James Barnes | Composers

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James Barnes
James Barnes

Born
09.09.1949 in Hobart

Info

James Barnes was born on 9 September 1949 in Hobart, Oklahoma, United States. After studying composition and music theory at the University of Kansas, he earned a bachelor's degree in music in 1974 and Master of Music in 1975. He later studied orchestra conducting privately with Zuohuang Chen. Since 1977 he has been teaching orchestration, arranging and composing, wind orchestra history and repertoire knowledge at the University of Kansas. He was also one of the musical directors of the numerous wind orchestras of the university. James Barnes is now retired.

He was a tuba player and performed with some of the most famous orchestras in the United States. His numerous compositions are widely used and frequently performed in the US, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Australia. The famous Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra has recorded 3 CDs with works by James Barnes. He also received composition assignments from the five largest military wind bands in the US. Barnes was awarded the coveted American Band Masters Association Ostwald Award for Outstanding Contemporary Wind Orchestra Music twice, as well as numerous other significant prizes.

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Anniversary / Jubilee 2024

RUNDEL Composers

Current Title

Concerto for Flute and Piano

Concerto for Flute and Piano

Eighth Symphony op. 148

Eighth Symphony op. 148

Dance Variants

Dance Variants

Threnody

Threnody

Bayerisches Osterfest

Bayerisches Osterfest

Listen & read from the Rundel YouTube Channel

RUNDEL VIDEO

Bayerisches Osterfest - Bavarian Easter Festival

Notes available at:
https://www.rundel.de/en/

op. 142
“Bayerisches Osterfest” (Bavarian Easter Festival) was commissioned by...
RUNDEL VIDEO

Threnody

Notes available at:
https://www.rundel.de/en/

Klagelied
op. 145

I wrote “Threnody” in memory of an old friend of...
RUNDEL VIDEO

Goldene Kameraden - op. 102/7

Notes available at:
https://www.rundel.de/en/

Marsch - March - Marche - Marcia
50 Jahre Musikverlag RUNDEL

“Goldene...
RUNDEL VIDEO

Alpine Holiday

Notes available at:
https://www.rundel.de/en/

for Wind Orchestra op. 140
Commissioned by the “Bernischer...
RUNDEL VIDEO

Dance Variants

Notes available at:
https://www.rundel.de/en/

for Symphonic Winds
op. 146

“Dance Variants” op. 146 was a commission...

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VIDEO

Bayerisches Osterfest (James Barnes)

"Bayerisches Osterfest" von James Barnes, gespielt von der BläserPhilharmonie Ostwestfalen-Lippe unter der Leitung von Thiemo Kraas.
VIDEO

Eighth Symphony - Sinfonie für Wangen op. 148 (James Barnes)

James Barnes reiste im März 2015 nach Wangen, um seine Achte Sinfonie, op. 148, die „Sinfonie für Wangen“ mit der Stadtkapelle...
VIDEO

James Barnes über seine Siebte Sinfonie (Symponic Requiem)

Composer James Barnes discusses the Symphonic Requiem (Symphony No. 7) he composed for the United States Army Band for the 150th Anniversary of the...
VIDEO

Seventh Symphony - Symphonic Requiem (James Barnes)

Die Seventh Symphony (Siebte Sinfonie) - Symphonic Requiem von James Barnes, in einer Aufnahme der United States Army Band.
VIDEO

A Prayer for Higashi Nihon

Commissioned in 2011 by the Zushi High School in Kanagawa, Japan for their 90th year establishment commemoration.

"It is very different in...

Music by James Barnes

FILTER (48)
FILTER (48)
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Compositions
Arrangements
Recordings

Yorkshire Ballad

Yorkshire Ballad

Yorkshire Ballad began in the summer of 1983 with a telephone conversation between James Barnes and Tom Rhoads, who was at that time the band department manager at Southern Music Company. Rhoads...
Concert Band
SMC987
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Concerto for Flute and Piano

Concerto for Flute and Piano

1. Allegro 2. The Deadly Butterfly (Solo Instrument: Alto Flute) 3. Rondo World premieres always present a unique moment, both for the composer and for the performing musicians and of course...
Solo and Piano
MVSR3037
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Malaguena

Malaguena

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1895, Ernesto Lecuona is arguably Cuba's greatest serious composer. He was a gifted pianist who wrote hundreds of songs and piano works before he died in 1963. Most of his...
Concert Band
SMC966
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Youtube

Eighth Symphony op. 148

Eighth Symphony op. 148

Composer James Barnes about on his Eighth Symphony (8th Symphony) - "Symphony for Wangen", op. 148: In 2013 I had the pleasure of coming to Wangen im Allgäu and meeting with Tobias...
Concert Band
MVSR3410
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Dance Variants

“Dance Variants” op. 146 was a commission to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Honolulu Wind Symphony (Hawaii). James Barnes wrote a composition that combines an overall A-B-A...
Concert Band
MVSR2965
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YouTube

Maskarade

RUNDEL | audio | compact disc | CD | 108 Vita Pro Musica - Maskerade - Prayer and Jubilation - Joss Fritz - Dance Variants - Israeli Folk Songs - Schweizer Mosaik - Pomp & Circumstance No. 4 -...
CD (Compact Disc)
MVSR108-2
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Symphonic Requiem

I.   Prologue - The Hornet's Nest (Shiloh, April 1862) II.  Marye's Heights (Fredericksburg, December 1862) III. Longstreet's Assault (The Third Day at Gettysburg, July...
Concert Band
SMC940
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Youtube

Wendepunkte

RUNDEL | audio | compact disc | CD | 99 Diese neue CD enthält 12 eindrucksvolle und vielseitige Konzertwerke, die in gewohnt hoher musikalischer Qualität vom Musikkorps der Bundeswehr...
CD (Compact Disc)
MVSR099-2
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Naniwa Orchestral Winds 2015

- NO LONGER AVAILABLE - CD 1: Akademische Festfanfare - Apple Valley Overture - Symphonic Movement - Shakespeare Pictures - Legacy of the Woods - Armenian Dances Part II - Egmont CD 2: Third...
CD (Compact Disc)
TDIV545
no longer available
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Threnody

I wrote “Threnody” in memory of an old friend of mine, saxophonist Thomas Liley. We knew each other since high school. We were in university together and even played in the same dance...
Concert Band
MVSR3405
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YouTube

RUNDEL Promo 2014

The RUNDEL promo catalog 2/2014 includes 45 new band pieces from RUNDEL Music Publications plus sample audio CD. You can listen to the audio samples here online or order the printed catalog with...
Concert Band
KAT14.2
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Bayerisches Osterfest

“Bayerisches Osterfest” (Bavarian Easter Festival) was commissioned by the Bishop Ireton High School Band, the band of a private Catholic school in Virginia, USA. The band’s...
Concert Band
MVSR2695
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Read
YouTube

Goldene Kameraden

“Goldene Kameraden” was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Musikverlag RUNDEL. The title of the piece is a combination of the golden anniversary of the company and all my...
Concert Band
MVSR2696
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YouTube

Alpine Holiday

Commissioned by the “Bernischer Kantonal-Musikverband“ (Berne County Band Music Association, Switzerland) as the required test piece for their 2014 wind band competition, Alpine Holiday...
Concert Band
MVSR2675
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YouTube

Panta Rhei

RUNDEL | audio | compact disc | CD | 90 Die Rückbesinnung der Menschen auf Traditionen und heimische Kultur nimmt in den letzten Jahren immer mehr zu. Geprägt durch unseren modernen...
CD (Compact Disc)
MVSR090-2
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A Prayer for Higashi Nihon

Commissioned in 2011 by the Zushi High School in Kanagawa, Japan for their 90th year establishment commemoration.

"It is very different in some ways: very sad at the beginning, then a little...
Concert Band
COMS-85065
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Youtube

Escenas de los Aztecas

The Aztecas created a very sophisticated civilization and economy in the area now known as Mexico City. Much like the Romans of an earlier time, the Aztecs were great mathematicians, enineers and...
Concert Band
LM550
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Scarlet and Silver Jubilee

James Barnes created this new eight minute work to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Its sub-title “A Vegas style overture for band” tells us what the composer...
Concert Band
SMC918
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Arioso, Op. 127

During more than thirty years of teaching at the university of Kansas, James Barnes has enjoyed working with many graduate students. One of the most exceptional of these was Naoya Takizawa, who came...
Concert Band
SMC917
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Sixth Symphony, Op. 130

This symphony, commissioned by and dedicated to Roy Holder and his wonderful Lake Braddock High School Band, is both shorter and simpler to play than the composer's other symphonies, but it loses...
Concert Band
SMC925
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Danza Sinfonica

Music in the Spanish Style composed by non-Spaniards is certainly nothing new. One need only consider orchestral works such as Emmanuel Chabrier's Espana Rhapsody, Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore,...
Concert Band
SMC864
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Jubilation Overture

James Barnes wrote "Jubilation Overture" to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the city of Lawrence, Kansas, home to the composer for years and location of the University of Kansas,...
Concert Band
SMC868
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Tchaikovsky Suite

"Tchaikocsky Suite" by James Barnes is taken from Tchaikovsky's "Album for the Young", op. 39 for piano solo. Every effort has been made by the arranger to make this setting...
Concert Band
SMC836
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Yama Midori

Yama Midori (Green Mountains) was commissioned to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Zushi High School in Kanagawa, Japan by that school's excellent high school band. It is a light overture employing...
Concert Band
SMC832
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Sorcery Suite, op. 112

- PERMANENTLY OUT OF PRINT - In the fall of 1999, composer James Barnes began reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", by British writer J.K. Rowling, each evening at bedtime...
Concert Band
WBBDM02059
no longer available
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Toccata Fantastica

Commissioned by the United States Army Band to commemorate the retirement of Col. L. Bryan Shelburne, Jr. Toccata Fantastica is a short, exciting essay for winds and percussion based upon two...
Concert Band
SMC780
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Porgy and Bess

"Porgy and Bess", the first american opera, premiered 1935. The music was written by George Gershwin, texts by Du Bose Heyward and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Its characters speek the language...
Concert Band
WBCB9802
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Youtube

Caribbean Hideaway

„Caribbean Hideaway" has the subheading „An Encore for Symphonic Band" and the vivacious composition is surely ideally suited for this purpose, but also as loosening piece in a concert. Right after...
Concert Band
SMC689
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Youtube

Third Symphony Op. 89

James Barnes schreibt im Vorwort der Partitur zu seinem Werk:

„Die Dritte Sinfonie war ein Auftragswerk der United States Air Force Band, Washington D.C. Der damalige Dirigent dieses...
Concert Band
SMC692
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Portrait of James Barnes

- NO LONGER AVAILABLE - Kompositionen und Arrangements von James Barnes Symphonic Overture - Fantasy Variations on a Theme by Niccolo Paganini - Autumn Soliloquy - Fanfares and Alleluias - A...
CD (Compact Disc)
T8792
no longer available
Wishlist

A Light In The Wilderness

During the summer of 1992, the Shawnee Mission South High School Band went on a tour of Germany. During the tour, Megan Taylor, a 16 year old flutist in the band, was killed in a tragic bicycle...
Concert Band
SMC677
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Alvamar Overture

James Barnes dedicated "Alvamar Overture" to Robert Hollowell and the 1981 Wichita Public Schools Jr. High Honor Band. "Alvamar Overture" is a wonderful piece for bands playing...
Concert Band
WBBD9541
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The Wizard of Oz

"The Wizard of Oz" is a Hollywood fairytale from 1939 and is nowadays one of the great American movie classics. Dorothy, her dog Toto and their three companions - Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, and...
Concert Band
WBCB9523
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Impressions of Japan

Completed in August 1992, this work was commissioned by the Saitama Sakae High School Band of Ohmiya, Japan. It received its premiere performance in Tokyo in January 1993. The composer James Barnes...
Concert Band
SMC661
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Sunflower Saga

James Barnes wrote „Sunflower Saga" for the 20th anniversary of the Kansas Bandmasters Association".

Kansas is also called the „Sunflower State", because the hot climate of the area is...
Concert Band
SMC662
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Legend

- NO LONGER AVAILABLE - Guest Conductor Series 17 Symphonic Overture - Legend - Eisenhower Centennial - Torch Dance - The Long Gray Line - Second...
CD (Compact Disc)
T9311
no longer available
Wishlist

Symphonic Overture

Symphonic Overture is another fine work from the prolific pen of James Barnes. While not as challenging as his Fantasy Variations, there is enough to keep all sections busy. The work was commissioned...
Concert Band
SMC647
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Youtube

Westridge Overture

"Westridge Overture" is a festive and joyful overture for young band. Composer James Barnes wonderfully combines melody and counterpoint in both vigorous and melodious passages. In the slow middle...
Concert Band
SMC649
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Youtube

Pagan Dances

- NO LONGER AVAILABLE - Kompositionen von James Barnes Centennial Celebration Overture - Poetic Intermezzo - Pagan Dances - Yorkshire Ballad - Alvamar Overture - Romanza - Chorale Prelude on a...
CD (Compact Disc)
T9250
no longer available
Wishlist

Fantasy Variations
on a Theme by Niccolo Paganini

James Barnes composed an impressive piece on a theme of Niccolo Paganini (1782 - 1840), who was one of the greatest virtuoso violinists of all time. Stated at the beginning of the work, the theme...
Concert Band
SMC612
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Youtube

Fantasy Variations

- NO LONGER AVAILABLE - Kompositionen von James Barnes Fantasy Variations on a Theme by Nicolo Paganini - Trailridge Saga - Invocation and Toccata - Autumn Soliloquy - Appalachian Overture -...
CD (Compact Disc)
T9195
no longer available
Wishlist

Yorkshire Ballad

- NO LONGER AVAILABLE - Composed in the summer of 1984, James Barnes' „Yorkshire Ballad" was premiered at the Kansas Bandmasters Association Convention in Huntchinson, Kansas, by the late Claude...
Concert Band
SMC559
no longer available
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Youtube

A Leroy Anderson Portrait

The music of Leroy Anderson is famous all over the world and even more than 30 years after the composer's death, it has not lost any of its intensity and fascination. James Barnes put four of...
Concert Band
WB89337
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Eaglecrest

James Barnes composed his overture "Eaglecrest" for the Explorer Wind Symphony, New Hamphire and the conductor T.J. Rand. Right beneath the title we find a quote by Walt Whitman:

"Skyward...
Concert Band
SMC544
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Appalachian Overture

In 1983, the late composer/conductor Claude T. Smith invited me to write a work to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of Wingert and Jones Music Co. of Kansas City, the wellknown publisher of...
Concert Band
WJ3010161
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James Barnes - Symphonies - Vol.2

Second Symphony, Opus 44 - Third Symphony, Opus 89 - Duo Concertante, Opus 74 - Fourth Symphony, Opus 103b ("Yellowstone Portraits") - Symphony, Opus 110 ("Phoenix")
CD (Compact Disc)
T8516
Wishlist

James Barnes - Repertoire for Young Band - Vol.3

Trail of Tears - Foxfire - Stone Meadows - Westridge Overture - Sunflower Saga - The Pershing Rifles - Wildwood Overture - My Old Kentucky Home - Yorkshire Ballad - Heatherwood Portrait - Maracas...
CD (Compact Disc)
T8515
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James Barnes - Advanced Repertoire for Band - Vol.1

Symphonic Overture - Golden Festival Overture - Toccata Fantastica - Invocation and Toccata - Pagan Dances - Rhapsodic Essay - Variations on a Theme by Niccolo Paganini
CD (Compact Disc)
T8517
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