Added: 5 years ago
From: ZTanner
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  • We played this song at an Honor Band I went to, and I think this song is really about moving on, and rebuilding. In the beginning, you feel the pain...but as the song goes on, that pain fades. Things slowly get better, and it's not so painful any more. It still hurts, but this song is about moving on to a brighter day. An amazing song and a great video, I'll always love this song.

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  • oh gawsh! We played this today at our school for Rachel's challenge!! This sounds better tho lol

  • 4:08 That's fucking Star Wars!!!

  • I played this piece last friday (bassoon) and my lips were so tired from playing numerous songs before but i still played loud (with balance) and proud no matter how bad my lips hurt

    P.S. im sad i won't get to play it again for atleast a year

  • the song is suposed to be for those who lost their lives at columbine

  • @stusaj5 but now, its also used for other tragedies. you're right though, Ticheli originally made this in honor of the Columbine victims in 1999.

  • @Michaelmantwentyfive Columbine didn't have an alma mater...Frank Ticheli wrote Columbine's alma mater and included it in the song so I feel this song is still more applicable to the memory of Columbine than any of the other tragedies

  • I play bass drum in this piece; there are 6 notes in this entire 11 minute song.

    Guess who doesn't care and plays them anyway

  • I play the 3rd trombone part in the band I'm currently in and I love this piece

  • if anyone is confused or has questions about the oklahoma city bombing message me and i will answer them right away

  • This was one of my favorite concert band pieces, I played clarinet and bass clarinet on it. It always gave me chills and still does anytime I hear it.

  • I almost got to play this at concert festival. I wish we would have because this will probably be the best piece of music i ever play.

  • I played the french horn part for this and it was the most beautiful part i've ever played and to this day is still my favorite song i've ever played

  • America. The new world's peace nation.

  • @playinnpwnin ...yea...

  • Playing this tomorrow at a band festival. I only pray that our performance can do it some form of justice, and serve as a powerful rememberance.

  • I get goosebumps every time i hear this song

  • I love that trombone line at 35.

  • I currently am playing this piece in band and I have a hard time not tearing up when we play. this is a miraculous piece. I am honored to have the opportunity to play it.

  • maybe if people werent so stupid and douchey there things would have never happened.

  • This was my favorite piece of music that i played over my high school band years... i will never forget the people crying in the audience wiping their eyes, when we got done playing it was silence for a good 10 seconds, gave me goosebumps like no other.. then suddenly the band received a very loud applause, mixed with a lot of emotion.. moments like that make doing what we do(play music and move people) all worth while.

  • This was my favorite piece of music that i played over my high school band years... i will never forget the people crying in the audience wiping their eyes, when we got done playing it was silence for a good 10 seconds, gave me goosebumps like no other.. then suddenly the band received a very loud applause, mixed with a lot of emotion.. moments like that make doing what we do(play music and move people) all worth while. like if you agree

  • Thank you very much for posting this. Putnam City High school did a fantastic job of portraying the American Elegy song-there were a few exceptions with the clarinets squeaking...but if I was a judge listening to this I'd give them a SUPERIOR. The video footage that you took is excellent. Thank you.

  • Tomorrow, I hope that this song is played for everyone to hear. We need to remember what happened 10 years... not just the danger and the crises, but the loved ones and citizens we lost that day. I urge everyone to post this song tomorrow--Facebook, Twitter, anywhere. Thank you.

  • Due to "lack of room," NYC Police Officers, Port Authority Police Officers and FDNY Firefighters are not "invited" to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Ground Zero. Funny - they weren't invited on that day in 2001, either - they just "showed up" and became our heroes. Please re-post if you think they belong MORE than the politicians who are invited

  • Makes me cry every time. This song is a testament to the power of art.

  • I was crying by 2:00

  • we are playing this solng in symphonic band im only in 7th and play clarinet

  • Many people dont understand the power of music. Music is the only thing that expresses people, without words. You are taking a black and white piece of paper, and creating it into the most colorful piece of art anyone has ever heard. It takes a lot of emotion to play this, let alone hear it!

  • u know that dream-like part, i played 2nd alto for that part, their was 5 of us, first chair and 3rd chair (me) played that part, it was was incredible and a honor to be part of that small part

  • @45Deathnight i made a mistake on the "We are Columbine" part, or director cued us in (as i thought) and i got the wrong impression, 4 out 5 saxes followed me hahaha

  • I played the trumpet solo for this at my final concert of high school. I played it from the back of the room so people wouldn't really know where the sound was coming from. I was super nervous, but I got back there and as the woodwinds got to the single note, I could hear rain falling on the roof of the gymnasium where the concert was and it completely calmed me down. The solo went perfectly. When I sat down I was overwhelmed by the meaning of the piece. It's a wonderful thing.

  • you don't perform this piece just for emotion. you perform it to honor all of the victims of the columbine shooting. may god bless all of the survivors and their families :)

  • This sing reminds me so much when i was a freshmen in high school and i got the honor of playing this gorgeous piece of music and do the flute solos! i LOVE it!!

  • A lot of people don't know this but my high-school band preimered this years ago...7:15 into the song was actually taken from the Columbine High school song.. Columbine columbine we are columbine!!!!

  • I love this piece sooooo much. My friend's band got to play this at our Spring concert and I fell in love with it. It's such a moving piece and I always cry at the trumpet solo. My favorite part is definitely at 7:16. It is built up so beautifully and it comes to such an eventful climax. This song means so much to me and I will NEVER forget it. EVER!!!!

  • i played the trumpet solo for this song and everytime i play it, I close my eyes and pour everything i have into it. The little notes on the paper aren't enough to show what powerful messages it portrays.

  • 4 DISLIKES!!!!!!!! WHAT KIND OF HEARTLESS BASTARDS ARE THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!

  • I played the Alto Sax solo on this about 5 years ago at a Lions Band camp, and there were 2 flute players crying in front of me and I almost choked up while playing. Emothional song that was definitely well written.

  • Whoever did this I hope you reply this touched my heart so much ecspecially the okc bombing my dad lost a friend that day Deanna Cooper the daycare director then my nana lost a friend in the credit reunion (I can't remember her name though) thank you

    ~Abby

  • Still crying after playing it more than 50 times and hearing it way more than that. That's what true music does to you.

  • We play this every year for graduation. it's by far the most beautiful piece I've ever played in my life. (Sax solo FTW)

  • Our High School Wind Ensemble played this 4 years ago at contest. Our director made sure we knew what we were playing for and during the contest one of the judges cried. I was only a third part trumpet at the time but to this day it's one of the best songs I have ever had the pleasure to play.

  • Played vibes for this song in district band!

  • I'm sorry, but i hate people that put like 1,809 people missed the like button. But i have to be a hypocrite for a moment and say if you disliked this, you do not know music. This is the most musical piece i have ever played. This has made my love for music true. After this song i knew that i could truely express myself through music.

  • How could anybody dislike this?

  • Our symphonic band played this for our May concert... I had the trumpet solo. I vry nearly cried right in the middle of it.

  • Just played this song for our band conductor as a farewell piece. He's retiring this year after 20+ years of amazing service to our school. He cried. :)

  • just played this in a concert great peice bari sax :) 

  • just played this in a concert great peice bari sax :)

  • All county band last year, baritone

  • one of the greatest piece of music ever composed. Frank Ticheli is a master!! :) i'm 1st alto sax playing this in HS band for the second time! woohoo!

  • We performed this song in the All County Concert a few months back. I played Bass Clarinet (:

  • This is absolutely beautiful. I was able to see CCSU's Wind Ensemble play this. It was amazing. Hearing the lone trumpeter in the back gave me so many chills.

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  • we played this last year. I am an euphonium player and i love playing songs like this because i can make it musical with emotions. It's a beautiful piece <3

  • nothing good can come from Osama's death, dont celebrate that. War is going to happen w their purpose.

  • my band in high school played this for 9/11 when it happened. very moving song

  • We played this for our concert it was amazing

  • the french horn part is awesome in this piece. i played french horn.

  • we are playing this piece for our upcoming concert.. perfect timing too cause of bin Laden

  • i play trumpet. we recently played this at our concert last week. it was amazing. the most musical thing our band has ever played. i (a trumpet player) had the offstage solo and absolutely dominated it. i love being the only good trumpet hahah. i love this piece though. it is amazing. made both of our directors cry when we played it.

  • 12 years ago...

  • This song should have so many more views,....

  • we are playing this. it sound pretty good but my band needs to lear how to play sweet and soft. im kinda mad though because i have second alto part and i know i could play the first alot part way better than the first altos

  • i played this last year for competition and we got first in everything but this year our music stinks so i would play this song and the other 3 all over again this year if i could :)

  • My goosebumps are so big it hurts

  • @captaincorbin1117 I read that as "My boobs are so big they hurt" :/

  • @mukraf haha touche. i cant even get mad at this comment. well done sir

  • i adore this song...my high school is playing it this year for our spring concert and hopefully next year for our concert competition. it has so much feeling of sorrow and the will to fight through anything...it makes me cry almost every time i play...

  • I literally got chills listening to it.

  • The power of music never ceases to amaze me- the fact that this song can express every emotion- the pride for our country, the sadness that we have felt for our fellow countrymen, the hope that tomorrow can be better- this song has everythig! it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it..no lie! I can only thank mr. Frank Ticheli for composing such a magnifisant piece, and for the oportunity to perform it!

  • I prefer the trombone parts since that's what i play. My schools High School band director loves the 4 part cannon leading into measure 111. I love the song in it's entirty

  • @roadsterman1211 I play the trombone, and I fully agree with you.

  • @KitsWillEYourBrains Do you know what chair you sit in. Because i'm 2nd chair

  • @roadsterman1211 Oh, at my school, I was always 1st because I was the only trombone in the band.

  • @KitsWillEYourBrains Wow, my band has 3 trombones, 3 baritones, and 2 tubas for our low brass section

  • @roadsterman1211 Our low brass section at the time was 2 tubas, 1 baritone, 1 trombone (me). But now I'm in a different band and we are definitely not lacking low brass: 3 tubas, 2 baritones, and 6 trombones including me.

  • Those Clarinets at 5:50 are just beautiful!

  • i love this song <3

  • R.I.P the most brave men and women of the world. Who have given their lives to us.

    God bless you.

  • At 4:14 One woodwind squeaks.. But other than that great peice..

  • wow

  • this is by far my favorite peice that i have played in highschool... it has alot emotion and purpose and was very nicely put together.when our band performed this peice it made nearly all of the audience members get teared up.

  • Our school's playing a shorter version that's about 3/4 long as this one, but it's still an amazing piece of music...

  • 1:23 something seems wrong with jesus

  • Just played this piece the night before last at SCSBOA festival and this ong happened to give us a unanimous superior!!! Yay west ranch! The trombone Fto B flat at 55. Yeah let's just say i played that at like fff!!!!

  • Just played this piece the night before last at SCSBOA festival and this ong happened to give us a unanimous superior!!! Yay west ranch! The trombone Fto B flat let's just say i played that at like fff!!!!

  • played this last night. 1st oboe. apparently people started crying when i played the solo.

  • this song touches me in so many ways. i really appreciate this song. i love this song with all my heart. we played this last year for my band assessment and i fell in love with it. i cried everytime we played it

  • the people who disliked this song have no souls and hate everything America stands for

  • whoever disliked this video is an idiot... this song represents the freedom we have in america and commemorates the tragedy at columbine.. if you seriously dislike this, screw you and get out of my country

  • Our Wind Ensemble just played this for District band festival... our director cried in the middle of it. I was almost crying. It sounds really cheesy, but I started thinking about music in an entirely different way after playing this piece.

  • @Spock356 what do you play?

  • @Spock356 He really cried??? I didnt know that...

  • i just cried........

  • 4 people missed the like button.

  • we are going to play this for our uil contest this thursday. i can barely play through my part without shaking on the intense parts...

  • Why cant i like this video 1,000,000 times?!?!?!

  • This piece gives me the chills every time i hear it. It is such anemotinoally moving piece of music. I first heard this when my highschool band played this on our Hawaii tour. Great job WRHS!

  • the part that really makes me want to cry is at measure 111 (7:16 in the video) when the piece starts playing the Columbine alma mater. especially when you read the lyrics to the specific part of the song. "We are Columbine, We are all Columbine"

  • i also love the trumpet solo...i actually had to play the part cause the person that was suppose to play didnt make it, found out i had to at the last minute, i was friggin nervous. but this song can represent alot, one of my favorites.

  • i love this song. my brother is the lead trumpet player. the soloist. i love it!!!!! :D

  • We are playing this piece this year for UIL. I love how this piece sings put to many hearts. I love the video. :)

  • I played this in All-Region 1st band year 2010-2011 over at region 8. I played french horn and i noticed the french horns had beautiful moving lines throughtout the song but what realy caught me was the oboe solo line. It forever touched my heart and my soul and we will never forget that tragic event that took place April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School. May God bless all of our souls.

  • Im in 9th grade and my band played this piece for a Christmas concert. i played timpani (:

  • I have performed this piece during my senior year in high school, and now in a couple of months i have the privelage to perform this again in Europe as a College student From WBU (bassoonist). I do hope that i bring out the best of this piece and help honor those who have lost thier lives during 9/11, columbine or any other disaster. This is the Perfect piece to Represent America. Tichelli is Brilliant!

  • I have performed this piece during my senior year in high school, and now in a couple of months i have the privelage to perform this again in Europe as a College student From WBU. I do hope that i bring out the best of this piece and help honor those who have lost thier lives during 9/11, columbine or any other disaster. This is the Perfect piece to Represent America. Tichelli is Brilliant!

  • ive performed this piece once and heard the composer's notes. and everytime i hear it, even after a few years, it still makes me think of what has happened throughout the world. makes me wanna cry sometimes, not just because of sadness, but because of how strong we still are today. and the trumpet solo is just incredible. Ticheli has written a masterpiece

  • This is a song my band is playing for our spring concert. This tune brings back memories. The souls of the deceased rest with god now

  • In my opinion, this song has one of the most beautiful first horn parts ever written. It brings a tear to my eye remembering what it was like to have the great honor to perform this song in front of so many.

    The horn solo at 10:30 is, without question, the most difficult thing I've had to play, just because of the sheer magnitude of the moment. The entire song builds you up, and finally, it's up to you to bring it all together. Brilliant.

  • from 30 to 36. just had this epic growing smile

  • i absolutely love this song.....and this band executed it very well!

    AMAZING!!

  • I just played this song today, I play alto sax, and for the rest of the day, I just felt I could put all my emotions into anything I do, even though I was just living on a few hours of sleep. music is an incredible influence, and Frank Ticheli has just mastered this tidal force in the many flavors of melancholy, passion, fervor, unity, chilling despair, and then a warmth of hope.

  • Damn that Iwo Jima picture always makes my eyes water.

    God Bless those 9/11 victims.

  • Hey Zach Tanner, is the person playing the trumpet Solo Brendan Hill? like i know he was a senior in 2007-2008. so i am guessing since the putnam city north high school is playing that the trumpet soloist is Brendan Hill.

    just a curious Question

  • Played this in PVYO. Was really nice

  • We are playing this for OMEA :) (rumor is Frank Ticheli is actually going to be there this year) ---SHS W.E. Trombonist

  • @SquidsAndSkittles

    Sapulpa high school?

  • @davidn4483 No Southmoore High School.

  • @SquidsAndSkittles

    man. i wish i was good enough to get into all state. my best friend did. his name is Luke Adams haha! and congratz on getting in! and this is one beautiful song

  • @davidn4483 Haha I wish i could get into all-state! But i didnt, Our Wind Ensemble made it as an OMEA Honor Group in only our 3rd year of exsistence! I was glad to be a part of it! It was an experience ill never forget!

  • we are going to play this in band, im syched

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  • i get to play the trumpet solo for the final song of my final concert for my final year of highschool. There couldn't be a better song to play for this sort of thing

  • This was the second piece of my school's winter concert and after playing this, the entire audience stood up and clap and our director had the entire Sym 1 band ( the one im in) stand i was honored to fine out i made it into Sym 1 but i was esspecially honored to play this amazing piece of music

  • how could anyone dislike this? Its so chilling this song makes me cry.

  • amazing song, we did this my freshman year for marching and concert season. reminds me of aaron works. he was an amazing director musician and friend. i miss him tons :(

  • I was honored with being allowed to play this piece senior year of high school, and I must say it's one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever played. Frank Ticheli is an amazing composer, and I'd like to thank him for this beautiful piece.

  • my spine is numb with awe

  • beautiful. absolutly beautiful. the four people who didn't like this video are smoking weed. seriously. this is such a will done elegy, and the music is wonderful.

  • @jsaxygal1234 whoa whoa whoa!!!!!!! i played this twice. once in high school, once in college. both times i played the trumpet solo. i smoke weed. what you just said was ignorant and shallow. grow the hell up.

  • @silenthill4887 its a figure of speech you idiot. my point was (that you seem to miss) is that tichelli is one of the best freaking composers of modern times. this piece was written in a mere two weeks and came to him in a dream. so you grow up.

  • This song is so amazing all i do is listen to listen to this song and think about all of the innocent lives lost in the terrible accident. When my band plays this at school it means so much more and i will never look at music the same again

  • my school is doing this song for our winter concert. it sounds so great and its is just an amazing song. we did allitle learning about this incident to learn the background of the peace. it sounds so great but it is still a work in progress for our band

  • This song was literally a heavenly inspiration given to Ticheli. What more needs to be said about why it is such an amazing song?

  • This is a great song. I am missing some great friends form a different place in the world and I thank you for this. They came to do what was right. There now how to live with their not being there.

  • Every time i hear this sang i want to cry. Such an amazing piece of work. My HS band played it. blew me away how much one piece could change the way a band looks at music

  • This piece is beautiful i played this in highschool. Nothing ever really touched me more than playing this for my spring concert I cried when i was playing it and did when i listened to the recording. We had most of the audience crying from it. It was near one of the anniversaries that we played it.

  • I get goosebumps every time I listen to this song... We played this song for UIL once and my band director personally knew people involved in the shooting. It was very painful for us to watch as our normally expressionless band director started crying while telling us the whole story behind this song. After our UIL performance, he had tears in his eyes and whispered thank you to us. It was that day that I learned that music can truly touch people's hearts, without the use of words.

  • another great version of this song was done by the 2008 cadets

    

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  • @nonoalaniz this is not even close to just horns and baritone. listen a bit closer. I played this song my senior year of high school, and this song is so much more than JUST horns and baritone. That's an insult to Ticheli there. This song is pure beauty, I wish we could do it again.

  • I was one year too young to play this with the Wind Symphony at my high school. The next year, our director passed away and I was blessed with the honor of playing this song at his memorial concert. I will never forget that day. It changed me forever.

  • i love this piece, i was able to play the trumpet solo at the end on stage at Carnegie Hall this past spring at the national band festival and it was one of the best experiences of my life! This is definitely one of my favourite pieces out there

  • My band's doing this for our winter concert

  • Very beautiful song but there could have been more contrast. Ticheli is by far one of the greats

  • Very beautiful song but there could have been more contrast

  • This song is the most beautiful. Thumbs up if you agree.

    We're also doing this for my high school band. I'm only 2nd trumpet but still, it's awesome.

  • My high school band is so small i'm the only horn. This is overkill for one french horn, and everything in it's a solo for me pretty much.

  • the french horns in the song are amazing..

  • american elegy was writen by frank ticheli for a high school called colombine that had a shooting that lost alot of lives

  • my highschool's wind ensemble is performing this in december..the first time i heard it i had chills. this is such a beautiful piece. i love the cannon. btw, beautious job putman city north high school. this is better than the recording than what's on manhattan beach music.

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  • 7:10-7:24 and the trumpet solo after gives me chills.

    We played this at my high school, and when we were done there wasn't a single dry eye in the auditorium. This song is amazing.

  • @holdurhorses23 the part at 7:10 is a piece of their alma mater... and every instrument that has a solo was a member who died whom played that instrument

  • @nonoalaniz yah i know about the alma mater, which is why it's probably my favorite part of the piece.

  • Chills

  • What should we call the four people who didn't like this? Al-Quaeda?

  • 7:10-7:27 is absolutely gorgeous

  • this a beautiful song that everyone should cherish. i cried whenever i performed it ot my band concert.

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  • What a beautiful song. It was so fun playing this in HS haha

  • Does anyone know what ensemble is playing on this recording? They sound excellent. I just love the rich tone at 5:29.

  • @GodIsNotHate to me it sounds like a mixture of french horns and maybe a baritone

  • oh. the clarinet squeak at 4:14 is really unfortunate.

  • @Meenan94 I feel so bad for that person.. :(  Great recording, and thankfully, it's barely noticeable.

  • Thank you for posting this, im not a family memeber of anyone who has died in any attacks, but I consider this song a message to anyone who puts their lives up for us and im in a military family. Again, thank you

  • Wow, when we played this in high school, it did not seem to last 11 min

  • @jkman10

    Agreed. However, this is the only piece I can think of and have a flashback of playing it. it was only my second year playing trombone, but I still remember the scratched hardwood floors, the smell of the hot lights, and all those sitting around me. This is the most emotionally charged piece I have ever played. And it feels like it lasted both an instant and an eternity.