"When viewed from a holistic perspective, Krouse's music hearkens to a distant and a recent past from the Old World and New World, respectively, melding music of the vernacular and cultivated traditions. Furthermore, he uses gripping program to create music of immediate communication to the listener - one that also prompts long-term contemplation. Krouse's idealization of the life and death experience is the epitome of a 'totalistic' approach to composition; it bespeaks the essence of humanity."

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- Richard K. Hansen, The American Wind Band: A cultural history, GIA Publications Inc., Chicago, IL