Trois pieces for cello and piano: I. Modere - for wind band

Nadia Boulanger was one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. She had many students, including Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland. After learning and studying Boulanger during my time in college within our Music History class, I found myself consistently inspired by her music. Boulanger's Trois Pièces for cello and piano showcases her compositional style, with the first movement being an impressionistic work showcasing the musicality and delicacy the cello can produce. Wanting to program this piece for my senior recital as a bass trombonist, ultimately ending in choosing different repertoire, I found myself always turning back to this piece to listen, study, and generate my own material from. When approached about arranging a lyrical piece for band, the first movement of Boulanger's Trois Pièces for cello and piano, “Modéré,” was the piece I found myself wanting to bring forward into the band world to continue to highlight the music of Nadia Boulanger. This arrangement was commissioned by the Flagstaff High School Symphonic Band directors in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr. Richard McEnaney, the current director the Symphonic Band, along with Kaia Guscott, the director of the Concert Band.