Marimba and wind ensemble by david gillingham, xl

Education degree in 1977. He immediately pursued a Ph.D. in Composition from Michigan State
University, which he completed in 1980.
Gillingham studied composition with Roger Dennis, Jere Hutcheson, James Niblock, and
H. Owen Reed. 7 Gillingham writes that he “grew up in a Methodist tradition, but was an active
church organist in several Presbyterian and Methodist churches.” 8 Liturgical music and strong
ties to the church have been fixtures in his life and are reflected in his music. In addition to the
marimba, he has written concerti for clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, bass trombone,
euphonium, brass quintet, woodwind quintet, and piano. 9
Theoretical Analysis
The following is a theoretical analysis of Gillingham’s Concerto for Marimba and Wind
Ensemble, which was commissioned by a consortium of schools and performers headed by
Professor Marc Wooldridge of Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. 10 The work was
completed in 2006, and underwent minor revisions prior to publication on January 1, 2008. The
premiere performance of Concerto for Marimba and Wind Ensemble occurred on November 10
2006. 11
Sound
In Concerto for Marimba and Wind Ensemble, Gillingham employs heavy use of layering
in the ensemble. Gillingham has identified this as a typical characteristic of his approach to
scoring for wind band, analogous to an organist who pulls stops at the keyboard. 12 His organ-like
7
Salzman, Timothy, ed., David Gillingham, vol 1, A Composer’s Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and
Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band, by Raydell Bradley and J. Bradley McDasvid
(Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2003), 47.
8
David Gillingham, RE: Wisconsin/Marimba Concerto, 22 February 2008.
9
David Gillingham, “Composer Spotlight: David Gillingham pt. 2,” Podcast by C-Alan
Publications.,Interview by Nathan Daughtry,
(accessed February 2, 2008).
10
David Gillingham, Concerto for Marimba and Wind Ensemble, (Greensboro, NC: C. Alan Publications,
2008), i.
11
Marc Wooldridge, “IWU Music Faculty,” (accessed April 4, 2008).
12
David Gillingham, “Composer Spotlight: David Gillingham pt. 1.”
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