Reprinted from the Rutgers Music Education Newsletter, Fall 1998 issue
Revisiting Trauermusik
by
William Berz
One of the great masterworks for band is Trauermusik by Richard Wagner. It is listed as a Grade 4 and is about 5 minutes in duration. There are two versions available for modern band. The older edition is published under the name Trauersinfonie, arranged by Erik Leidzen. This is actually an incorrect title derived from a piano arrangement by C. F. Meser in 1860. Michael Votta and John Boyd have adapted the work for modern instrumentation more recently; this currently is the preferred edition.
On December 14, 1844, the remains of Carl Maria von Weber were moved from English to German soil. Wagner composed Trauermusik for the torch-light procession to Weber's final resting place, the Catholic Cemetery in Friedrichstadt.
The subtitle to the work, "Funeral Music on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber" is actually a bit misleading. Actually, Wagner took both material from three different section of Weber's opera Euryanthe, and arranged it for band. The first section is from the overture (measures 129-143) which represents the vision of Emma's spirit in the opera. The main section of Trauermusik is taken from the cavatina Hier dicht am Quell (Near to this Spring), from Act II, scene 2 of the opera. The coda is taken from Act II, scene 7 where Count Adolar fall on his knees before Euryanthe and rise in propthetic ecstasy at their reunion. This concluding section is closely related to the opening "vision music" that opens the work.
Teachers can find wonderful ideas about using this work for instructional purposes in Guides to Band Masterworks by Robert J. Garofalo, published by Meredith Music Publications in 1992.
This work is very playable by high school bands. Its only difficulty is in terms of phrasing and general musicality. It should be part of the core curriculum in every high school band room.