Download Václav Nelhýbel - Raleigh Concert Band

Václav Nelhýbel
Václav Nelhýbel (September 24, 1919 – March 22, 1996) was a Czech-American composer, mainly of works for
student performers. He is considered one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century.
He was born the youngest of five children in Polanka, Czechoslovakia. He received his early musical training in Prague,
going to both Charles University in Prague and Prague Conservatory. In 1942 he went to Switzerland, where he studied
at University of Fribourg; after 1947 he taught there. In 1957 he came to the United States, where he taught at several
schools, including the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He served as Composer-in-Residence at University of
Scranton for several years until his death. The University Department of Performance Music continues to house his full
collection of works.
Most of his music is for wind instruments or concert band, and most is designed for student performers. He used nonfunctional modal writing, pandiatonicism, and motor rhythms extensively. The most striking general characteristic of
his music is its linear-modal orientation. His concern with the autonomy of melodic line leads to the second, and equally
important characteristic, that of movement and pulsation, or rhythm and meter. The interplay between these dual aspects
of motion and time, and their coordinated organization, results in the vigorous drive so typical of Nelhybel's music.
“Festivo”
In his notes, Nelhybel states “ Festivo is an overture-type composition in which the woodwinds and brasses are
constantly confronting each other like two antagonists in a dramatic scene.” Nelhybel favored the low brass, especially
Tubas in his music. Festivo is an excellent example of the thorough workout he often gives these sections and is vintage
Nelhybel.