Educated at the University of Michigan, composer Frank Ticheli (b. 1958) has become one of the biggest names in new wind band repertoire. Since 1991 he has been a Professor of Composition at the USC Thornton School of Music and, until 1998, Composer in Residence of the Pacific Symphony. He is the recipient of many awards, including first prize in the 2006 NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest for his Symphony No. 2, and a 2012 Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Learn more about him at Wikipedia, the USC Thornton School of Music, Manhattan Beach Music, and the Wind Repertory Project.
Fortress was Ticheli’s first published work for band, written and premiered in 1988. Its melodic and harmonic content are built on the tritone, making for an ominous and off-kilter sound amidst the familiar rhythms of a march. Take a listen (and read along in the score if you’d like):
See more in John Darling’s dissertation, J. W. Pepper, the Wind Repertory Project, Manhattan Beach Music, and Pender’s Music.