David Maslanka (1943-2017) was an American composer whose probing and introspective music ranges from chamber music miniatures to large, epic symphonies. Born in New Bedford, MA, Maslanka studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (including a year at the Salzburg Mozarteum) and with H. Owen Reed at Michigan State University. He spent his early career teaching at several institutions before dedicating himself solely to composition in 1990. He won several awards for his music, and he worked solely on commission for many years. His compositions for wind band won him particular acclaim, including more than a dozen concertos, seven symphonies (plus two more for orchestra), and several concert pieces, including A Child’s Garden of Dreams. His Symphony no. 10 remained unfinished at his death, and was completed by his son Matthew in 2018.
Rollo Takes a Walk (1984)stands out as a rare humorous miniature among Maslanka’s works for winds. It is two and half of pure tongue-in-cheek, and could even be described as intentionally grating in some spots. The program notes in his score illuminate the reasons for this:
Rollo is a fictional character created by Charles Ives and used in his musical writings to illustrate ultra conservative musical tastes. Rollo may not know anything about music, but he know what he likes: usually something banal or too-often-played. Among the kinds of music Rollo does not like are, not surprisingly, Ives’ own pieces and modern music in general. In Rollo Takes a Walk, composer David Maslanka develops Ives’ satirical character, taking Rollo (and us) on a musical outing in which all the ideas, though original, are commonplace, very familiar-sounding, and even deliberately banal. The piece is intended as a good-humored, gentle parody of concerts in the park and of some bands in which the composer has played where the tuning was less than perfect. The piece is not intended as a put-down of bands but rather as an exploration of the “out-of-tune” or “microtonal” character that Maslanka views as a forceful, original element in American music.
Maslanka has included in this piece several ideas which evoke an earlier, more innocent era of America, as well as providing some fun for the band and audience alike. Four of the 2nd clarinetists have several measures played on a kazoo beginning at measure 62. And the whole band, with the exception of the percussionist playing the wood blocks, has a vocal part at measure 81.
Rollo Takes a Walk as performed by a high school band:
David Maslanka’s music lives on at his foundation. This has more info on Rollo Takes a Walk, as do the Wind Repertory Project, J. W. Pepper, Kjos, and Tarleton State University.