The Masks was composed in 1955 as a two movement orchestral suite that was part of the American Composers' Edition series produced by Eastman in conjunction with Carl Fischer music publishers. Lo Presti, a student of Howard Hanson is perhaps best known for his Elegy for a Young American written for concert band. Indeed, The Masks is reminiscent of the Elegy in its romantic style with rich contemporary harmonies. There is no programmatic significance to the title, according to Lo Presti, other than the fact that the two movements are in contrasting moods, much like the Greek masks of comedy and drama. Gregory Rudgers transcription is authentic to the orginal piece and gives bandseverywhere a new LoPresti piece of significance.
