Arthur P. Barnes
Arthur P. Barnes (1929 or 1930[1] - February 6, 2024[2]) was a former professor of music at Stanford University. He directed the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band from 1963 to 1997.[3]
Career
After teaching band and
Equally as offbeat as the band members he directed, Barnes filled in for a
Upon his retirement in 1997, he received a proclamation from the six Stanford alumni then in the
), praising him for his arrangements and his commitment to musical education. A former student manager toasted him at his farewell dinner, saying:- Art Barnes never set out to 'manage' the Stanford Band. He set out to be their leader. He has evolved into being their mentor, their friend, their guide and their buffer from the University administration. And like the best leaders, he surrounded himself with some very bright people and allowed them to do their best.[3]
Despite retiring from Stanford, Barnes continues to direct the Livermore-Amador Symphony, a position he has held since 1964.[4]
In 2000, after three years with only a part-time director, the Stanford Band raised $1.5 million for an
Arrangements
Barnes turned over three hundred popular rock songs into marching band arrangements;[3][7] these included:
- "All Right Now", the school's de facto fight song,
- a version of "Uncle John's Band" used on the Grateful Dead tribute album Stolen Roses, and
- the Stanford Band's signature arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
When he joined the band as its director, the musical style was in line with that of other bands, typical military marching fare. Barnes decided to change things and give Stanford a sound that would set it apart from other bands.[8] He scrapped the Native American themed fight songs that had gone along with Stanford's mascot, the Indian, and sought a new fight song.[3]
Barnes had a tough time convincing the students that a song from
References
- ^ Batte, Summer Moore. "For Whom the Band Played". Stanford Magazine.
- ^ "Livermore Amador Symphony".
- ^ a b c d e f g Johnston, Theresa (March–April 1997), The Greatest Hits of Arthur P. Barnes, Stanford Magazine.
- ^ Livermore-Amador Symphony History Profile Archived March 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ^ "Farm Report", Stanford Magazine, July–August 2000.
- ^ "Alumni raise $1.5 million to endow band director position", Stanford Online Report, April 19, 2000.
- San Jose Mercury News, June 1, 1997.
- ^ Ferris, Eric (2000), Inside Perspectives: Attributes of Successful Division I College Athletic Departments, University of Wisconsin–Madison, p. 121.
External links
- Stanford Band Homepage
- Arthur Barnes, biographical description by student Peng Gao.