George Washington Bridge

From Wind Repertory Project
William Schuman

William Schuman


Subtitle: An Impression for Band


General Info

Year: 1950
Duration: 8:25
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: G. Schirmer
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $110.00   |   Score Only (print) - $10.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Bass Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Wood Block


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

There are 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.

- Program Note by composer


George Washington Bridge is often recognized for its innovative use of bitonality. Schuman’s tendency to retain the independence of instrumental families and to contrast broad statements with aggressively rhythmic motives bears close relation to other composers of the 1950s and 1960s, including Vincent Persichetti and Aaron Copland. The piece has clear formal dimensions, and the recurrence of the opening material at the end of the piece will promote cohesiveness for listeners. Pervasive bitonal sonorities make for excellent learning opportunities with high school and university ensembles, as players must aurally seek out triadic relationships with the dissonances to establish intonation and balance.

- Notes from Great Music for Wind Band


The two-level George Washington Bridge in New York crosses the Hudson River between upper Manhattan (West 178th Street) and Fort Lee, New Jersey and forms part of Interstate Highway 95. It is the world's only 14-lane suspension bridge. Its two 90-foot wide roadways span 4,760 feet and are suspended from twin 604-foot tall, latticed steel towers.

William Schuman set his George Washington Bridge: An Impression for Band in a bridge-like arch form comprised of three large sections (A-B-C-B-A). The formal divisions of the work aren’t intended to form a literal depiction of the bridge itself but rather to evoke several images of the bridge from different perspectives. The grand, polychordal fanfare that characterizes the first and last sections of the piece gives a sense of the majesty and grace the composer ascribed to the bridge, having driven past it every day on his way to work along the Henry Hudson Parkway on the New York shore. The second and fourth sections of the work feature sprightly bits of counterpoint among brasses, woodwinds, and percussion that suggest the bustling traffic on the bridge’s two huge decks. The serenity of the lyric middle section of the piece gives an impression of a more distant view of the Bridge set against the vast cityscape, perhaps from a boat on the Hudson or from an airplane, flying overhead.

George Washington Bridge was premiered on July 30, 1950, by the Michigan All-State Band at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, conducted by Dale C. Harris. 16-year old Mary Esther Ausum played in the cornet section at that first performance. The work has since become a cornerstone of the wind band repertoire. Miss Ausum has long since married James H. Batcheller and raised three sons, the eldest of whom conducts this evening’s performance.

- Program Note by James Batcheller for the Central Michigan University Wind Symphony concert program, 20 April 2010


An avid baseball enthusiast, William Schuman — known today for his contributions to musical life in America and, in particular, New York City — never imagined himself pursuing music professionally. Though he played violin and banjo as a child, music remained a casual pursuit, and upon graduating from high school in 1928 he enrolled at New York University’s School of Commerce to study business. While at NYU, he composed on the side, writing popular songs with Edward B. Marks, Jr., and collaborating with lyricist Frank Loesser on music for radio, vaudeville, and nightclub acts.

Everything changed on April 13, 1930, when Schuman attended his first professional symphony orchestra performance: the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York — now known as the New York Philharmonic — at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Transfixed, he later recalled: “I was astounded at seeing the sea of stringed instruments, and everyone bowing together. The visual thing alone was astonishing. But the sound! I was overwhelmed. I had never heard anything like it.” By the next day, he had resolved to become a composer.

Schuman left NYU and abandoned his work in advertising to devote himself fully to music, studying at the Malkin Conservatory and later earning a master’s degree in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University. He studied privately with Roy Harris, whose advocacy brought Schuman’s music to the attention of Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Koussevitzky quickly became a champion, conducting Schuman’s Symphony No. 2 in 1939 and commissioning his Symphony for Strings in 1943. That same year, Schuman was awarded the inaugural Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Cantata No. 2 (A Free Song), drawn from the poetry of Walt Whitman.

In little more than a decade, Schuman had risen from a largely self-taught songwriter to one of the most prominent figures in American concert music. His ascent culminated in his appointment as president of the Juilliard School in 1945, where he would go on to reshape the institution and help establish the Juilliard String Quartet. Living in New Rochelle and working in upper Manhattan, Schuman encountered the George Washington Bridge daily — a constant presence on his commute and a structure whose shifting character would leave a lasting impression on him.

Of his work George Washington Bridge, Schuman remarked:

There are 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.

Like many American composers of his generation, Schuman in the mid-20th century embraced a leaner, more dissonant musical language — one that expanded beyond traditional tonality without fully relinquishing it. That sharpened language finds a vivid outlet in George Washington Bridge, pairing harmonic boldness with a powerful sense of structure and momentum.

Constructed in an arch form (A-B-C-B-A), the work mirrors the span of a bridge, opening with a broad, polychordal fanfare in the brass. A lengthy, majestic phrase in the trumpet suggests the grandeur of the bridge’s two towers as seen from the shore of the Hudson. Beneath, an insistent rhythmic motive responds with mechanical rigidity, not unlike the tension and balance inherent in a suspension bridge.

A chittering woodwind gesture kicks off the second section, with sprightly counterpoint darting across the ensemble and suggesting the hustle and bustle of rush-hour traffic on the bridge. Through these swift changes in orchestration, one can almost picture small sedans weaving between larger trucks, the clatter and pulse of construction, and the gradual buildup toward an inevitable traffic jam.

The serene, lyrical middle section offers a striking contrast, evoking a distant view of the bridge against the vast New York cityscape — perhaps from a boat on the Hudson, from an airplane overhead, or shrouded in a dense fog. A broad theme in the low winds unfolds over gently cascading figures in the upper voices. Midway through, the orchestration flips: the melody rises to the upper woodwinds, with emphatic responses from the ensemble. The music settles into a hushed brass chorale before the morning traffic returns.

Traversing back into the city, the contrapuntal B section reemerges with renewed vigor, followed by a recapitulation of the opening fanfare. The momentum stalls as traffic grinds to a halt, culminating in a burst of car horn-like calls across the ensemble — trumpets and upper woodwinds sounding first, with answering responses in the horns and low brass. From this momentary standstill emerges the full presence of the George Washington Bridge, a commanding structure spanning the river, before a brilliant major chord brings the work to a close.

- Program Note by Tyler Holstrom for the Northshore Concert Band concert program, 5 June 2026


Media


State Ratings

  • Florida: VI --- (The Florida Bandmasters Association denotes this as "significant literature.")
  • Georgia: VI
  • New York: VI
  • Virginia: VI
  • Texas: V
  • Louisiana: V
  • Oklahoma: V
  • North Carolina: VI
  • South Carolina: VI
  • Arkansas: V
  • Tennessee: VI
  • Maine: V
  • Mississippi: V
  • Iowa: V


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Northshore Concert Band (Evanston, Ill.) (Mallory Thompson, conductor) – 5 June 2026
  • University of Oregon (Eugene) Wind Symphony (Jerdil Castillo), conductor) - 5 February 2026
  • Ithaca College (Ithaca, N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Daniel Cook, conductor) - 4 April 2025
  • Cleveland (Ohio) State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Birch Browning, conductor) - 17 November 2024
  • University of California, Santa Barbara, Wind Ensemble (Andy Radford, conductor) - 30 May 2024
  • Northern Kentucky University Wind Symphony (Nikk Pilato, conductor) - 22 February 2024
  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Indiana, Penn.) Symphony Band (Zach Cheever, conductor) - 8 October 2023
  • University of Indianapolis Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Terence Milligan, conductor) - 1 October 2023
  • Arkansas Tech University (Russellville) Symphonic Band (Jonathan Nash, conductor) - 17 November 2022
  • University of North Texas (Denton) Wind Symphony (Dachuan Cao, conductor) – 29 September 2022
  • Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) Wind Ensemble (Derek Shapiro, conductor) - 30 September 2022
  • Eastern Wind Symphony (Hillsborough, N.J.) (William L. Berz, conductor) – 17 December 2021 (2021 Midwest Clinic)
  • University of South Alabama (Mobile) Symphony Band (William H. Peterson, conductor) – 18 November 2021
  • Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Orchestra (Lindsay Bronnenkant, conductor) – 27 January 2020
  • Ithaca (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Christopher Hughes, conductor) – 12 December 2019
  • University of Miami (Fla.) Frost Symphonic Winds (J. Steven Moore, conductor) – 20 November 2019
  • University of Georgia (Athens) Hodgson Wind Symphony (Jaclyn Hartenberger, conductor) – 13 November 2019
  • University of North Texas (Denton) Wind Ensemble (Daniel Cook, conductor) – 13 November 2019
  • University of South Carolina (Columbia) Wind Ensemble (Cormac Cannon, conductor) – 27 October 2019
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Concert Band (Scott Teeple, conductor) – 22 October 2019
  • Grand Valley State University Wind Symphony (Kevin Tutt, conductor) – 13 October 2019
  • McLennan College (Waco, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (Jon Conrad, conductor) – 10 October 2019
  • Golden Gate Park Band (San Francisco, Calif.) (Robert Calonico, conductor) – 26 May 2019
  • State University of New York, Potsdam, Symphonic Band (Brian K. Doyle, conductor) – 16 April 2019
  • Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.) Peabody Wind Ensemble (Harland D. Parker, conductor) – 30 March 2019
  • Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va) Wind Ensemble (Dr. Brian Diller, conductor) — 4 November 2018
  • United States Marine Band (Washington, D.C.) (Timothy W. Foley, conductor) – 16 December 1998 (1998 Midwest Clinic)
  • South Lyon High School (South Lyon, Mich.) Symphony Band (Frank J. Kochalko, conductor) - 13 December 1979 (1979 Midwest Clinic)
  • High School Symphonic Band [Interlochen, Mich.] (Frederick Fennell, conductor) – 6 August 1977
  • Michigan All-Star Band (Dale Harris, conductor) – 30 July 1950 (Interlochen Summer Music Camp) *Premiere Performance*

Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

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