This edition features music composed by a Slovenian and music composed by the Swedish march king. But this edition opens with a march by Herman Ludwig Blankenburg, a German composer who was born in 1876. He may actually be the most prolific of all march composers with over 1,300 marches to his credit. Although he was a member of German Army bands, a British music publisher made his marches famous when Blankenberg won a march contest in 1904. Blankenburg’s favorite instrument was the one he learned to play first: the piccolo. But he also learned how to play the bassoon, tuba, and violin. He conducted his school orchestra when he was 10. He played in and conducted community bands for much of his adult life and also performed in orchestras.

This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion features Hungarian music and Hungarian composers. Born in Hungary and famous for his operettas, Franz Lehar has a strong wind-band heritage. Truth be told, he's actually Franz Lehar, Jr., the son of Franz Lehar, Sr., the bandmaster of Regiment 50 of the Austro-Hungarian Army. After attending the Prague Conservatory, Franz Lehar, Jr., became an assistant bandmaster in his father's band at age 18. But 2 years later, he became the youngest bandmaster in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Then he became a bandmaster in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Yes, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a Navy because it was not land locked. It accessed the Mediterranean Sea mostly through the port of Trieste, now part of Italy. The Austro-Hungarian Empire controlled most of what is now the northeastern corner of Italy and much of the Croation Coast.

This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion opens with what has been called the most famous of Franz Schubert’s works: his March No. 1 in D Major, also known as the Marche Militaire. The original composition was for piano four-hands. This march has been arranged for both orchestra and wind band, not to mention other combinations of instruments. In addition, the melody has been borrowed by such other classical composers as Stravinsky and Liszt. It was used in Autolite commercials during the 1940s and 1950s and in the more recent video game Challenger.

This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion features official German military marches based on themes from operas. But this edition opens with a triple play of a jazz standard written by Jelly Roll Morton in 1906; namely, “The King Porter Stomp.” We will begin with the first recording of the tune, the one made in1923 with Morton himself playing the piano. Then we will hear the 1935 recording by the Benny Goodman band, a recording that became a big big band hit. The third version will be a 1955 recording of the tune arranged by Pete Rugolo, obviously made with better recording equipment.

This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion features original classical wind-band hunting music from the 1700s and 20th century movie music composed by John Williams. This edition opens with two German military marches. As required by a 1817 decree of Prussian King Fredrich Wilhelm, the Prussian Army adopted a list of official marches to be played at military ceremonies. This practice continued when the German Empire was formed and continues to this day. There have been three different editions of the list of official marches. The first is a parade march from the first list and was written by the military musician Julius Mollendorf. The second is also a parade march written by Princess Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen and can be found on all three lists.

This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion features original classical wind-band music that depicts a hunting trip and 1960s music from television shows. But this edition opens with a big hit from 1968: “Those Were the Days.” Boris Fomin, a Russian who lived from 1900 to 1948, composed the music with original lyrics by a Russian poet. Gene Raskin, an American, wrote the English lyrics; and Mary Hopkin, an English singer, recorded the song for the newly minted Apple Records, encouraged by Beatle Paul McCartney, who played the acoustic guitar for the recording. The song was a number-one hit in Great Britain, Canada, and France. In the United States, it topped at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Joseph Lacalle was born in Cadiz, Spain, in 1859. He immigrated to the United States in 1884 at age 25. He played clarinet in the John Philip Sousa Band and the Patrick Gilmore Band. Eventually, he started his own band and became known as a composer, conductor, and music critic. He wrote his biggest hit in 1920: “Amapola.” "Amapola" is Spanish for the poppy flower, but is also used as a girl’s name in Spanish. In 1941, the Jimmy Dorsey big-band recording of “Amapola” became a number-one hit. The song has appeared in various movies since that time, and Natalie Cole recorded it for her 2013 album.

For 2024, Hanukkah began at sunset on December 25 and will end at sunset on January 2, 2025. So in recognition of Hanukkah, this edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion features Hanukkah songs and klezmer. Klezmer is an instrumental musical tradition of the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. Most klezmer is dance music, which is very appropriate for Hanukkah which is a happy celebration. Over the years, klezmer has incorporated elements from many other traditions: Turkish, Greek, Romanian, German, and Slavic, as well as Jewish religious music. In the United States, klezmer has incorporated big band jazz and Dixieland elements as well. And as two selections aired during this edition will demonstrate, even Latin music has been incorporated into klezmer.

Christmas music can have an interesting history. For example, the composer of “Carol of the Bells” was assassinated. The melody used for one carol comes from a cantata celebrating the invention of movable type. And a number of popular secular Christmas tunes were written by a Jewish World War II veteran. But today’s edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion begins with a “Christmas Fanfare” composed the Scottish cornet player and composer Brian Keachie. For 29 years, Keachie was the principal cornet player for the Kilmarnock Concert Brass Band, which has won numerous brass-band contests. He has been featured on numerous radio and television shows.

This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion opens with an Advent composition entitled “The Kingdom Triumphant,” written by the British Salvation Army composer Eric Ball, who lived from 1903 to 1989. The composition has three major sections: Vision of Judgment, Remembrance of the First Advent, and Vision of the Second Advent. As a trombone player, he joined a Salvation Army young people’s band, began working as a music editor in the Salvation Army’s publishing house when he was 18, and eventually lead the Salvation Army’s International Staff Band. In 1946, Ball conducted the Brighouse and Rastrick Band in the winning performance at the National Brass Band Championships.