Download Song for Friends Larry D. Daehn(born 1939)

Song for Friends
Larry D. Daehn(born 1939)
Composer
Larry D. Daehn was born in 1939 on a farm near Rosendale, Wisconsin. He
received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and
his master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. His 35-year
teaching career consisted of teaching vocal and instrumental music in various
Wisconsin schools, including New Glarus High School, where he directed for
twenty-seven years and won numerous state and national awards. Currently,
In addition to his composing and arranging projects for concert band,
Daehn maintains extensive research on the life and music of Percy Grainger.
He is also the owner and operator of Daehn Publications, a company specializing in concert band music since 1988.
Composition
Song for Friends is a piece written especially for seventh and eighth grade
bands. The modest instrumental ranges and easy phrasing allow the individual players the opportunity to produce their finest tone quality. Furthermore,
the relatively short length of the work will help retain the focus of younger
students in rehearsal as well as provide the option of using the work as a part
of the daily warm-up routine.
Stylistic Considerations
Song for Friends should be considered a primary instructional tool for teaching
musicality and stylistic instrumental performing. Although the piece is technically easy, the stylistic demands on the performers will provide an excellent
challenge and help students grow in one of the most eluding of developmental categories: musical maturity. In this piece, performers are asked to play in
a legato style throughout, maintain four-measure phrases, be sensitive to the
audibility of the melody and countermelody, and consistently perform at the
lower dynamic ranges. Moreover, the piece ends with a short, five-measure
coda in which the tempo slows, and the dynamics fall even softer. These two
factors, combined with the final two fermatas, will provide an excellent opportunity for stylistic growth.
Miles, Richard B., and Thomas L. Dvorak. "Song for Friends." Teaching
music through performance in beginning band: grade 1. Chicago: GIA
Publications, 2001. 325-326. Print.