Craig S. Cornish, guest conductor

Esprit de Corps is Robert Jager’s second work to be commissioned by the United States Marine Band after Tableau (1982). Based on “The Marine’s Hymn,” Esprit de Corps is a kind of fantasy-march, as well as a tribute to the United States Marine Band. It is also the composer’s salute to the Marine Corps in general. Full of energy and drama, the composition has its solemn moments and its lighter moments (for example, the quasi-waltz in the middle of the piece). While Esprit de Corps is a tribute to the Marine Band, it is also a display piece for any fine group of band musicians. The composer intends that this work should display the fervor and virtuosity of the Marine Band and the musical spirit and energy of their then conductor, Colonel John R. Bourgeois. 

Robert Jager was born in Binghampton, New York and received his education at The University of Michigan. For four years he served as the Staff Arranger at the Armed Forces School of Music while a member of United States Navy. In 1971, he would go on to serve as Professor of Music and director of Theory and Composition at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, retiring in 2001 as professor emeritus. Jager has over sixty-five published compositions for band, orchestra, and various chamber groupings, with more than thirty-five commissions including the United States Marine Band and the Tokyo Wind Orchestra. He has won a number of awards for his music, being the only three-time winner of the American Bandmasters Association’s “Oswalt Award.” In the spring of 1980, he was elected to membership in the American Bandmaster’s Association. He is also a member of Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, and ASCAP. 

Program note provided by the composer