William Schuman: "George Washington Bridge"
George Washington Bridge
William Schuman
Born August 4, 1910, New York, New York
Died February 15, 1992, New York, New York
Instrumentation: Symphonic Band
Duration: 8 minutes
Composed: 1950
The composer writes,
There are a few days in the year when I do not see George Washington Bridge. I pass it on my way to work as I drive along the Henry Hudson Parkway on the New York shore. Ever since my student days when I watched the progress of its construction, this bridge has had for me an almost human personality, and this personality is astonishingly varied, assuming different moods depending on the time of day or night, the weather, the traffic and, of course, my own mood as I pass by. I have walked across it late at night when it was shrouded in fog, and during the brilliant sunshine hours of midday. I have driven over it countless times and passed under it on boats. Coming to New York City by air, sometimes I have been lucky enough to fly right over it. It is difficult to imagine a more gracious welcome or dramatic entry to the great metropolis.
Editor's note: The photo of the bridge above is similar to what Schuman would have seen driving south on the Henry Hudson Parkway towards his teaching job at Juilliard.
William Schuman, George Washington Bridge
"The President's Own" United States Marine Band, Col. Michael J. Colburn, conductor
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