Mysterious and macabre and reflective of mortality—that’s the type of music for this edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion because it’s the Halloween edition.
In 1936, before a concert to be broadcast on radio, Artie Shaw needed a theme tune. Theme tunes were important because they helped to indentify a big band. In short, having a theme tune was part of big-band marketing. Many big bands simply chose a song from Tin Pan Alley, but Shaw decided to write his own and to make it truly unique and therefore vastly more memorable. The name of the tune is “Nightmare”—and its unique sound is a great way to begin the Halloween edition. This theme song became a hit in its own right in 1938.
- Nightmare 1938 recording
Composer: Artie Shaw (1910-2004)
Performer: Artie Shaw & His New Music
Album: Swing Time, Vol. 2
- Gothic for Wind Orchestra
Composer: Makiko Kinoshita (1956- )
Performer: Japan Ground Self Defense Force Central Band
Album: Gothic
- Halewijn
Composer: Gerard Boedijn (1893-1972)
Performer: Portuguese Symphonic Band
Album: Hamlet
- Hamlet Symphony: Aparicion
Composer: Santiago Quinto Serna (1971- )
Performer: Portuguese Symphonic Band
Album: Hamlet
- Hamlet Symphony: Monologo
Composer: Santiago Quinto Serna
Performer: Portuguese Symphonic Band
Album: Hamlet
- Hamlet Symphony: Locura
Composer: Santiago Quinto Serna
Performer: Portuguese Symphonic Band
Album: Hamlet
- Phantom Regiment
Composer: Leroy Anderson (1908-1975)
Performer: Keystone Wind Ensemble
Album: Leroy Anderson: Phantom Regiment and Other Tales
