“Psalm 46” is a nine and a half minute score created by John P. Zdechlik for Wind Ensemble.  The piece was written in 1971 and was Zdechlik’s first officially published piece, and was not surprisingly a big hit amongst wind bands—The melancholy chords combined with the fast paced rhythmic-based sections are like candy to the ear.

The piece encompasses various musical styles and melodies. At points, fast and direct; at other times, slow and open. The tune takes inspiration from the classic Lutheran hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” by Martin Luther written in the year 1529. 

I have had the opportunity to play this piece in a wind ensemble of my own, at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. This was the first piece our ensemble sight-read in class on the first day of school. Despite being four pages long, our group wasn’t scared. And after about three weeks of solid practice, it became an instant classic amongst the group. It was the greatest piece of music I have played in my musical career (so far). As a first chair trombone player, the challenges this piece brought were exciting because they just sounded so good. 

Of course, no piece of music is perfect – and Psalm 46 is no exception. Some of the transitions were a bit wacky or unconventional, and some parts lacked instrumentation or could have used better instrumentation.

Overall, this piece was delightful, especially the parts around the 2:55 mark and the 6:40 mark; the powerful low brass movements shook the room every time they were played. Our band agreed that this was the best piece of music in our concert repertoire. While the piece may be wacky at times, it still pulls through and deserves its reputation as one of the greatest pieces of wind-symphony music to this day and age.