Emotional Response To Music.

[AwayWeGo]

New Tunes In The Fairfax Band Folder.

Tulsa -- A Symphonic Portrait In Oil (Don Gillis)
Hoe Down from Rodeo (Aaron Copland)
Buckaroo Holiday from Rodeo (Copland)
Scenes From Billy The Kid (Copland)
Silverado (Bruce Broughton)
The Cowboys (John Williams)
On The Trail (Ferde Grofe)​

These tunes are for the big Westward Ho! concert by Fairfax Band concert coming up Saturday, October 18, 2008, starting at 8 PM. (Tickets are on sale now.)

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

It's A Golden Nugget 'Cause Your Mother Dug It -- Moldy Oldies On-Line.

Click here for a story about ways to hear audio recordings online dating from the wax-cylinder era.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Westward Ho !

Here are informative notes about the tunes coming up October 18 at The City Of Fairfax Band's Westward Ho! concert. Downbeat is 8PM.

The Cowboys (John Williams, 1932- ). Even before succeeding Arthur Fiedler as musical director of the Boston Pops, John Williams had earned a towering reputation as a top Hollywood composer of scores for such mega-hits as Star Wars, the Indiana Jones adventure series, & E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial. John Williams's special creative gift is the ability to enrich a film story with a descriptive & practically narrative musical score. An example is his music that takes us to the Old West & gives us a sense of the joys & hardships of cowboy life. Taken from the 1972 motion picture The Cowboy & The Girl, starring John Wayne & Colleen Dewhurst, this music portrays the high spirit of wild horses & the task of taming them for the saddle. The jollity around the ranch is contrasted, musically, with the loneliness of the open range, & we sense the beauty of the plains though the song of a lark. The hard work of the cattle drive, including a push across the wide, muddy river, is rewarded in the end. John Williams's film music, The Cowboys, was arranged for concert band by Jim Curnow.

-- oOo --​

Tulsa -- A Symphonic Portrait In Oil (Don Gillis 1912-1978). Born in Missouri & educated in Kansas, Don Gillis received B.A. & B.M. degrees & an honorary doctorate in music from Texas Christian University & an M.M. degree from North Texas State University. At TCU he played trombone in the university band & served as assistant director, in addition to writing music for 2 musical shows. He served as musical director for NBC radio during a long series of Toscanini broadcasts & was a promoter for the National Music Camp. He wrote in excess of 200 musical works for choral & instrumental ensembles. His most popular scores include Ballet for Band & The Man Who Invented Music. At the time of his death, Don Gillis was Director of the Center for Media Arts Studies & Composer-in-Residence at the University of South Carolina. In Tulsa -- A Symphonic Portrait In Oil (1950) Gillis gave free rein to his artistic goal of interpreting his American background musically. His music draws liberally on popular material, particularly jazz, which Gillis viewed as a dynamic element in revitalizing American music. He assimilated popular influences in a simple & straightforward style aimed at connecting with his audiences through clear, accessible, melodic music. His music's popular appeal gave it notable success, & his pieces have been performed by major orchestras including the NBC Symphony & the Boston Pops.

-- oOo --​

On The Trail (Ferde Grofé, 1892-1972) Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé, was born into a musical family in New York City. His father, a baritone, mainly sang mainly light opera. His mother, a professional cellist, was a versatile music teacher who taught Ferde to play violin & piano. She took him to Leipzig, Germany, to study piano, viola, & composition after the boy's father died. Ferde became a good player on a several instruments including piano (his favorite), violin, viola, baritone-euphonium, alto horn, & cornet. He left home at age 14 & worked as a milkman, truck driver, usher, newsboy, elevator operator, book bindery helper, & iron factory worker. He also got jobs playing piano in a bar for $2 a night. By age 15 he was playing piano with dance bands & alto horn in brass bands. About 1920, he played jazz piano with the Paul Whiteman orchestra & was Whiteman's chief arranger from 1920 to 1932, arranging hundreds of popular songs, Broadway numbers, & tunes of all types for Whiteman. Grofé's best known arrangement is of George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue, which cemented Grofé's reputation. Gershwin wrote Rhapsody In Blue for 2 pianos. In arranging it for Whiteman's jazz orchestra, Grofé enhanced Gershwin's musical canvas with the sonic colors & creative instrumental touches for which it is so well known. Grofé's 1942 arrangement of Rhapsody In Blue for full orchestra is the version most frequently heard today. In 1916, Grofé drove with some his friends across the Arizona desert to watch the sun rise over the Grand Canyon. During a radio interview 40 years later, Grofé recalled what he saw & felt that morning. He & his friends got up before dawn. At 1st, it was virtually silent. Then, as the brightness grew, the sounds of nature started softly. When suddenly the sun was up, the vision was so dramatic that Grofe could not express it in words. The memory of that inspiration led Grofé in 1929 to compose a movement, called "Sunrise," of what would become the Grand Canyon Suite. In 1930, he sketched out the "Sunset" & "Cloudburst" sections, then completed his Grand Canyon Suite in the summer of 1931. In November of that year, the Grand Canyon Suite was premiered in Chicago at the Studebaker Theatre by Paul Whiteman's band. Grofé later scored the piece for symphony orchestra, & it was also published in a version for solo piano. "On The Trail" is the best known movement from the Grand Canyon Suite -- a melodic & rhythmic rendition of the experience of a day's ride on the back of a donkey, clippity-clopping along the canyon trails, beginning & ending the ride with a raucous hee-haw.

-- oOo --​

Silverado (Bruce Broughton, 1945- ). An accomplished composer of concert music, Bruce Broughton has conducted & recorded many original works, including "Mixed Elements," commissioned by and premiered at the Sunflower Music Festival; "Modular Music," composed for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; "The Magic Horn," commissioned jointly by the Chicago, Seattle & National Symphonies for the Magic Circle Mime Company; "Excursions," commissioned & premiered by The United States Air Force Band, Washington, D.C.; "Fanfares, Marches, Hymns & Finale," commissioned by The Bay Brass; "English Music" for Horn & Strings; "And on the Sixth Day" for oboe & orchestra; "Tyvek Wood," commissioned by the Debussy Trio; a piccolo concerto; a tuba concerto; several solo works for winds; numerous chamber works, & more. In the entertainment industry, Bruce Broughton is 1 of America's star composers for the large & small screens. He earned an Oscar nomination with his 1st major movie score, written for the Lawrence Kasdan 1985 western feature, Silverado. The concert band arrangement of the film music is by Randol Bass.

-- oOo --​

Oklahoma ! (Robert Russell Bennett orchestral arrangement, adapted for band by R. Mark Rogers). Independently of each other, Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) & Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) both wanted to create a musical based on Lynn Riggs's stage play Green Grow the Lilacs. After Jerome Kern declined Hammerstein's offer to work on the project & Lorenz Hart turned down Rodgers's offer to do the same, Rodgers & Hammerstein began their 1st creative collaboration. The result, Oklahoma! (1943), revolutionized musical drama. Although not the 1st musical to tell a story of emotional depth & psychological complexity, Oklahoma! brought new storytelling elements & techniques to the musical stage, including a focus on emotional empathy; characters & situations far removed from the audience by time & geography; use of American historical & social materials; & developing plot & character via dance & song rather than just using those as an intermission or lively diversion from the story. The show's first title was "Away We Go, Oklahoma!" It opened in the Shubert Theatre in New Haven CT during March 1943. It opened on Broadway after just a few changes, but 2 of those were big -- adding a show-stopping number ("Oklahoma!") and giving that title to the whole show. The original Broadway production opened March 31, 1943, at the St. James Theatre. At the time, roles in musicals were usually filled by actors who could sing, but Rodgers & Hammerstein reversed that, casting singers who could act. No star performers were on stage opening night -- Alfred Drake was Curly & Joan Roberts was Laurey. Even so, Oklahoma! ran for 2,212 performances. It kept going on Broadway till May 29, 1948. Arranger Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981), who started working with Richard Rodgers in 1927, was vital to the show's success, reworking what started as an elaborate and possibly out-of-place number into the title song of the show. Bennett's orchestral arrangement of Oklahoma! selections was adapted for concert band by R. Mark Rogers.

-- oOo --​

Buckaroo Holiday & Hoe Down from "Rodeo" (Aaron Copland, 1900-1990). Copland began his study of music at age 13 & progressed rapidly. His 1st piano piece, titled The Cat & The Mouse, was published in 1921, the same year that Copland went to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger -- until then Americans who studied music abroad customarily went to German conservatories. Copland returned to the USA in 1924, won the 1st Guggenheim fellowship ever awarded in 1925, & started on the path to many other music prizes & commissions. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his ballet Appalachian Spring (1944). The original Rodeo ballet was choreographed by Agnes de Mille, who danced the lead part in the original production. The October 16, 1942, premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House received 22 curtain calls. Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, who were in the audience that night, approached Agnes de Mille afterward to ask her to choreograph their upcoming production of Oklahoma! Copland later arranged the Rodeo ballet music as a symphonic suite for orchestra titled Four Dance Episodes From Rodeo, which brought Rodeo even greater success, premiering at the Boston Pops in 1943. The concert band transcription of Buckaroo Holiday is by Kenneth Megan. The concert band transcription of Hoe Down is by Mark Rogers.

-- oOo --​

Scenes From Billy The Kid (Aaron Copland, 1900-1990). Along with 2 other ballets -- Rodeo (1942) & Appalachian Spring (1944) -- Billy The Kid represents some of Copland's most popular & widely performed music. Billy The Kid is notable for its use of authentic cowboy tunes & American folk songs. The premiere performance was October 16, 1938, in Chicago, danced to a 2-piano score. The story follows the life of Billy the Kid, notorious outlaw. The opening shows pioneers heading west until the action shifts to a small frontier town, home of the young Billy & his mother. An outlaw kills Billy's mother. Billy in turn kills the murderer & goes on the run, living as a fugitive out in the desert. After a percussive gun battle, a posse takes Billy to jail. He gets away by stealing the warden's gun during a card game. Back in his hideout, Billy thinks he's safe, but Pat Garrett finds Billy & kills him. The concert band arrangement of music from the ballet suite is by Quincy C. Hilliard.

-- xXx --​

I have taken myself out of the rotation for playing horn in the Westward Ho! concert -- going on Medical Leave, actually, for some surgery October 15 followed by several weeks of non-playing recuperation. I hope to be back into some kind of playing condition for December. (We'll see.) My medical condition is Serious But Not Critical -- that is, it's cancer surgery (prostate), but it's early stage cancer that the doctors say was detected about as early as it could possibly have been detected. Full recovery is expected So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

I'm Playing The Concert After All -- Practicing Like Crazy.

The plan was that by now I'd be rolling right along in post-surgical convalescence & so would not be playing the Fairfax Band concert this evening.

Then I decided to go with a different doctor & with an all-new treatment schedule ( -- which hasn't even been established yet -- ) so I don't have to miss the concert after all.

That's the good news.

The bad news that I've been dogging it on practicing the tunes.

I wasn't going to play the concert, so why practice the tunes ?

Now I'll be playing after all, & so I have been practicing like crazy trying to learn the hard parts.

If you're at the concert, be sure to come up & say Hi after the closing number.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[GrampyBill]

Hawaii Lovers

Check out "The Meaning of Aloha" by Melveen Leed. Tears should be flowing at about the 39 second mark.

 

[mepiccolo]

Not a rap expert but I believe the difference between rap music and hip hop is that hip hop is more dance music and rap is more about the words/lyrics put to music. The old school rap was way better than the crap they have nowadays. I have the Best of The Sugarhill Gang CD and there are so many great songs to dance to, and the words were not vulgar. Back then, rap tended more to have a message than today's rap which just sounds like a bunch of angry, violent, woman-hating thugs. I don't get the appeal of today's rap at all (how do they make all that money? I don't know anyone who buys it). Also, the rap from the eighties was pretty much rapped to original music with a good beat that you could dance to. Now, most of the decent hits are set to old school music so where is the originality? Maybe it's because of my age, but the old school hip hop music is better than today's also. Might be why the clubs today still play the music from the 80's to get the dance floor full. It just doesn't seem like musicians nowadays have as much originality as they used to. Rihanna's Umbrella song annoys the heck out of me. Isn't that just someone repeating themselves over and over with an echo. Yuch.

 

[mepiccolo]

Wow, this thread just made me go onto Youtube for an hour and I had such a great time remembering all the great dance songs from the eighties. Also, I noticed that originally rap wasn't the nasty crap it is today. Their messages tended to be good, inspiring and children could listen to it. One of my favorite hip hop songs started off with "Sing it Now God's Children!" (Joy and Pain by Rob Base). Here's an example of a great early rap song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjCcg123Y8

Notice the children dancing to it and the good message the song was about.
What happened to this music, geez. It was like taken over by thugs and now it's for the most part glorifies violence, woman-bashing and drugs. It would be nice if it went back to the "old school" ways when it was about dancing, hanging out with your friends without having to do drugs.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Free -- Symphony Downloads -- Free.

Click here for a web page offering free downloads of symphony performances by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Sight-Reading The Gig.

I have to practice plenty to be able to keep up with the good players. So I don't like committing to any horn performances unless I have some rehearsal & practice time. (Although I did sight-read a pit orchestra performance of South Pacific 1 time -- nailed the opening horn solo. Everybody was impressed.)

This morning when the phone rang at 8AM, I was already up -- was getting ready for our grandson to come over for the morning. The person calling was asking me to come to church right away because everybody had forgotten that the lead horn player was away on vacation (at an Aruba timeshare, but that's another story), so they were putting in a desperate request for me to come right over as quick as possible to fill in on 1st horn.

I jumped into my clothes, put on a clean shirt & tie, grabbed my horn, & drove on over, skipping breakfast & not taking time to shave. By the time I showed up, the ensemble was already wrapping up the pre-service rehearsal, but I got out my horn & was able to go through 1 of the tunes that were about to be performed.

Then we took our places in the sanctuary & lit into the prelude (which I had not rehearsed). Fortunately, it went OK. The offertory was the tune I had been able to run through, once, with the ensemble, & that went OK too. That left the postlude following the benediction, & that also went OK. Three out of 3 -- not bad at all. We had a brief break between services, then we got back in place & played'm all again for the 2nd service.

Prelude: Immortable, Invisible.
Offertory: Gold's Right Hand & Mighty Arm.
Postlude: Lead On, O King Eternal.​

The truly odd thing is that I was not planning on being home Sunday morning. We were on the Delmarva Peninsula near Rehoboth Beach DE -- our last hurrah at Port Delmarva for this season, closing up & locking down our dinky non-traveling travel trailer. We had planned to stay all weekend & come home Monday, but Friday afternoon our grandson (age 6) had a schoolyard accident (fell after hanging by his feet from the jungle gym rings) that broke his arm -- resulting in surgery (4 pins) plus an overnight stay in the hospital. He was a brave little guy all through his surgery & brief hospitalization.

That made us want to come home right away so we could add to the TLC the little boy is already getting from his mom & dad. So we hit the highway right at dark Saturday & got home by 9:30 Saturday night. Sure enough, our grandson was there bright & early Sunday morning to show off his cast & tell us about the whole thing. But Papa Alan was off at church playing horn.

Grandson & Grandma Carol played games & had breakfast. Then they fixed up a teddy bear with its own styrofoam-wrap "cast" & matching sling.

I got back from the church gig in time for a rousing game of Monopoly Junior with my grandson, plus several made-up games featuring hand-drawn playing boards & multi-color dice borrowed from a home-made Yahtzee game. I never was clear on the rules, but we had a nice time playing anyway. Grandma Carol gave me a sandwich & grandson had snacks.

Life is good.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Final Band Rehearsal For Several Weeks (At Least).

I showed up at band practice last night & rehearsed all the tunes as usual, knowing that this time I really will be out of the rotation for a while with surgery coming up next Monday.

Here's hoping I'm out of Depends by Thanksgiving & back playing horn again by Christmas.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Playing Horn Again After A Full Month Out.

I was semi-apprehensive about getting back into horn playing after a month out on medical & convalescent leave, but after band practice last night & brass quintet rehearsal tonight I think I'm on the way back.

A good thing, too. Between now & January I'm signed up to play 1 band concert (on last horn) & 3 brass quintet gigs (the only horn), & 2 performances with a larger brass ensemble (various horn parts).

The only complicating factor is a schedule conflict of my own making. (The doofus factor kicked in again.) One of the brass quintet gigs is for the same afternoon as my 6-week post-surgical medical appointment, & there's no way I can get from the doctor's office to the performance venue in time for the gig. (What a doofus -- me, not you.) But it should be possible to get the appointment date or time changed so I can keep both commitments.

Life is good.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[SueDonJ]

That's great news, Alan. After what you've been through, what you're going through still, it must be wonderful to lose yourself in the music. Your Chief of Staff must be thrilled! You're right - life IS good.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Playing Horn & Keeping The Chief Of Staff Happy.

Chief of Staff must be thrilled!

Usually The Chief Of Staff is a band & ensemble groupie when I'm playing -- very enthusiastic.

Other times -- as when a rehearsal or performance date introduces a family event schedule conflict -- not so much.

With Christmas coming up & lots of preparations to make & guests to get ready for, the upcoming schedule of rehearsals for The Potomac Brass Quintet (2 December performances) & the City Of Fairfax Band (1 big concert) & The Cathedral Brass (2 same day performances), The Chief Of Staff gets semi-irritated over the times The Old Man will be out playing tunes instead of home helping.

Some women are golf widows. A few are horn widows. So it goes. At least I'm not out drinking beer & playing pool -- not that there's anything wrong with those activities (in moderation).

The Potomac Brass Quintet plays December 19 & 31. Rehearsals have already been held for those gigs.

Coming up December 20 is the annual Holiday Concert by City Of Fairfax Band. Two rehearsals are left for that.

December 21, The Cathedral Brass will be participating in 2 performances of The Glorious Sounds Of Christmas. One rehearsal to go before the show.

Then I'll put the horn away for a while & rejoin Fairfax Band for rehearsals after The Chief Of Staff & I get home from our 2-week after-Christmas Florida vacation.

In most previous years I've taken my road horn to Florida with me so I can sit in with the Lakeland Concert Band if we're staying somewhere not to far away on rehearsal night. Kissimmee FL qualifies -- just barely -- so it's possible I'll take a horn along next month, too. We'll see.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

From Atlantic To Pacific, Oh The Traffic Is Terrific !

Whoa !

I was 1 minute -- as in 60 seconds -- late to a brass quintet gig Friday afternoon because the traffic was so bad that it took close to an hour to drive what's usually just a 25-minute trip.

That's on me. I should have anticipated bad traffic. Unprofessional to say the least.

The other players were getting ready to light into a 4-part arrangement of O Tannenbaum as I took my place & got out my horn.

By the time the opening tune was done, I was good to go & lit right into Ring! Christmas Bells with the others.

I would say No Harm & No Foul, except that by not showing up on time I created a great deal of anxiety among the rest of the ensemble. They didn't know if I'd been mugged or had been in an accident or maybe just forgot about the gig. (It's been known to happen -- forgetting, I mean. I forgot about a concert I was supposed to play some 25 years ago, & I still feel bad about it.)

I sure hadn't reckoned on all that midday traffic yesterday -- Christmas shoppers, I suppose, who didn't know that there's spozed to be a recession on.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

What You Missed Saturday Night.

Saturday night's Christmas In Fairfax concert featured plenty of great music for the holiday season, including several choral numbers by the Fairfax Choral Society accompanied by the City Of Fairfax Band.

M.C. was John Lyon (formerly of WMAL radio in the days before it went all talk), who also sang to the accompaniment of his own guitar & narrated 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.

Star Carol (John Rutter), chorale & band.
Babes In Toyland, band.
Greensleeves (Alfred Reed arrangement), band.
Gloria (Randol Alan Bass) chorale & band.
Christmas Songs & Stories With John Lyon.
Farandole (Bizet), band.
Silent Night (Robt. Pouliot arrangement), band & chorale & soloists & narrator.
'Twas The Night Before Christmas, narrator & band.
Ding Dong Merrily On High, chorale & band.
Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson), band.
Festival Of Carols (sing-along).​

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

What You Missed Sunday Afternoon & Night.

The Cathedral Brass participated in 2 performances -- 4PM & 7PM -- of The Glorious Sounds Of Christmas at Vienna (VA) Presbyterian Church.

Russian Christmas Music (Alfred Reed), Cathedral Brass.
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Gustav Holst arrangement), orchestra & choir, with soloists.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (sing-along).
For Unto Us A Child Is Born (Handel), choir & orchestra.
The Shepherds' Farewell (Berlioz), choir & orchestra.
Angels We Have Heard On High, choir & orchestra.
Quelle Est Cette Odeur Agréable? (solo saxophone with orchestra).
O Come, All Ye Faithful (sing-along).
What Child Is This? (youth choir).
The Little Drummer Boy (youth choir with percussion).
Go, Tell It On The Mountain (youth choir).
The Christmas Story (bible reading with orchestral background).
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (choir).
What Shall We Give? (choir & orchestra).
Joy To The World (sing-along).​

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Glorious Sounds Of Christmas (2008).

A recording of the Glorious Sounds Of Christmas event that the Cathedral Brass participated in last month can be heard via Internet on the World Wide Web. Click here for access to the web page.

The recording includes the entire performance program, not just the numbers the Cathedral Brass played. The opening number, however, is just by the Cathedral Brass -- a brass ensemble transcription of Russian Christmas Music by Alfred Reed. (Reed's original composition is for symphonic band.)

I am not a regular member of the Cathedral Brass, but by now I have participated with that ensemble so many times as a substitute or extra player that I feel like I'm a member of the Cathedral Brass Auxiliary. I was playing 3rd horn with the Cathedral Brass during the 2008 Glorious Sounds Of Christmas performance.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Amazing Trombone Soloist -- Must Be Seen (& Heard) To Be Believed.

Click here for 3 minutes & 16 seconds of musical amazement.

Enjoy.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Horn Orchestra Of Russia (Russian Horn Band).

-- hotlinked from the British Horn Society --​

Generally each player is responsible for playing just 1 note.

Bands like that were said to be extremely fashionable in Russia about 1750 to 1830 or so.

The Russian Horn Capella (Horn Orchestra Of Russia) is a contemporary revival and reconstruction of an old-time Russian horn band. Click here to listen to an audio excerpt of their performance of the William Tell Overture.

Click here for more on-line audio examples of the organ-like sound of the Russian horn band.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Tunes Coming Up February 28, 2009 -- Broadway, Yesterday & Today

The big show is 8PM Saturday, February 28, 2009, in the Fairfax High School Auditorium, Fairfax VA -- Broadway, Yesterday & Today, presented by the City Of Fairfax Band, Robert Pouliot music director, with guest vocalists Holly Bingham & Steve Cramer. Host & MC = Rich Kleinfeldt.

The playlist includes . . .

Symphonic Dances From Fiddler On The Roof (arr. Ira Hearshen). Fiddler On The Roof was the 1st Broadway musical to reach the 3,000-performance mark. For 10 years Fiddler held the Broadway record for longest-running musical. Today it stands at 13th on the list. (By contrast, Oklahoma! is No. 26 & South Pacific is No. 30.) The show's title comes from a Marc Chagall painting of eastern European Jewish life picturing a fiddler, who symbolizes survival through tradition & joyfulness in a life of uncertainty & imbalance. The show's book is by Joseph Stein. The lyrics are by Sheldon Harnick. Jerry Bock wrote the music. The highly acclaimed production was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won 9 -- including best musical, best score, best book, best direction, & best choreography (by Jerome Robbins). The music behind the show's ethnically styled dance numbers has been recast as a lively symphonic suite by arranger Ira Hearshen, featuring the Chava Sequence, Perchik and Hodel Dance, Dance To Life, Tradition, and the Wedding Dance #1 (the Bottle Dance).

--oOo--​

Encores From West Side Story (arr. James Kessler). After Jerome Robbins suggested to Leonard Bernstein the idea of doing a modern musical based on Romeo & Juliet, it took 6 years before West Side Story premiered. Originally, the action was to take place on New York’s Lower East Side, with tensions flaring between Catholics & Jews at the convergence of Passover & Easter -- a project that went nowhere. But shifting the conflict to the Polish-American Sharks & the Puerto Rican Jets fired up the authors’ imaginations so much that they took some dramatic and musical risks -- not all of which were well received. One of the original producers backed out 2 months before the start of rehearsals. Columbia Records initially declined to record Bernstein’s score -- too depressing & too difficult, they said. Despite all the setbacks, the authors & producers kept at it because they knew they were creating something extraordinary. After its Broadway debut in 1957, West Side Story played 732 times before going on tour. The 1961 film version won 10 Academy Awards. The show's music gained immense popularity through innumerable popular, symphonic, & jazz recordings & concert performances. The suite of blockbuster encore numbers from the show was arranged by James Kessler.

--oOo--​

Opening Night On Broadway (arr. Michael Brown). A musical feast made up of tasty ingredients from 5 hit Broadway shows -- The Producers (“Springtime For Hitler”), Avenue Q (“Avenue Q Theme”), Monty Python's Spamalot (“Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”), Wicked (“For Good”), and The Lion King Broadway Musical (“Circle Of Life”).

--oOo--​

Highlights From Beauty & The Beast (Alan Menken). Alan Menken won the 1991 Oscar for Best Original Score for the music he wrote for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The film also won the Oscar for Best Song: “Beauty & The Beast” by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman. After big success in animation on the silver screen, Disney's version of the “tale that's old as time” was remade as a smash live-show hit, playing 5,461 times during its 1994-2007 run on Broadway. John Moss arranged a pleasing selection of musical highlights from the movie & the Broadway show, including “Prologue,” “Belle,” “Gaston,” “Be Our Guest,” “Beauty & The Beast,” & "Transformation.”

--oOo--​

Broadway Show-Stoppers Overture (Warren Barker, 1923-2006). Warren Barker wove together an irresistible instrumental pastiche of musical favorites from the Broadway stage. The overture melds “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (from Gypsy, 1959), “People” (from Funny Girl, 1964), “With A Little Bit Of Luck” (from My Fair Lady, 1956), and “Try To Remember” (from The Fantasticks, 1960 [off-Broadway]), plus the title songs from On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965) & That’s Entertainment (1972).

--oOo--​

“On A Wonderful Day Like Today” (from The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd). Anthony Newly co-wrote the show, directed the show, co-wrote the song, & sang the song in the show. That won him two 1965 Tony awards -- best musical director, & (with co-writer Leslie Bricusse) best composer & lyricist.

--oOo--​

“Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” (From Annie Get Your Gun – words & music by Irving Berlin). The duo who sang this tune in the original 1946 Broadway show were Ethel Merman (as sharpshooter Annie Oakley) & Ray Middleton (as Annie's husband Frank Butler). In the 1950 movie version, Betty Hutton & Howard Keel were Annie & Frank. Other duos who had notable success singing this same vocal debate are Doris Day & Robert Goulet; Bernadette Peters & Tom Wopat; John Barrowman & Ruthie Henshall; Ethel Merman & Miss Piggy; Mary Martin & John Raitt; Ethel Merman & Bruce Yarnell; and Ethel Merman & Neilson Taylor.

--oOo--​

“Luck Be A Lady” (from Guys & Dolls, music & lyrics by Frank Loesser). The Broadway hit of 1950, & the 1951 Tony award winning musical, was Guys & Dolls, subtitled A Musical Fable Of Broadway. Robert Alda, in the lead role of Sky Masterson, sang “Luck Be A Lady” & won a Tony award for best actor in a musical. The show ran for 1,200 performances through November 28, 1953.

--oOo--​

“Memory” (from Cats, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Trevor Nunn based on poems by T.S. Eliot). “Memory" is the climax of the musical Cats & by far the most popular & best known song from the show. Cats opened on Broadway in 1982, won loads of 1983 Tony awards, & continued running on Broadway for 7,485 performances through September 10, 2000. Betty Buckley's electrifying rendition of “Memory,” in her role as has-been glamour-cat Grizabella, established her reputation as a stand-out performer. Betty Buckley went on to record 13 solo albums & to appear in numerous stage, film, & TV musical & dramatic presentations.

--oOo--​

“Cornet Man” (from Funny Girl, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill). Barbra Streisand beat out some tough competition to win the role of Fanny Bryce in Funny Girl. Candidates for the role included Mary Martin, Anne Bancroft, Carol Burnett, & Eydie Gormé. Funny Girl got 8 Tony award nominations, but won zero mainly because of the popularity of Hello, Dolly, which was in the running at the same time. Funny Girl opened on Broadway in 1964. The movie version, also starring Barbra Streisand, came out in 1968.

--oOo--​

“On My Own” (from Les Misèrables, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer). After successful Paris & London productions, Les Misèrables opened in New York on March 12, 1987. The show got 12 Tony award nominations & eight wins, including Best Musical & Best Original Score. Les Miz ran through May 18, 2003, closing after 6,680 Broadway performances -- the 3rd-longest-running Broadway show in history. “On My Own” is the opening number of Act II.

--oOo--​

“The Song That Goes Like This” (from Spamalot, music by Eric Idle & John Du Prez, lyrics by Eric Idle). Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy that not only takes off on the 1975 movie Monty Python & The Holy Grail (a King Arthur parody), but also sends up the Broadway theatre while it's at it -- a Broadway show that mocks Broadway shows. The original 2005 production of Spamalot, directed by Mike Nichols, won 3 Tony awards, including Best Musical of 2004-2005. “The Song That Goes Like This” is sung by Sir Dennis Galahad & The Lady Of The Lake

--oOo--​

“As Long As You're Mine” (from Wicked, music & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz). Wicked is the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch Of The West, & her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch Of The North, in a setting that takes place mostly before Dorothy arrives in Oz from Kansas. The show makes references to scenes & dialogue in the The Wizard of Oz movie (1939). Wicked opened on Broadway October 30, 2003, & is still running. It received mixed reviews & was panned by The New York Times, but became a favorite of theater-goers. Wicked's success on Broadway led to productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Melbourne, & Stuttgart, along with 2 North American touring shows that have played more than 30 U.S. & Canadian cities. Wicked got 10 Tony nominations & won in three categories (scenic design, costume design, & best actress).

--xXx--​

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Passepartout]

Beethoven's Eroica Symphony

I was going to PM Alan with this, but decided to share with the group.

Last night we watched a video of BBC's production of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, the Eroica. We thought the producers tried to make it historically accurate as much as possible. It's the story of the initial run-through of the piece, in Lobkowitz Palace in Vienna. It is performed on period instruments, in the hall, now called the Eroica hall in the palace, Vienna's oldest.

In the story, one could see the emotions the piece evoked. Haydn was in attendance, as an old man, and said after hearing it,(it was reported) "Nothing will ever be the same".

There is a complete performance on the disc as well as the movie story, and the viewer gets to see the score in Beethoven's hand. One can see the big hole in the frontispiece that any schoolboy would recognize as being caused by erasing clear through the paper. You see, Beethoven, who was just starting to exhibit hie impending deafness, had originally called the piece, "Napoleon", but when the French leader declared himself Emperor, Beethoven angrily changed the name to Eroica (Heroic).

We rented it through Netflix, but surely in larger markets, it's available in libraries. I recommend this video.

Jim Ricks

 

[AwayWeGo]

Professional Quality Playing By Non-Professional Soloist.

Click here for audio of an outstanding performance of a Mozart horn concerto played by a talented soloist who has a day job.

The soloist is Dr. Martin Layman DDS.

He can drill my molars any time.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Concert Sunday Afternoon (March 8th) By The Cathedral Brass.

The event is titled Cathedral Brass & Friends because of all the percussion instruments augmenting the brass ensemble, plus organ & piano on some tunes. The venue is the sanctuary of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Fairfax County VA.

The performance begins at 4PM Eastern Daylight Time. It's free, but don't be surprised if they pass around a collection plate.

On the podium will be L. Thomas Vining, conductor of The Cathedral Brass.

The program embraces a wide variety of musical moods & eras & styles --

Canzona duodecimi toni (Giovanni Garbieli, Robert King arrangement).
Symphony For 5-Part Brass Choir (Victor Ewald, Robert King arrangement).
Keystone Celebration (John Cheetham).
On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss (David Holsinger, Christopher Prentice arrangement).
Presto Barbaro (Leonard Bernstein, Frank Erickson arrangement).
Lotus Blossom (Billy Strayhorn, Alec Wyton arrangement).
Glory (Stan Pethel arrangement).
Fairest Lord Jesus (Anita Kerr arrangement).
Pebble Beach Sojourn (Ron Nelson).
Joshua (arrangement by Dan Marvin & Steven Bulla).
Russian Christmas Music (Alfred Reed, Bruce Fraser arrangement).​

I'll be playing 3rd horn. If you're there for the performance, be sure to come up afterward & say Hi.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

City Of Fairfax Band Formal Photograph.

Click here for the formal photographic portrait of The City Of Fairfax Band.

Enter the drawing for a free bar of Timeshare Soap if you can find my picture somewhere in the crowd.

Hint: I am not playing saxophone or tuba. (Not that there's anything wrong with tubas or saxophones.)

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Audio Via Internet -- Recording Of March 8 Cathedral Brass Concert.

Click here for a web page containing a link to an audio recording of the March 8, 2009, performance by the Cathedral Brass.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​