Balladair Analysis

Sean McQuinn
335: Young Band Repertoire Project

Balladair Analysis
Balladair is a piece of music written for younger bands by Frank Erickson. Erickson uses
thoughtful writing in a lyrical style in such a way that still appeals to an audience but can be
expressed by a younger group.
The piece is written almost in a traditional dance format but instead of an AABA, the form
is generally thought to be more of an AABCAA style. There is an extra melodic phrase or kind of
a bridge from the B section back to the original melodic content of the A section.
Throughout the piece, Erickson is firmly rooted in the diatonic harmony, though he
makes use of harmonies with added values like the 7th and the 9th, giving the piece a more
interesting, shimmering harmonic texture. Though its lyrical and mostly diatonic, he does also
use some more contemporary progressions, more often found in standard jazz music which
helps keep the music flowing. The key is Bb and it appears to stay mostly in the major key,
although the less traditional harmonies that he mixes in with the diatonic harmonies sometimes
contribute to a less than firm major tonality, or at least delay that feeling.
The melodic content for the piece feels beautiful and natural, something that isnt overlyembellished or trying to tug at your heartstrings, but it isnt so simple that it doesnt evoke a
personal deeper feeling. Erickson clearly took care to make sure that this piece had just the
right touch melodically and the thoughtful construction of the melody line makes a lasting
impression on the listener. Many contemporary composers often move away from writing music
that focuses on melody the whole time, but this is one of those pieces that doesnt do that, even
in a more contemporary era. At the same time, the piece doesnt feel stale or overdone by
sticking with the melody the whole time and the harmonic background of the piece keeps it
interesting as well.
I think rhythm can be a hard tool to utilize in a piece that attempts to be lyrical. You must
keep the piece moving somehow, but if theres too much movement, the piece doesnt feel as
smooth. Erickson finds a really nice balance in Balladair. There are only three measures in the
whole piece that dont have a moving quarter or eighth note line in them. The first measure is
the end of the second A going into B, the second is the end of C going back into A, and the third
is the very last measure of the piece with a whole note fermata. I really appreciate that the
rhythmic movement really knits the harmony together, so instead of the harmony being one
chord progression here and another two beats later, the rhythmic movement makes the
harmony much tighter and more knit together. No rhythm here is too advanced for a young
band; there are some offbeat 8th note entrances, but thats about it. He didnt use anything
more than 8th notes and the longest held note was the whole note fermata at the end.
The content in the piece develops in a fairly standard way. The first A section of the
piece, which starts at a mezzo-piano introduces the melody line and the harmonic content that
continues to be similar throughout the piece. Going into the second A section, theres a
suspended cymbal crash and a dynamic change to a slightly more forceful mezzo-forte. In the
second A, more the inner voice movement is doubled to also reinforce the second statement of
the melody. The end of the second A decrescendos to a piano but picks up in the first measure
of the B section to a mezzo-piano. Still, it feels like softer and a little more tentative than the
mezzo-piano at the beginning of the piece, which could be because some of the voices drop out
and back in at various times throughout the section. The short C sections crescendos to a
mezzo-forte and becomes the loudest part of the piece until the last measure. The
reinstatement of A right after C returns to the feeling right at the beginning. The second and final
A comes out much stronger than the first time around growing to a forte and by the very last
measure crescendoing to a fortissimo.
Again, Erickson does a great job of effectively doubling voices to add a thicker ensemble
sound, especially in moving lines. Its even more exaggerated in the A sections, where the first A
may only have one or two moving voices but the second time around, theyre doubled. He
makes use of every instrument except percussion, unfortunately, except for the suspended
cymbal, two snare rolls, and a two measure timpani roll for the last two bars. The higher range
instruments have the melody pretty much the whole piece, the lower instruments like the tuba
and string bass are confined to whole notes and half notes, and everyone else gets the moving
harmonic stuff the in middle.
Its hard to exactly pinpoint a certain style for this piece. It clearly belongs in a catalog
with other pieces of traditional wind literature and it has a kind of military band feel to it. I know
that Erickson was in the Army Air Force when he was 19, so that likely influenced his writing
style, especially since he was an arranger for army bands.
Even though I think there is a militaristic reflection in the piece, theres still great room for
emotive capacity. I wrote how the piece is so melodically sweet and it almost has to evoke some
sort of deeper emotion for the listener. Lyrical pieces are generally written to stir emotion and
Erickson writes for some dramatic cadential moments but also softer and more touching ones
as well.
There is much to be taken away for students studying this piece. Technically speaking,
there arent a ton of notes for students to have their fingers tangled up in. The real challenge
technically is the extreme amount of breath control and tone production that needs to be
exercised during the piece. True to its lyrical style, flowing melody lines and long, held out
phrases require intense breath support and students without a lot of experience will have chop
problems at first. Intonation would also be a likely problem that a director of a young band
should address. This is a nice piece to have kids really start listening to each other, especially in
lower notes, where there are plenty of whole note moments that give players the opportunity to
listen to each other.
There are expressive demands for this piece and theyre a little more demanding for a
younger group as opposed to an older high school group, but it is a good piece for younger
students to help them start making emotional connections to music, especially music that isnt
necessarily happy or joyful, as many beginning band pieces are.
Its very easy to combine the historical and cultural context of the piece by looking at
Ericksons life and his background. This piece is textbook military/concert band. Erickson served
in the Army air force in the 1940s during WWII and was arranger for several army bands. This
piece was composed in the 1950s, a time that was affected by war and military bands were still
important ensembles.
I have a couple ideas that I could use to highlight musical concepts. I think this piece
could very well be used to teach melodic concepts or to learn about form. To express my ideas,
Ill use a learning objective template.
Melodic Concepts
Students will be able to explain the concept of
phrasing by observing the 4 bar ideas and how they are reused in later
sections of the piece.
Students will be able to recognize larger phrases or
sentences throughout the AABCA form
Form
Students will be able to show an understanding of
AAB(C)A(A) form, possibly starting with an easier AABA form.
Other ideas could explore the more technical concepts like breath support or focusing on
tone. It would be very easy to implement exercises into warm-ups that would be immediately
relatable to the music.

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Sean McQuinn

335: Young Band Repertoire Project

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