Of Sailors and Whales

W. Francis McBeth (1933–2012) composed the tone poem Of Sailors and Whales drawing inspiration for the five scenes from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. It was commissioned by and is dedicated to the California Band Directors Association, Inc., and is subdedicated to Robert Lanon White, Commander USN (Ret.), who went to sea as a simple sailor. The narration that precedes each movement was devised by Lewis J. Buckley, Conductor Laureate of the US Coast Guard Band and MetWinds. (Source: published score)