The Last Full Measure of Devotion

I originally wrote a Brass band version of this work to be performed by the Freedom Brass Band of Northeast Ohio in the summer of 2011 knowing that I wanted it to be connected to a well-known patriotic text. It quickly became my most popular work and I decided to arrange it for Concert Band in 2018. Because it was adapted from a Brass Band setting, some of the instrument ranges are more advanced, but can still work for an advanced high school or college band. From a young age I found inspiration in Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. As a Boy Scout, I had read it at an annual service on Memorial Day. I had also studied it in school and even heard it spoken by a Lincoln impersonator. The words from this address speak to the ideals of human equality and freedom, and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect those ideals. Lincoln refers to this sacrifice as "the last full measure of devotion" and it is to those men and women who so bravely sacrificed that I dedicate this work. For added effect, the Gettysburg Address may be read by a narrator during the performance. Instrumentation: Piccolo Flutes with divisi Oboe Bassoon 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bb Clarinets with divisi Bass Clarinet Alto Saxophone Tenor Saxophone Baritone Saxophone 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bb Trumpets with divisi 4 French Horns in F 2 Trombones Euphonium (Treble and bass clef provided) Tuba Timpani (4) Crash Cymbals Snare Drum Bass Drum