Episode 401: Putting On Airs

In the 17th and 18th century, starting in France and spreading across Europe, a style of music known as an "Air" became very popular. String Ensemble libraries are now full of them; Bach's "Air on a G String" for example. 

​In the world of Wind Bands, composers are able to extend the Air genre, utilizing a much larger palette of instrumental "colors" to create amazing scenic soundscapes. Here are just a few...

​Music In The Air!
  Alfred Reed
  Eastern Wind Symphony, William Silvester
Colonial Airs and Dances
  Robert Jager
  University of Texas at El Paso Symphonic Winds,
  Ron Hufstader
The Lark in the Clear Air
  arr. Gordon Langford
  Yorkshire Building Society Band, David King
  Peter Roberts, Soprano Cornet
Airs in the Mist from Minstrels of the Kells
  Dan Welcher
  Oklahoma State Wind Ensemble, Joseph Missal
Fantasia on British Airs
  Alfonso Gibilaro, trans. Silvester
  The College of New Jersey Wind Ensemble,
​  William Silvester
Courtly Airs and Dances
  Ron Nelson
  DePauw University Band, Craig Paré