USAF Song on the DL?

[the elephant]

I need a PDF of the official arrangement used by USAF bands in ceremonies or parades and such — the short 32-bar version.

The one we used in the Army was great, but it is not available anywhere anymore.

The only ones I can find are dreadful or have mistakes in them.

Anyone here have PDFs of their collection of 32-bar versions of the five service songs? Anything official will do, any era. NOTE THAT I NEED FULL BAND PARTS OF CONDENSED SCORES. I need an accurate reference for the arrangements I am doing. I have Army and USMC in the can; Navy is mostly done, but I lack accurate source material for USCG and USAF, and have nothing for USSF.

Any joy in Mudville? PM me if you do not want this to be public.

Thanks!

[Colby Fahrenbacher]

Not that this has stopped anyone ever, but the Air Force Song is technically still under copyright and is owned by Carl Fischer. Carl Fischer doesn't have a great track record of authorizing arrangements of it (I know of at least one medley that uses "Air Force Blue" instead because the arranger was denied it), but I can't speak to how protective of their copyright they are. They should be your official source for this, though.

I don't have the parts or condensed score for the concert band version in my PDF library, unfortunately.

[the elephant]

Yeah, I know about Carl Fischer. I was told the 32-bar "official" version used for ceremonies and parades is an in-house version. I am looking for that. Perhaps it was this way in the '80s when I was serving in the Army. I was the asst. Music Librarian, and I was tasked with keeping our library up to date with all DoD and School of Music pubs. I had heard that the version of the AF song we had on file had been superseded, and the Arranging Staff at the Armed Forces School of Music to see whether I could get our library a FAX from the Band of the West until the new version was adopted and distributed in our band system.

I liked the one we had. I also liked the one that replaced it, but I only got to play that one a single time. We played the old one from the 1960s a number of times over my three years in that job. Anyway, I was hoping to base my arrangement on that version. Not looking to get it published right now. In the future, but right now I just want to get it on paper.

I lifted a recording from YouTube of a parade in San Antonio where the entire song is clearly audible. I have it pretty well down now and can start dissecting it to pick what I want to use sometime later this week. I did a very nice job on the Yoder "Army Song" and the Van Loock "Marines' Hymn". Anchors Aweigh is about halfway there, but I need to take a break from it. The "Air Force Song" is nearly done now, and the filling I did all seems to work well enough that it sounds more or less correct and complete.

Over the July 4th weekend, I had to suffer through this dreadful Armed Forces medley over and over at all the VA Living Centers and the VA hospital, and I swear the vets all could tell what we were playing was terrible. We played it well and convincingly, but *I* knew it was lame material; it bugged me so much that now I'm on this little jag.

I really wanted to do accurate transcriptions of these, but both the Army and AF songs are tied up with outside copyright owners. I think that is pretty ridiculous, but no one cares what I think.

Thanks for responding.

[Three Valves]

Space Force strenuously objects to this outrageous omission!

[the elephant]

[Colby Fahrenbacher]

Space Force strenuously objects to this outrageous omission!

I wasn't thinking of this during my last post since I was focusing on Air Force Song, but I do hope that you'll include the Space Force Song, "Sempre Supra" in your arrangement. The Air Force owns the copyright for this one, and the licensing folks there were incredibly helpful and open to licensing when I spoke with them a few years ago about orchestral versions. Tim Beren's sells an orchestral and concert band arrangement through his company, the Beren's Pops Library. Both can be added to the Bob Lowden "Armed Forces Salute".

I know the likelihood of Space Force veterans is still incredibly low, so I understand why "Sempre Supra" hasn't made it's way into every medley performance yet, but they are an official branch with an official song, so I think it's worth including.

[russiantuba]

I did Tim Berens’s arrangement of the Space Force Song this last summer—we opened the medley with this and did a segue.

Random fact—Tim Berens was a MM orchestral conducting student at The Ohio State University. He never filled in for the conductor (who wouldn’t miss a rehearsal even if he was in the hospital). Tim’s final conducting assignment was Overture to Die Meistersinger. He also played guitar when we did Falstaff. He is a great guitarist.

[the elephant]

Still looking for condensed band scores of the 32-bar official versions used by DoD organizations and performed by military bands for ceremonies of the following:

Semper Paratus
Anchors Aweigh
The Air Force Song

I have most of the last two lifted from recordings, but want to run down questions (and options) using info from the so-called horse's mouth. USAF is not available and is the most difficult (harmonically) to pick out by ear without access to a piano, but I have it now. Anchors Aweigh is actually easy (very few parts, lots of doubling), but I want to see the introduction, which is not always performed.

I have not actually started looking for Semper Paratus, so this is the start of that process. Again, looking for the official 32-bar versions used by each service for ceremonies and parades.

Thanks to all who have contacted me privately, and for the links to PDFs I have received.

Wade

[arpthark]

Still looking for condensed band scores of the 32-bar official versions used by DoD organizations and performed by military bands for ceremonies of the following:

Semper Paratus
Anchors Aweigh
The Air Force Song

I have most of the last two lifted from recordings, but want to run down questions (and options) using info from the so-called horse's mouth. USAF is not available and is the most difficult (harmonically) to pick out by ear without access to a piano, but I have it now. Anchors Aweigh is actually easy (very few parts, lots of doubling), but I want to see the introduction, which is not always performed.

I have not actually started looking for Semper Paratus, so this is the start of that process. Again, looking for the official 32-bar versions used by each service for ceremonies and parades.

Thanks to all who have contacted me privately, and for the links to PDFs I have received.

Wade

For the USCG, you could reach out to Sean Nelson, staff arranger with the USCG Band. His kids go to school with my kid, our spouses work in the same school district. Awesome guy. He's actually the co-composer for the Space Force song. I'll send you a PM with contact info.

[tofu]

Space Force strenuously objects to this outrageous omission!

I wasn't thinking of this during my last post since I was focusing on Air Force Song, but I do hope that you'll include the Space Force Song, "Sempre Supra" in your arrangement. The Air Force owns the copyright for this one, and the licensing folks there were incredibly helpful and open to licensing when I spoke with them a few years ago about orchestral versions. Tim Beren's sells an orchestral and concert band arrangement through his company, the Beren's Pops Library. Both can be added to the Bob Lowden "Armed Forces Salute".

I know the likelihood of Space Force veterans is still incredibly low, so I understand why "Sempre Supra" hasn't made it's way into every medley performance yet, but they are an official branch with an official song, so I think it's worth including.

We have the Space Force incorporated into our version of the Service Medley for a while now -arranged by our Asst Conductor - a symphony percussionist. We have probably done it over 100 times at this point in time and not once has anybody stood up. I keep looking and hoping. I’m however, always pleasantly surprised at how many veterans do stand for the Coast Guard.