A video honoring the lives lost at the Oklahoma City attack, 9/11, Columbine, and the Challenger & Columbia shuttle disasters. I personally shot all the video you see from the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial and all the other images were found on the internet. This slideshow was shown while Frank Ticheli’s “An American Elegy” was played live by the Putnam City North High School Band in the Spring of 2005. This piece was written exclusively for Columbine, you can read that in the composer’s notes…but being from Oklahoma City myself and constructing this video shortly after the Columbia disaster…I felt compelled to make this a truly AMERICAN elegy honoring all lives lost. Thank you to everyone for your kind comments. If anyone else would like to use this video as a background slideshow to a live performance, I’d be happy to provide you a full copy of the original. Contact me at supermanofokc@gmail.com -Zach Tanner
I love that trombone line at 35.
I currently am playing this piece in band and I have a hard time not tearing up when we play. this is a miraculous piece. I am honored to have the opportunity to play it.
maybe if people werent so stupid and douchey there things would have never happened.
This was my favorite piece of music that i played over my high school band years… i will never forget the people crying in the audience wiping their eyes, when we got done playing it was silence for a good 10 seconds, gave me goosebumps like no other.. then suddenly the band received a very loud applause, mixed with a lot of emotion.. moments like that make doing what we do(play music and move people) all worth while.
This was my favorite piece of music that i played over my high school band years… i will never forget the people crying in the audience wiping their eyes, when we got done playing it was silence for a good 10 seconds, gave me goosebumps like no other.. then suddenly the band received a very loud applause, mixed with a lot of emotion.. moments like that make doing what we do(play music and move people) all worth while. like if you agree
This was my favorite piece of music that i played over my high school band years… i will never forget the people crying in the audience wiping their eyes, when we got done playing it was silence for a good 10 seconds, gave me goosebumps like no other.. then suddenly the band received a very loud applause, mixed with a lot of emotion.. moments like that make doing what we do(play music and move people) all worth while. like if you agree
Thank you very much for posting this. Putnam City High school did a fantastic job of portraying the American Elegy song-there were a few exceptions with the clarinets squeaking…but if I was a judge listening to this I’d give them a SUPERIOR. The video footage that you took is excellent. Thank you.
@Spock356 He really cried??? I didnt know that…
Tomorrow, I hope that this song is played for everyone to hear. We need to remember what happened 10 years… not just the danger and the crises, but the loved ones and citizens we lost that day. I urge everyone to post this song tomorrow–Facebook, Twitter, anywhere. Thank you.
Due to “lack of room,” NYC Police Officers, Port Authority Police Officers and FDNY Firefighters are not “invited” to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Ground Zero. Funny – they weren’t invited on that day in 2001, either – they just “showed up” and became our heroes. Please re-post if you think they belong MORE than the politicians who are invited
Makes me cry every time. This song is a testament to the power of art.
I was crying by 2:00
we are playing this solng in symphonic band im only in 7th and play clarinet
Many people dont understand the power of music. Music is the only thing that expresses people, without words. You are taking a black and white piece of paper, and creating it into the most colorful piece of art anyone has ever heard. It takes a lot of emotion to play this, let alone hear it!
@Spock356 what do you play?
@45Deathnight i made a mistake on the “We are Columbine” part, or director cued us in (as i thought) and i got the wrong impression, 4 out 5 saxes followed me hahaha
u know that dream-like part, i played 2nd alto for that part, their was 5 of us, first chair and 3rd chair (me) played that part, it was was incredible and a honor to be part of that small part
I played the trumpet solo for this at my final concert of high school. I played it from the back of the room so people wouldn’t really know where the sound was coming from. I was super nervous, but I got back there and as the woodwinds got to the single note, I could hear rain falling on the roof of the gymnasium where the concert was and it completely calmed me down. The solo went perfectly. When I sat down I was overwhelmed by the meaning of the piece. It’s a wonderful thing.
@mukraf haha touche. i cant even get mad at this comment. well done sir
@captaincorbin1117 I read that as “My boobs are so big they hurt” :/
you don’t perform this piece just for emotion. you perform it to honor all of the victims of the columbine shooting. may god bless all of the survivors and their families
5:51. I don’t recall what measure it was in the piece exactly, but it was around measure 110, where it is marked ‘dreamlike’ above the measures and the saxophones and clarinets trade off crescendo-ing and decrescendo-ing was the four measures of music that changed everything. I played the contrabass clarinet for this piece, but hearing those measures played during one rehearsal has made me a better musician. They set the emotion for how I aspire to play any piece of music.
This sing reminds me so much when i was a freshmen in high school and i got the honor of playing this gorgeous piece of music and do the flute solos! i LOVE it!!
A lot of people don’t know this but my high-school band preimered this years ago…7:15 into the song was actually taken from the Columbine High school song.. Columbine columbine we are columbine!!!!
I love this piece sooooo much. My friend’s band got to play this at our Spring concert and I fell in love with it. It’s such a moving piece and I always cry at the trumpet solo. My favorite part is definitely at 7:16. It is built up so beautifully and it comes to such an eventful climax. This song means so much to me and I will NEVER forget it. EVER!!!!