Air Force Band honors Montana native Werle

By Noelle Straub of The Lee Washington Bureau - 01/14/2008

Montana native Floyd Werle accepts honors at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Official U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sean Adams

WASHINGTON — Retired composer and Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Floyd Werle learned one of the greatest lessons of his life years ago when he stopped to visit his former college professor during a road trip from Washington, D.C., home to Billings.

Wanting to get his mentor’s thoughts on his most recent work, Werle played the tape of a concerto he had written for jazz trumpeter and former “Tonight Show” band leader Doc Severinsen. After a long silence, Werle’s teacher made only one comment: “Yes, it holds the attention.” And that’s the finest advice an arranger of music can follow, Werle says.

“The best thing you can do is to try to hold the attention of the people you’re writing for,” Werle said. “You’re not always going to make them happy, but you certainly can keep them awake. And with that in mind, a lot of other things fall by the wayside.” Werle made the comments to more than 200 people who gathered Wednesday for the dedication of the U.S. Air Force Band’s music library on Bolling Air Force Base as the “Werle Library.” He served as chief composer and arranger for the band for more than 30 years and wrote highly regarded concert band music.

Werle said he never imagined he would receive such an honor and was “walking on air.” A 15-minute video presentation shown at the ceremony featured some of Werle’s music, including an arrangement of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Speakers during the ceremony used the words “legend” and “hero” to describe Werle and retired Col. Arnald Gabriel, who served as commander and conductor of the Air Force Band for more than 20 years. A concert hall also in the band’s headquarters, Historic Hangar II at Bolling, was named for Gabriel.

Col. Dennis Layendecker, the band’s current commander and music director, said their music touched millions of people at home and abroad.

“If there is anyone that I have known in my life who is a genius, it is Floyd Werle,” Layendecker said. “The brilliance of this man and the humility of this man make for a wonderful combination of an individual who is a shining example of the kind of individual that makes up our Air Force.” Beyond his musical talent, Layendecker praised Werle as a chief who treated him with nothing but kindness and profound respect even when he was a young lieutenant. Werle also published a series of original hymns and lived his deep faith by example, Layendecker added.

Werle holds the record as the most prolific of all U.S. military band composers, Air Force officials said. over his long career he penned more than 900 original compositions and arrangements, exceeding John Philip Sousa’s total musical works by 255.

The plaque dedicating the library in his name says his leadership resulted in the largest continuous staff of professional composers and arrangers and the largest single collection of music manuscripts in the inventory of the Defense Department.

His arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was heard as the sign-off on television stations around the country for years, along with film of the Air Force’s demonstration team, the Thunderbirds.

Born and raised in Billings, Werle began to study piano at age 5, clarinet at 8 and composed his first large-scale musical work while in high school. He could learn to play any musical instrument in months rather than decades, officials at the ceremony said. He graduated from Billings Senior High School in 1947.

“Billings was very good to me,” Werle said.

He began college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he was soon asked to arrange music for the school’s famed marching band. In 1950, he put his education on hold to enlist in the Air Force. He was assigned to the 695th Air Force Band at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, where he directed rehearsals and helped to broaden the band’s range.

His talent was quickly recognized. Werle was transferred after just 10 months to Washington, D.C., to join the arranging staff of the Air Force Band. A year later, he was appointed the band’s chief composer and arranger. He holds the record for the longest tenure in that post and served under 18 Air Force chiefs of staff.

He retired in 1982, and that year the University of Michigan awarded him the bachelor of music degree he hadn’t completed while at the school. In 2001, he received an honorary doctorate from Rocky Mountain College in Billings. He currently lives in Oakland, Calif.

Four of Werle’s original compositions were premiered at special concerts in New York City, Chicago and Washington and are considered among the greatest works written for concert band. His “Concert Etude” was premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1964.

An original composition for narrator and band called “We Hold These Truths” is based on the writings of Thomas Jefferson. Walter Cronkite of CBS News narrated its Washington premier in 1974 and later said it “was one of the most moving experiences of my life.” Werle also led the Air Force’s music production team through one of the longest-running military radio broadcast missions, the “Serenade in Blue” series that aired from 1949 to 1980. After 1974, when women were integrated into The Singing Sergeants, Werle revolutionized military music by composing for mixed chorus.

Listen to music selections online Werle donated two of his musical works: His arrangement of “The Star Spangled Banner” and his original musical setting for “The Pledge of Allegiance” to the American public. The score and parts can be found on the Air Force Band Web site.