Rob Romeyn (b. 1961) is an American composer, arranger, and educator. He writes music for all levels of jazz band, concert band, and marching bands. He was staff arranger for the University of Louisiana at Monroe “Sound of Today” Band and the bands at James Madison University, and he directed the St. Petersburg (Florida) Community Band from 1994-2013.
Romeyn wrote Apollo: Myth and Legend in 2008 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Eldon High School in Eldon, Missouri. It was a commission from their band, directed by Rex McCargar. As the title suggests, it is based on the myth of Apollo, the Greek and Roman god of the sun, music, and much more. Romeyn lays out his particular approach to this complex figure in his program note, taken from the score of the piece:
The most widely worshiped of the Greek gods, Apollo, was the son of Zeus and the Titan Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the hunt. Apollo had many roles in Greek mythology, including god of the sun, of the arts (especially music, poetry, and dance), of medicine, protector of herdsmen and their flocks, and prophecy. His oracle at Delphi was the most famous in the world, and his cult spread far beyond the Greek world.
According to legend, Apollo was born on the Greek island of Delos and grew to adulthood in just four days. To escape the island, he changed himself into a dolphin, and caused a great storm on the sea. Apollo then threw himself of the deck of distressed ship, and led it safely to shore. Having reached ground, Apollo set off for Pytho, the site of an important oracle of Gaia, the earth goddess. A monstrous serpent named Python not only guarded the oracle, but also spoke its prophecies. Apollo killed Python and took the oracle for himself. The name of the site was changed to Delphi as Apollo had become a dolphin (delphis in Greek) in order to reach it.
Here is a live recording of the piece as performed by a Mexican band, which includes a cello section and a bass section!
See more at Barnhouse and J. W. Pepper. And read Romeyn’s full biography at Barnhouse.