Vincent Persichetti

Bagatelles for Band, op. 87

Bagatelles for Band, Op. 87 was composed in 1962 by Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987), during a mature period of his career when he was deeply influential as both a composer and pedagogue in American music. Written for the modern concert band, the work reflects the mid-20th-century elevation of wind repertoire to serious artistic status, a movement in which Persichetti played a central role alongside figures such as Frederick Fennell. Cast as a sequence of short, sharply contrasted movements, the Bagatelles explore a wide range of moods, textures, and instrumental colors. Commissioned by Dartmouth College, the work was taken up soon after its completion by collegiate and professional wind ensembles. Today Bagatelles for Band is regarded as an important contribution to the advanced wind-ensemble repertoire, frequently performed and studied for its embodiment of Persichetti's enduring influence on American band literature. Newly engraved edition.