El Camino Real

Alfred Reed

Subtitle: A Latin Fantasy

General Info

Year: 1985
Duration: c. 10:00
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Edward B. Marks Music Company, through Hal Leonard Corporation
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $120.00 | Score Only (print) - $10.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II-III (III doubling C Piccolo)
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon (optional)
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
B-flat Cornet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp/Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

Bass Drum
Bells
Castanets
Crash Cymbals
Marimba
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Triangle
Wood Block
Vibraphone (with motor)
Xylophone (3.5 octaves)

Errata

In parts:

Piccolo, m.207: add "Piccolo" above entrance
Flute I, m.59: Add rehearsal number [59]
B-flat Soprano Clarinet III, m.164: Add "meno f"
E-flat Alto Saxophone I, m.88, beat 1: 1st note should be C, not C-sharp
E-flat Alto Saxophone I, m.198: Add 3/4 time signature
E-flat Alto Saxophone I, m.240, beat 2: Add an eighth rest
E-flat Alto Saxophone II, m.57, beat 2: Add an eighth rest
B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m.145, beat 1: Add "mf"
B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m.145, beat 4: add hairpin diminuendo
B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m.146, beat 1: Add "p"
B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m.180, beat 1: Add "Soli"
B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m.184, beat 1: Delete "Soli"
B-flat Cornet II, m.2: F-flat should be F-sharp. A difficult issue. Trusted the condensed score.
B-flat Cornet II, m.165: Add CUP MT (cup mute)
Horn in F I, m.135: Move rehearsal number [135] before Slowly and languorously
Horn in F I, m.194: 6th note should be eighth note, not quarter note
Trombone II, m.65: 1st note should be E, not C
String Bass, m.129: Add rehearsal number [129] before Molto lent (freely)
String Bass, m.164: Should be C, not A
String Bass, m.191: Remove tie to m.192
Percussion II, m.128: Move the fermata of Trig. from the quarter rest to the half note
Percussion IV, Vib, m.135: (3 + 2 + 3) should be (3 + 2 + 2)
Many Parts, m.150: Change rit. molto to riten. molto ( riten. is short for ritenuto )
Many Parts, m.164: Change molto rit. to molto riten. ( riten. is short for ritenuto )

In score:

B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m145, beat 1: Add "mf"
B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m.45, beat 4: add hairpin diminuendo
B-flat Tenor Saxophone, m.146, beat 1: Add "p"
Basses, m.192: delete "pizz"
m.198: Tempo I refers to measure 1 (not measure 3)
B-flat Trumpets, m.235: Delete short half of double slur

Program Notes

El Camino Real (literally "The Royal Road" or "The King's Highway") was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, the 581st Air Force Band (AFRES) and its commander, Lt. Col. Ray E. Toler. Composed during the latter half of 1984 and completed in early '85, it bears the subtitle "A Latin Fantasy."

The music is based on a series of chord progressions common to countless generations of Spanish flamenco (and other) guitarists, whose fiery style and brilliant playing have captivated millions of music lovers throughout the world. These progressions and the resulting key relationships have become practically synonymous with what we feel to be the true Spanish idiom. Together with the folk melodies they have underscored, in part derived by a procedure known to musicians as the "melodizing of harmony," they have created a vast body of what most people would consider authentic Spanish music.

The first section of the music is based upon the dance form known as the Jota, while the second, contrasting section is derived from the Fandango, but here altered considerably in both time and tempo from its usual form. Overall, the music follows a tradition three-part pattern: fast-slow-fast.

The first public performance of El Camino Real took place on April 15th, 1985, in Sarasota, Florida, with the 581st Air Force Band under the direction of Lt. Col. Ray E. Toler.

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Senzoku Gakuen Symphonic Wind Orchestra (Alfred Reed, conductor)
Audio CD: Permian High School Symphonic Band (Richard E. Strange, conductor) - 2006
Audio CD: Senzoku Gakuen Symphonic Wind Orchestra (Alfred Reed, conductor) – 2000

State Ratings

Georgia: VI
Texas: V. Complete
Ontario Band Association: B500

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Wheaton College (IL) Symphonic Band (Brady McNeil, conductor) - 14 February 2026
Kapolei (Hi.) High School Symphonic Band (Kassi Hatakenaka, conductor) - 4 April 2026
Monterey Trail High School (Elk Grove, Calif.) Symphonic Band (Aaron Smith, Conductor) - 6 March 2026
Tara Winds (Marietta, Ga.) (Andrea DeRenzis Strauss, conductor) – 21 February 2026 (CBDNA 2026 Southern Division Conference, Tampa, Fla.)
Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) Symphonic Band (Richard Mark Heidel, conductor) – 14 February 2026 (2026 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
Minnesota All-State Concert Band (Daniel Lee, conductor) - 14 February 2026
United States Army Band II (Fort Myer, Va.) (Bruce R. Pulver, conductor) - 17 December 2025 (2025 Midwest Clinic)
Saint Louis Wind Symphony (St. Louis, Mo.), Rubén Darío Gómez, conductor - October 5, 2025
Arkansas Winds Community Concert Band (Fayetteville) (Michael Ferguson, conductor) – 5 June 2025 (ACB 2025 Annual Convention (Fort Smith, Ark.))
Thomond Wind Ensemble (Limerick, Ire.) (Andrew Jordan, conductor) - 14 March 2025
University of California, Santa Barbara, Wind Ensemble (Andy Radford, conductor) - 6 March 2025
California All-State High School (Sacramento) Concert Band (Emily Moss, conductor) – 19 January 2025 (2025 CASMEC Conference, Sacramento)
North Dakota State University (Fargo) Wind Symphony (Daniel Lee, conductor) - 8 December 2024
Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology Concert Band (Luke Camarillo, conductor) - 20 October 2024
Toronto (ont., Can.) Youth Wind Orchestra (Colin Clarke, conductor) - 3 May 2024
Temple University (Philadelphia, Penn.) Symphonic Band (Matthew Brunner, conductor) – 21 April 2024
Kaimuki Middle School (Kaimuki, HI) Symphonic Winds (Susan Ochi-Onishi, conductor) - 6 April 2024
United States Air Force Band (Washington D.C.) (Donald Schofield, conductor) - 6 March 2024 (89th Annual ABA National Convention)
Manhattan Wind Ensemble (New York City) (Sarah Fernandez, conductor) - 16 March 2024
Texas Tech University (Lubbock) Symphonic Band (Eric Allen, conductor) - 25 September 2023
Johns Creek (Ga.) High School Wind Ensemble (Bryan Daniels, conductor) - 10 March 2023
University of Wisconsin-River Falls Symphony Band (Kristin Tjornehoj, conductor) - 5 March 2023
University of Georgia (Athens) Hodgson Symphonic Band (Michael Robinson, conductor) - 27 February 2023
West Virginia University (Morgantown) Wind Symphony (Scott C. Tobias, conductor) - 10 February 2023
Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, Md.) Concert Band (Paul Dembowski, conductor) - 9 December 2022
University of Delaware (Newark) Symphonic Band (James P. Ancona, conductor) – 1 December 2022
Herndon (Va.) High School Wind Ensemble (Richard L. Bergman, conductor) – 17 December 1987 (1987 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Come, Sweet Death (Flex instrumentation) (as transcriber; arr. Benson) (1736/1976/2019)
A Festival Prelude (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Haga) (1962/2019)
Two Bagatelles (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Clark) (1983/1997/2010)

All Wind Works

Acclamation! (2001)
Alleluia! Laudamus Te (1973)
Arioso (as arranger) (1729/1998)
Armenian Dances (1972–78)
- Armenian Dances, Part One (1972/1974)
- Armenian Dances, Part Two (1978)
Around the World in 80 Days: Selections (as arranger; ed. Rogers) (1957/2017)
Autumn Leaves (as arranger; ed. Rogers) (1947/2017)
Bagatelles for Band
Ballade (1956/1999)
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 Suite (as arranger) (1941/1965)
Berceuse and Finale from "The Firebird" (as editor; arr. McAlister) (1910/2005)
The Big East March (1997)
Canto e Camdombe (1997)
Carmen (as editor; tr. McAlister) (1875/2000)
A Celebration Fanfare (1989)
Centennial (1986)
A Ceremonial Fanfare (1971)
Ceremony of Flourishes (1964)
Chanson Triste (as arranger) (1878/1989)
Characteristic Dances from "The Nutcracker Suite" (as editor with McAlister; tr. Rogan) (1892/2001)
Children's Suite (2000)
Chorale Prelude in E minor (1953/1966)
A Christmas Celebration (1987)
A Christmas Intrada (1980)
A Christmas Suite (1974)
Clear Track Polka (as arranger) (1869/2000)
Come, Sweet Death (as arranger) (1736/1976)
Come, Sweet Death (as transcriber; arr. Benson) (1736/1976/2019)
Concertino (as arranger; ed. McCathren) (1811/1962)
Concertino for Marimba and Winds (1993)
Concerto for Trumpet and Winds (1995/1997)
- Sonata
- Slow Blues, Jazz Waltz
- Song, Samba
Curtain Up! (1991)
Dance of the Hours (as editor; tr. Kennedy) (1876/2002)
Danza Caribe (1986)
Deck Thyself, My Soul, With Gladness (as arranger) (1653/1724/1990)
Divertimento for Flute and Band (1998)
Double Wind Quintet (1975)
East and West (2003)
Eastern Orthodox Christmas Music (1957)
El Camino Real (1985)
El Camino Real (arr. Longfield) (1985/2013)
The Enchanted Island (1980)
The Entertainer (as arranger) (1902/1974)
Evolutions (1993)
Exhortation and Praise (2003)
Fanfare and Processional (2005)
The Fantasticks (as arranger) (1966)
Fantasy on "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" (as arranger) (1973)
A Festival Prelude (1962)
A Festival Prelude (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Haga) (1962/2019)
A Festive Overture (1963)
Fifth Suite for Band (1995)
Fifth Symphony (1995)
Finlandia (as editor; tr. McAlister) (1900/2004)
First Suite for Band (1975)
Five Cameos (2002)
Five Dances for Five Clarinets and Band (1966)
Forget Me Not, O Dearest Lord (as arranger) (c. 1736/1985)
Fourth Suite for Band (1993)
Fourth Symphony (1992)
French Suite (1997)
Funiculi Funicula (as arranger) (1880/1994)
The Garden of Proserpine (1982)
Giligia (2000)
Golden Eagle (1989/1995)
Golden Jubilee (1987)
The Golden Year (1997)
Greensleeves (1993/2011)
Gypsy Dance (as arranger) (1872/1997)
Harlem Nocturne (as arranger) (1939/1940)
Havana Moon (1955)
Highlights from "Exodus" (as arranger) (1960/1962)
Highlights from Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" (as arranger) (1963/1965)
The Hounds of Spring (1981)
Huldigungsmarsch (as editor) (1864/2002)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (as editor; tr. McAlister) (1853/2002)
Hymn Variants (1992)
I Left my Heart in San Francisco (as transcriber; ed. Rogers) (1954/1963)
Imperatrix (1972)
In Dulci Jubilo (as arranger) (1970)
In Memoriam (1972)
Intrada Drammatica (1968/1992)
Jazz Waltz. See: Concerto for Trumpet and Winds
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (as arranger) (1723/1981)
Jidai (2001)
Joyeux Noël (Brass Ensemble) (1998)
Joyeux Noël (Wind Ensemble) (1998/2001/2002)
A Jubilant Overture (1970)
A Jubilant Overture (arr. Conaway) (1970/2011)
The King of Love My Shepherd Is (1995)
L’Arlésienne Suite No 2 (as editor, with McAlister) (1872/2002)
Laid-Back Rag (1998)
Light Cavalry Overture (as editor; tr. McAlister) (1866/2003)
A Little Concert Suite (1984)
Lumberjack Overture (1954)
Macarena (as arranger) (1946/1992)
Mancini! (as arranger) (1965)
March Grandioso (as arranger) (1901/1969)
Mary Poppins (as arranger) (1964/2006)
Might and Majesty (1958)
Millennium III (1999)
Mr. Music (1990)
The Music-Makers (1968)
Music for Hamlet (1973/2018)
Music in the Air! (2000)
The Music Man: Highlights (as arranger) (1957/1959)
My Fair Lady (as arranger) (1956/?)
My Heart Is Filled With Longing (as arranger) (c. 1710/1986)
My Jesus, Oh What Anguish (as arranger) (1736/1975)
Nimrod (as arranger) (1899/1965)
Nocturne (as arranger) (1886/1953/1975)
A Nordic Trilogy (with Erickson and Davis) (1967)
A Northern Legend (1972)
O Little Town (as arranger) (1995)
O Most Wonderful (as arranger) (1996)
Ode for Trumpet (1956)
Old and New (2002)
Othello (1977)
Our Father Who Art in Heaven (as arranger) (1710/1988)
Passacaglia (1967)
Pavane for a Dead Princess (as orchestrator; ed. McAlister) (1899/1988)
Piccolo Concerto in C major (as arranger) (1728-29/1962/1969)
Pilgrim's Chorus (as arranger) (1845/1991)
The Pledge of Allegiance (1970)
Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 1 (as editor; tr. Retford) (1907/2000)
Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 2 (as editor; tr. Retford) (1907/2000)
Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 3 (as editor; tr. Retford) (1907/2000)
Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 4 (as editor; tr. Retford) (1907/2000)
Praise Jerusalem! (1986)
Prelude IV (as arranger) (1722/1983)
Prelude and Capriccio (1978)
Prelude, Op. 9, No. 1 (as arranger) (1894/1985)
Prelude to Act III from "Lohengrin" (as arranger, with McAlister) (1850/2006)
Presentation of the Silver Rose (as arranger) (1910/1988)
Pro Texana (1984)
Punchinello (1974)
Queenston Overture (1983)
Radetzky March (as arranger) (1848/1993)
Rahoon (1965)
The Ramparts of Courage (1995)
Rodgers & Hart (as arranger) (1965)
Rosalind in the Forest of Arden (2005)
Rushmore (1981)
Russian Christmas Music (1944)
Russian Christmas Music (arr. Curnow) (1944/1990)
A Sacred Suite (1962)
Salutations! (1995)
Samba. See: Concerto for Trumpet and Winds
Seascape: A Dramatic Intermezzo (1962)
Second Century (1986)
Second Suite for Band (1980)
Second Symphony (1979)
Selections from Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" (as editor; arr. Kostal) (1963/1964)
Serenade (1957/1966)
Seventh Suite for Band (2002)
The Severn Suite (as arranger) (1930/1973)
Siciliana Notturno (1977)
Silver Shadow (1998/1999)
Sine Nomine (as arranger) (1906/1976)
Sixth Suite for Band (1998)
Slavonic Folk Suite (1953/1987)
Slow Blues. See: Concerto for Trumpet and Winds
Sonata. See: Concerto for Trumpet and Winds
Song. See: Concerto for Trumpet and Winds
Song of the High Cascades (1985)
Song of Threnos (1964)
A Springtime Celebration (1991)
The Strenuous Life (as arranger) (1902/1974)
Suite in A Minor, Part I (as arranger) (1725/1965)
Suite No. 1. See: First Suite for Band
Suite No. 2. See: Second Suite for Band
Suite No. 3. See: Third Suite for Band
Suite No. 4. See: Fourth Suite for Band
Suite No. 5. See: Fifth Suite for Band
Suite No. 6. See: Sixth Suite for Band
Suite No. 7. See: Seventh Suite for Band
Sumus Futuro (1999)
A Symphonic Prelude (1963)
Symphony for Brass and Percussion (1952/1967)
Symphony No. 1. See: Symphony for Brass and Percussion
Symphony No. 2. See: Second Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (1988)
- Variations on the Porazzi Theme of Wagner (1882/1988)
Symphony No. 4. See: Fourth Symphony
Symphony No. 5. See: Fifth Symphony
Tannhäuser Grand March (as editor; tr. McAlister) (1847/2005)
Tarantella (1996)
Testament of an American (1974)
Theme from "Lawrence of Arabia" (as arranger) (1962/1963)
Third Suite for Band (1982)
Third Symphony. See: Symphony No. 3
Three Chorales (as arranger; ed. McAlister) (?/2013)
Three Revelations from the Lotus Sutra (1984)
Three Symphonic Preludes (as arranger) (1933/1988)
Thunder and Lightning Polka (as arranger) (1868/1999)
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka (as arranger) (1858/1998)
The Tsar's Farewell (as arranger) (2001)
Twelfth Night (2003)
Two Bagatelles (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Clark) (1983/1997/2010)
Two Bagatelles (1983/1995)
Two Bagatelles for Concert Band (1983/1997)
Two Bagatelles for Four Trombones (1983)
Two Gymnopedies (as transcriber) (1888/1960)
Variations on the Porazzi Theme of Wagner. See: Symphony No. 3
Victory! (2005)
Vilia (as arranger) (1905/1990)
Vilabella March (as editor) (1970)
Viva Musica! (1984)
Wapawekka (1963)
With Trumpets And Drums (1992)

Resources

Dabelstein, Craig. "El Camino Real, A Latin Fantasy." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 7, compiled and edited by Richard Miles. GIA Publications, 2003, pp. 492-500.
Reed, A. (1985). El Camino Real: A Latin Fantasy [score]. Piedmont Music: U.S.

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