Bill Moffit passes away.

Topics and polls that cover the overall marching band activity

Moderators: Trumpet Man 05, malletphreak, Hostrauser, instrumental director

Post Reply
User avatar
PGOK
Section Leader
Section Leader
Posts: 1356
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2002 10:57 pm

Bill Moffit passes away.

Post by PGOK » Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:15 pm

This announcement is from Purdue University, but he was best known as the marching band director at the University of Houston. I doubt you will ever meet a high school students from the 1970's who did not play a Moffit arrangement (or 2 or 3 or 4). Since I'm sure the question will come up, Rick Moffit, band director at McQueen HS in Reno, is his son.



Dr. William “Bill” Moffit served as the third director of the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band, from 1981 to 1988 and was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus of Band after his retirement.

Purdue Bands was deeply saddened to report the death of Dr. William C. “Bill” Moffit at 3 a.m. Wednesday, March 5, 2008, in Jacksonville, FL, where he resided with his wife Jeannette. Moffit, who was 82, served as the third director of the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band from 1981 to 1988. He was named Indiana’s Music Arranger Laureate in 1988 by the Indiana General Assembly, the same year he was awarded the title of Professor of Bands Emeritus.

A native of New Philadephia, OH, Dr. Moffit got hooked on music when the circus came to his town. After listening to the calliope and other circus music all day, he returned home and told his mother he was really interested in music. The following Monday he went to the 7th grade band director and told him he wanted to be in the band.

After he graduated from high school, Dr. Moffit joined the Coast Guard and played in the Coast Guard Band in Florida. He became the first teenager to perform in the Coast Guard Jazz Band. After World War II was over Dr. Moffit attended Baldwin Wallace on the GI Bill. From there he became Director of Bands at Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City, Ohio.

Upon leaving Tipp City, Dr. Moffit had a long successful career as a college director. He was the Assistant Marching Band Director at Michigan State, Marching Band Director at University of Houston and Marching Band Director at Purdue University.

Dr. Moffit was an arranger of a large amount of marching band music. His Sound Power series included some 450 titles. More than a million people heard his arrangements as he directed the Fanfare Trumpets at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 and the Pan American Games in 1986.

A Moffit brainstorm titled “Patterns in Motion” featured Purdue band members in constantly changing kaleidoscopic patterns on the field. Based on a four-person squad system, “Patterns in Motions” would sweep the nation as the new style in marching with many college, university, and high school bands adopting the style. The influences of “Patterns in Motion” are still being felt today, and have led to many more changes in marching band style.
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

— Groucho Marx

vore
Support Staff
Support Staff
Posts: 4510
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2002 10:54 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by vore » Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:36 pm

So... how many of you oldtimers remember Bill's marching bands at Michigan State University with the light on the metronome (on the top of the bass drum) blinking at Bill's usual tempo of 152-156 bpm? The MSU marching band never changed tempo due to the bass drummer's eyes glued on the blinking light of the metronome...

vore 8-)
"Educators are teachers who have taken an easy subject and made it difficult."

User avatar
PGOK
Section Leader
Section Leader
Posts: 1356
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2002 10:57 pm

Post by PGOK » Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:46 pm

vore wrote:So... how many of you oldtimers remember Bill's marching bands at Michigan State University with the light on the metronome (on the top of the bass drum) blinking at Bill's usual tempo of 152-156 bpm? The MSU marching band never changed tempo due to the bass drummer's eyes glued on the blinking light of the metronome...

vore 8-)
Notice, everyone, the specific information of vore's story. Not "'tis in the book". I guess if it's not SoCal history, we don't have to wait. :frustrated:
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

— Groucho Marx

vore
Support Staff
Support Staff
Posts: 4510
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2002 10:54 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by vore » Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:53 pm

'tis correct...

vore 8-)
"Educators are teachers who have taken an easy subject and made it difficult."

User avatar
Hostrauser
Support Staff
Support Staff
Posts: 7984
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 6:46 am
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Contact:

Post by Hostrauser » Fri Mar 07, 2008 3:20 pm

Hey, just be thankful he isn't hiding away in some cave at the top of the highest mountain that you must climb to seek his wisdom and enlightenment on the history of bands.

Or is he? :hum:

JLGORMAN
Section Leader
Section Leader
Posts: 757
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2003 7:35 pm
Location: Killeen, TX

A Great One Passses.

Post by JLGORMAN » Fri Mar 07, 2008 3:23 pm

IN honoring Dr. Moffit, the University of Houston Marching Band is going to perform a miniconcert at the University at the time of his funeral in FL. This will be videotaped and sent to his widow with the condolences of the University of Houston Band Program(a program he made nationally known). He was a giant of the Marching Band world and Texans still hold his work in very high regard.
Deep in the Heart of Texas. Home of the III Mobile Armored Corps and the 1st Cavalry Division, serving America in Iraq

Ryan H. Turner
Grand PooBah
Grand PooBah
Posts: 3160
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2002 4:24 pm
Location: Brea, California
Contact:

Post by Ryan H. Turner » Fri Mar 07, 2008 3:44 pm

What a sad announcement...I bet kids nowadays don't have a clue how Bill was. I grew up playing "The Horse", "California Dreamin'," etc, etc. I was either playing Bill Moffit or Marvin Branson arrangements! And I actually saw my first drill being written by Jim Banim back when I was in high school. He was director at West Torrance and friends with my high school band director Dr. Jim Arnwine, and so I'd bug Jim with questions. And he definitely used the 4-man squad approach to our drill back then.

RIP Bill...

mightyhorn
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 371
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2002 2:46 pm
Location: Caldwell, ID.

Bill

Post by mightyhorn » Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:00 pm

A very sad day indeed.
I also grew up on his arrangements and they still sound great today.
Many are still used even though they were written over 35 years ago.

RIP

mightyhorn

Fillydog
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:00 pm

Post by Fillydog » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:21 pm

I met Bill as a Herald Trumpeter for the 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremonies. Nice man and wonderfully supportive. He had written a couple additional fanfares for the event but we only ended up playing "Fanfare Olympique" arranged by Owen Kirshner and only one of Bill's, "Fanfare for the Common Man", which was used for the entrance of the marching band from the tunnells,etc. ( I THINK Bill wrote that but I'm foggy. Music I have has no name on it) He also wrote "Entry Fanfare" for us tho, which was a cool Romanesque powerful fanfare but we ended up not playing it. I have all the music still,etc.

Memory is a little foggy and I can't find my copy but I keep thinking he wrote "Two End Zone" Fanfares. In 1976 LBJCB adopted one of these and renamed it "Freedom Fanfare" and have been playing it ever since.

ZJH
Section Leader
Section Leader
Posts: 920
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 10:41 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by ZJH » Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:26 pm

Wasn't "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Copland? Or did Mr. Moffit write a different one?
"To think idly is to think for the sake of doing nothing, or to think too much on what one has done and not on what there is to do." - San Manuel Bueno, mártir

Fillydog
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:00 pm

Post by Fillydog » Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:52 pm

ZJH wrote:Wasn't "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Copland? Or did Mr. Moffit write a different one?
It was a Moffitt "arrangement". Sorry if I wasn't clear. At least I think it was...again no name on my part. We had like 5-6 fanfares we were going to play and ended up only playing 2.

User avatar
PGOK
Section Leader
Section Leader
Posts: 1356
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2002 10:57 pm

Post by PGOK » Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:49 am

Fillydog wrote:
Memory is a little foggy and I can't find my copy but I keep thinking he wrote "Two End Zone" Fanfares. In 1976 LBJCB adopted one of these and renamed it "Freedom Fanfare" and have been playing it ever since.
Two "End Zone Fanfares" is by James Barnes.

I THINK LBJCB use to play "Sound Power Fanfares" by Bill Moffit.

Dave would know much better than I.


Loara HS played "Sound Power Fanfare #2" the year of "Battle Music and Stained Armour of the Fighting Saxons" and almost blew Anaheim Stadium down.
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

— Groucho Marx

Fillydog
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:00 pm

Post by Fillydog » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:12 pm

PGOK wrote:
Fillydog wrote:
Memory is a little foggy and I can't find my copy but I keep thinking he wrote "Two End Zone" Fanfares. In 1976 LBJCB adopted one of these and renamed it "Freedom Fanfare" and have been playing it ever since.
Two "End Zone Fanfares" is by James Barnes.

I THINK LBJCB use to play "Sound Power Fanfares" by Bill Moffit.

Dave would know much better than I.


Loara HS played "Sound Power Fanfare #2" the year of "Battle Music and Stained Armour of the Fighting Saxons" and almost blew Anaheim Stadium down.
Dave would totally know. I would too if I could find my part in my music file cabinet,heh. I coulda SWORN "Two End Zone" was Moffitt. As for Sound Power I don't think LBJCB played many of those. Main fanfares I remember playing were:

20th Century Fox fanfare
Pyramid Fanfare
Tribute to Troy
Cal Poly Fanfare
Crown Imperial Fanfare
Sunshine Superman Fanfare
Freedom Fanfare (Two Endzone)

I know there were more but I'm old,heh. LBJCB did things like take
"This is My Country" from letter K and out,etc. They'd do pieces of some tunes as a kind of fanfare,etc. Had finger signals for many on the march in parades,etc. There usually was always a fanfare before starting the competition march. In later years they added "Death March" fanfare from Star Wars and others as fanfares,etc. Another one I think was "Closer 81" but I was long out of the band by then. I think maybe there was also a "Star Trek" one but not sure.

Speaking of Loara, in 1976 LBJCB also stole/took the "Scorcher" from Loara and made a big production number out of it for their stand up/marching/company front stage show.

User avatar
LoyalTubist
Section Leader
Section Leader
Posts: 1238
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:11 am
Location: Needles, California
Contact:

Post by LoyalTubist » Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:48 pm

How many bands are still using his arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner?

User avatar
PGOK
Section Leader
Section Leader
Posts: 1356
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2002 10:57 pm

Post by PGOK » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:48 am

LoyalTubist wrote:How many bands are still using his arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner?
Blue side or black side?? :lol:
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

— Groucho Marx

Post Reply