Extended version of "The Victors"

Submitted by jmblue on

I was at the basketball game yesterday and noticed that our pep band never played the extended full version* of "The Victors." In the extended full version, the first stanza is repeated, and then the second stanza is repeated, before it goes on to the chorus (followed by the awesome bridge before another version of the chorus). The band did play the abridged full version** (with the first and second stanzas played once apiece) but IMO, that's not quite as good - it doesn't quite have the same build-up to the chorus. I've noticed that at football games we don't play the extended full version much, either. We used to fit it in at least once a game (for both sports), but it seems like now it's not played at all. Anyone know why?

I recognize that there are time constraints that make it harder to fit it in than the other versions, but there are some longer pauses when it's possible. In the pregame there is time. At halftime, too. I'd like to see us try to work it back in - it's amazing to hear.

*I don't know the exact name for this version, so I'll just call it this.

**Ditto.

FL

February 7th, 2010 at 4:19 PM ^

I was in the MMB in the early '90s, and also a grad staff assistant for a season. Unless times have changed drastically over the last 10-12 years or so, Michigan bands have three versions of "The Victors" to choose from, and refer to them as follows:

1. The version you referred to as the "extended full version" is referred to by the Michigan bands as "'The Victors' as written," and generally this version is only heard--on the football field, at least--at the beginning of postgame. It is used to open indoor concerts as well, and I don't recall if it is ever played at hockey or basketball games.

"The Victors" was composed (in 1898) in the style of the American march form, which you outlined nicely above: Introduction; First Strain (repeat); Second Strain (repeat); Trio (add one flat to key signature, often change the style); Breakup Strain (contrasts with trio, sometimes called the "dogfight"); after this, the trio is played a second time with the woodwind countermelody highlighted, the breakup strain is repeated, and the the work concludes with a rousing third repeat of the trio with everyone playing at full bore. A brief form is below, where A=first strain, B=second strain, etc.:

(Intro)AABBCDCDC

2. The version you referred to as the "abridged" version is referred to by the bands as the "pregame" version, as it is what the band plays during pregame at the football games; as you noted, it is a stripped-down version of the original march, with repeats of the first and second strains removed, and the work often ending after the first trio.

(Intro)ABC

3. The shortest version of "The Victors" is just referred to as "Trio," and consists of just that--the trio of the march--which starts with the words: "Hail! to the Victors Valiant," and ends with "Champions of the West."

Hope this helps, jmblue. I'm not affiliated with the bands, but I would imagine that versions are played at certain times as a matter of tradition, time constraints, and discretion of the director.

MMBhorn

February 7th, 2010 at 6:13 PM ^

It's still the same. Lately, professor Pasquale (the assistant band director/hockey band director) has been experimenting with playing extremely brief portions of The Victors at hockey games ("Champions of the west" comes to mind.) As far as I know this hasn't happened in any of the other athletic bands.

M Fanfare

February 8th, 2010 at 12:03 AM ^

The "as written" version is always performed at the start of the MMB post-game concert during football season. The Hockey Band performs it for every game at Yost, usually around 20 minutes before the game starts (after the team has finished warming up and returns to the locker room). The Basketball Band tries to work it in as much as possible, but at Crisler there is a major time crunch due to the volume of promotions. When they are able to perform it, they usually play it around 25-30 minutes before the game starts.

There is another version of The Victors that the band calls "Parking Lot" (so named because it's the version they play in the Michigan Stadium parking lot as they march to the field). It's a shortened version of "pregame" Victors, with the break-strain and repetition of the second half of the trio taken out. Often times, the director will start the band playing "parking lot" but if he thinks there is enough time he'll signal the band to keep playing, in which case they'll continue through the "pregame" version.

I love the full song (and I encourage you to learn all of the words), but it takes around 2:20 to play the full song, and though that seems like plenty of time it's often difficult to find a long enough break during a game, especially during basketball and hockey games.

Rorschach

February 8th, 2010 at 12:37 AM ^

"Pregame" Victors includes one rendition of the break-strain (while the MMB is in lock-step at midfield). In your notation that would be:

(Intro)ABCDC

The version you mentioned, (Intro)ABC, is referred to as "Parking Lot" Victors, as another poster mentions above. This is generally what's played in the stands at football games, though depending on time available it is occasionally stretched to "pregame" version by adding the break-strain.

Otherwise, you're dead-on.

FL

February 8th, 2010 at 2:01 AM ^

MaizeMan10 and Rorschach: thanks for your replies. You're right: I inadvertently left "parking lot" Victors entirely out of the conversation. Regarding "pregame" Victors: it was, in fact, as I described it from the 1970s through the 1995 season. Back in the day (up until '96, that is), the pregame version of "The Victors" ended after the first trio, and immediately transitioned to the opposing team's fight song, the first half of which was performed while marching. In 1996, the pregame version of "The Victors" was updated to add the breakup strain and the repeat of the shortened trio, and that version, with a few minor changes, lives on today.

Lots of changes occurred in 1996: the introduction of traditional step (all of pregame used to be lock-step, which was more commonly called high-step), a faster tempo for "The Victors," etc. It was all meant to pay homage to the Revelli years, and to allow the band to play and sound better while marching.

Hard Gay

February 7th, 2010 at 4:57 PM ^

The band plays the "As Written" version of the victors at hockey and basketball games, usually right after their finished setting up and before anyone has taken their seats.

aenima0311

February 7th, 2010 at 5:10 PM ^

The MMB, but seems that they need to have more of the louder brass instruments and fewer of the woodwinds that are impossible to hear in a stadium setting. Do we really need 12 piccolos and 24 clarinets? I'm sure they're fine for concert season, but they can't even bear heard amongst 110,000+ fans screaming after a touchdown....

Just my opinion.

MGoPacquiao

February 7th, 2010 at 6:43 PM ^

I keep hearing this argument about woodwinds on here, but piccolos probably carry a lot more than you think. There's a reason the fife was used for military signaling. I'm sure if you took away the woodwinds most people would detect a difference in the music, even if they can't distinguish the clarinets among everything. By comparison, osu's band is all brass. I think you can definitely tell a difference in the way their songs sound. "The Victors" was arranged for all these instruments for the purpose of performing at football games. I don't want them to change the tradition of the music just to make certain things the band plays a little louder.

I think the band can improve their song choice and figure a way to enhance volume, but their musicianship is awesome.

AMazinBlue

February 8th, 2010 at 1:10 AM ^

that is played in the background of one of the "michigan Difference commercials. The one I am referring to sounds like a xylophone(sp) or similar instrument and adds many notes not traditionally included in the MMB versions. I've checked on the Michigan site where you can hear the ads, but I haven't found that version yet.

I like the more "rythmical" versions that include more passing notes or phrases that seem to "jazz" up the song or make it flow a little more. It's kinda cool as a counter-version of the great march ever written.

I add my vote for more brass and less woodwind instruments at the football games. I'm tired of the opposition's band drowning us out, regardless of where they are on the field.