David Maslanka
A composer who gave the American wind ensemble a profound, spiritual voice, drawing from the vast landscapes of memory and nature.
1943–2017 (age 74)·American composer·Birthday: August 30·The Silent Generation
Biography
David Maslanka’s music feels like a force of nature, a sweeping sonic terrain built for the wind ensemble. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he found his primary instrument not in an orchestra's string section, but in the collective breath of clarinets, saxophones, and brass. His sound is unmistakable—grand, often meditative, and threaded with fragments of chorales and folk tunes, most famously the simple melody of 'Give Me Jesus.' Maslanka’s process was intensely personal, drawing from dreams, the natural world of his Montana home, and the psychological depths of Carl Jung. Works like his monumental Symphony No. 4 are staples in the repertoire, challenging performers technically and emotionally. He composed with a craftsman's dedication, producing over 150 pieces that transformed the wind band from a ceremonial outfit into a vehicle for deep, resonant expression, inspiring a generation of musicians to listen more intently to the music within and around them.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
David was born in 1943, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1943
#1 Movie
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Best Picture
Casablanca
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1943Born
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1948Started school
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1956Became a teenager
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Could drive
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Could vote
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Turned 21
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1973Turned 30
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 40
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 50
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 60
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 70
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2017Died at 74
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Composed Symphony No. 4, one of the most frequently performed works in the modern wind ensemble repertoire.
- Wrote over 150 works, primarily for wind ensemble, chamber winds, and choir.
- His 'A Child’s Garden of Dreams,' based on the psychological writings of Carl Jung, is a landmark five-movement work for wind symphony.
Did You Know?
He was an avid gardener and found deep compositional inspiration in his garden in Missoula, Montana.
He frequently incorporated the hymn tune 'Give Me Jesus' as a unifying motif in his compositions.
Before focusing on composition, he worked as a pianist for ballet and modern dance classes.
“The music is not on the page. The page is a pointer into a very large space.”
