Overture 1776
(2001) 15:30
(Wind Band with optional SATB and Cannons: pc 2,2,3 bcl, 2, 2atb sx/4,4,3,euph,tb,tmp + 3 perc.)
Level: 4.5 Advanced High School/ College/ Professional
Commissioned and premiered by the United States Military Academy Band at West Point in honor of the academy’s bicentennial at the Trophy Point Amphitheater, West Point, New York. conducted by Lieutenant Colonel David Deitrick.
Modeled after Tchaikovsky’s Overture of 1812, this patriotic work also features cannons, bells, fireworks and chorus but utilizes American and British themes. As Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture depicts the Russian struggle against the French, Thomas Duffy’s Overture 1776 depicts the British versus the Americans. God Save the King (which ironically is the tune upon which My Country ‘Tis of Thee is written) is countered by Chester, which was the unofficial national anthem of the United States until 1931.
Further counterpoint uses Yankee Doodle, The White Cockcaid (played by the Acton, Massachusetts Militia as they marched to the Concord Bridge on April 19, 1775), and the World Turned Upside Down (played by the British as they surrendered to George Washington). This is a truly American piece, celebrating and honoring the music of the Colonial Period and the men and women who built this country.
