Texas native Brian Beck is an active band director in the state with many published compositions to his credit. He explains the origins of his 2012 Joyful Variations as such:
The grandeur and beauty of Joyful Variations takes the listener on a journey through one of the most famous melodies ever written–Beethoven‘s theme from Symphony no. 9. Noble fanfares open and close these variations, set in ternary form, while sweeping renditions of the theme provide color and lyricism in a contrasting Adagio section. An excellent piece to open or close any concert!
Joyful Variations was commissioned by the Space Center Intermediate Band in honor of receiving the Sudler Cup presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
The “variations” in the title is a little misleading: in fact, as the program notes make clear, the melody is put through only two different treatments. Take a listen:
And here some of Beethoven’s original, transformed into the “Ode to Freedom” by Leonard Bernstein in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989:
Incidentally, Beck does not have the market cornered on wind band treatments of “Ode to Joy.” For another example, see Michael Markowski’s excellent (and much harder) joyRIDE.