Abstract:
This study provides an overview of wind band repertoire based on shape-note melodies
with a focus on the tune WONDROUS LOVE. Of the eighty-one known works for band based on
shape-note tunes, thirteen are based on the tune WONDROUS LOVE, a hymn first published in
William Walker’s Southern Harmony and Musicals Companion in 1840. These thirteen works
are separated into chapters by grade level (Grade 2-3, Grade 3.5-4, Grade 5).
In each chapter, all applicable works are discussed generally, and one representative work
from each grouping is studied in greater detail – Greg Danner’s Wondrous Love, Michael Cox’s
Variations on a Theme of Wondrous Love, and the first movement of Dwayne Milburn’s
American Hymnsong Suite, “Prelude on ‘Wondrous Love.’” In particular, I examine the melody,
harmony, instrumentation/ orchestration, and any other important compositional factors or
conducting considerations in each representative work. In addition, the list of all eighty-one
known works, as of publication, are included in an appendix. The intent of this study is to
provide conductors a starting point for choosing repertoire based on shape-note melodies, offer
composers and theorists a view into the representative works, and provide historical context for
all interested in shape-note music and wind band repertoire.
