Episode
The diverting Mr. Persichetti
- Podcast
- Composers Datebook
- Published
- Jun 16, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 120
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Summary
Synopsis If you’re a baby boomer who played in a high school or college band, you’ll probably remember the Divertimento for Band by American composer Vincent Persichetti, which premiered on today’s date in 1950, with the composer conducting the Goldman Band. Persichetti didn’t envision his Divertimento as a band work, per se. At the start, it was just some woodwind figures accentuated by brass and percussion. When he realized that violins and cellos just didn’t seem to fit in the picture, Divertimento began to take shape in his mind as a work for winds, brass and percussion alone. He went on to write a dozen more compositions for concert band. Beyond his works for band, he was a prolific composer of keyboard, chamber and orchestra pieces. He once claimed that since musical ideas often came to him in his car, he liked to tape a piece of music paper to his steering wheel, so he could jot down ideas and keep his eyes on the road at the same time. Luckily for other residents of his hometown of Philadelphia, apparently this practice didn’t result in any head-on collisions! Music Played in Today's Program Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987): Divertimento ; North Texas Wind Symphony; Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor; Klavier 11124