although the series is designed for four players, some arrangements require the fifth part. Occasionally, parts are marked for specific instruments, such as "horn only" on the third part. These instructions are intended for when the piece is used in a larger group and can be ignored when using the minimum complement. |
Brass Sextet Journal
The Brass Sextet Journal is not strictly a "brass band" publication, as it is intended for a strictly instrumented sextet, without any additional players. The arrangements in the journal are quite difficult and are obviously intended for an advanced group.
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Brass Sextet Journal Instrumentation First Cornet Second Cornet Horn Baritone/Trombone Euphonium Bass |
Carolers' Favorites
Carolers' Favorites is a tune book of Christmas carols. The original version was first published in 1953, with eight pages of tunes. The four-part arrangements were by Erik Leidzén. In 1957, an expanded version was issued (the 1994 edition has a preface that states that the expansion took place in 1962, but this is incorrect), including many non-traditional carols, including some "Easter Carols" that were not included in the standard Band Tune Book. Erik Leidzén again supplied all of the arrangements. A companion volume for choir was also released.
The 1957 edition, commonly referred to as the "Green Book" by generations of Salvationist musicians, was the standard Christmas tune book of the Salvation Army in the United States. However, by the end of the 1980's, it had become evident that an update was in order. Many new "carols" had become popular in the 30 years since the book was first published. The noted brass band arranger and composer, Stephen Bulla, was commissioned to accomplish the update. He added an optional fifth part (for euphonium) to the original Leidzén arrangements, and created 21 new arrangements for songs such as The Christmas Song (sometimes referred to as Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire). The new edition of Carolers' Favorites was published in 1994.
Brass Music for Young Bands
This book is a set of arrangements for use by youth bands. The arrangements are four-part, with an optional fifth (euphonium) part and percussion parts. Published in the early 1980s, it expanded on First Marches and Selections, a youth band collection published in 1953.
Songs of Praise and Worship
This is a supplemental tune book, originally published as the Youth Songbook. It contains songs that were not included in the regular Band Tune Book or the American Supplement. The arrangements are in the same format as the Band Tune Book.
