Gary Gilroy (b. 1958) is conductor and composer of works for concert bands, marching bands, and percussion ensembles. A past winner of the ASCAP award, his compositions are performed throughout the United States and abroad. He is Director Bands and Professor of Music at Fresno State University in California. In addition to his composition work, he is active as an adjudicator and clinician.
Gilroy wrote Galop in 2014 as a concert closer for a special occasion, as is described in the score (links added by me):
Galop was composed as an encore number for a combined concert of the Fresno State Wind Orchestra and the Clovis North High School Wind Symphony. The work was premiered on Thursday, October 2, 2014, by the two wind bands with David Lesser, Clovis North High School Director of Bands, conducting the massed group.
It’s a fast and furious work that is meant to conclude concerts in a fun and light-hearted manner. While this composition sounds impressive and quite demanding, appropriate ranges and wise orchestration makes it quite playable at a fast tempo. As with most Gilroy compositions, the percussion section plays an important role. A galloping rhythm is first introduced as a solo woodblock and before long, the crack of the whip … helps to conclude the introductory material and move the composition towards its first theme. This fun and energetic work should provide a musical exclamation point to any fine wind band concert.
Here it is in performance:
See more about Gilroy at his publishing company, his school, and Wikipedia.
The galop is a tried and true musical form that is often used exactly as Gilroy did here. Read more about it on Wikipedia.