An evaluation of compositions for wind band according to specific criteria of serious artistic merit: A replication and update

This study is a literal replication of the 1978 dissertation of Action Eric Ostling, Jr. Both studies are concerned with the identification of compositions, from a selected list of wind music, that could be considered of high quality according to specific criteria of serious artistic merit. As the present study is a literal replication, the review of related literature consisted primarily of an examination of research and writings made available since the original study.;A list of 1,261 compositions was compiled from a variety of sources, including the 314 works identified in the Ostling study as meritorious, other works from the Ostling study, other conductors' published sources, unpublished lists, and additions made by the twenty evaluators selected for the study. The selection of these evaluators was accomplished through a nomination process in which 354 college band directors were invited to participate. The twenty evaluators ultimately identified as most able to assign valid ratings of artistic merit represent many of the most respected college wind conductors active today.;Ostling developed ten criteria for determining a composition's serious artistic merit from a number of important music critics and aesthetic philosophers. The ten criteria address issues of craftsmanship, sensitivity and originality in the treatment of materials of music in a specific composition.;A summated rating scale with five levels of judgment was used to determine the degree to which the composition met the criteria of serious artistic merit. The total number of possible points was determined for each work and the minimum percentage of possible points based on the number of evaluators familiar with a composition was established for a composition to be considered as meeting the stated criteria. 1,158 compositions were rated and 191 compositions identified as meeting the stated criteria. A total of 152 compositions identified as significant works in the original study were not reselected in the present study. There were 21 compositions that did not meet stated criteria in the original study but were elevated to the list in the present re-evaluation. The 191 compositions were considered to comprise an initial basic wind repertory of high quality.