Spokane native Frank Erickson (1923-1996) was a composer, conductor, arranger, and educator known primarily for his band works. Among these are three symphonies, a Symphonette, and the famous Air for Band, as well as many others. He grew up playing piano and trumpet. As a teenager during World War II, he joined the Army, where he served as both a weather forecaster and an arranger for many bands. He later completed two degrees in music at the University of Southern California, leading to eventual teaching at UCLA and San Jose State University amidst a prolific career as composer. See more at Wikipedia and the Wind Repertory Project, and his archives at Old Dominion University.
Of Erickson’s many dozens of works for band, Earth-Song is not among the best-known. This may be because it is based on a 12-tone row, making it relatively difficult for both ensembles and audiences to digest. Still, it shows his remarkable command of the wind band, using the full range of every instrument and endless timbral combinations, all in service of an unusually (for Erickson) thorny piece of music. It dates from 1969, and is not apparently attached to any commission. His score quotes the “Earth-Song” portion of the Ralph Waldo Emerson poem Hamatreya, in which the Earth scoffs at the proud claims of ownership of the men who live upon it. This portion of the poem is in five stanzas: four of the Earth, the last the subdued reaction of humanity. Erickson also divides his music into five sections, though it is unclear how closely they are meant to represent the poem.
Check out the score for Earth-Song. Note, I believe the front matter leaves out E-natural as the tenth note in the tone row. Currently, it is available for hire from G. Schirmer, still its original publisher, though I suspect it is languishing in many a band library around the USA.
No internet-ready recording of Earth-Song exists yet. There is this vinyl recording of it from Cornell University that, to my knowledge, has not been digitized. If all goes well, we will perform it with the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble on November 22, 2026, and post it up here when we’re done! Fear not, you get a video anyhow. Here is a reading of Hamatreya. The “Earth-Song” portion begins around 2:07: