Emotional Response To Music.

[AwayWeGo]

End Of An Era.

For 20+ years I played horn with an active brass quintet that got lots of gigs -- parties, graduations, retirement homes, concerts, weddings, community events, retirement homes, & I don't know what-all.

( When I retired from the Interior Department, in lieu of a retirement luncheon featuring boring speeches, etc., I got the group to come on down to the building's auditorium in the middle of the work day & play an hour or so of our most popular numbers. My daughter-in-law, who was there, said she overheard somebody in the audience say, "I knew he played some kind of horn, but I didn't know he was any good." )

A year or so ago the group broke up because (some of) the members lost their enthusiasm & quit attending rehearsals -- meaning there was no point in trying to schedule any rehearsals. Without rehearsals to keep everyone up on the music, the play list got stale & the performances began to lose their edge. After a while, the founder & leader pulled the plug. So it goes.

Last night, the founder & leader of the group turned over to me 2 double Trader Joe paper shopping bags loaded with scores & parts (tuba, trombone, horn, 2 trumpets) for the tunes I had purchased for the group's use over the years. Not sure what I'll do with all that sheet music -- the brass quintet I currently play in has its own books of tunes (duplicating some of the pieces the defunct group used to play).

It's the end of an era for sure.

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

 

[pedro47]

First, I hope you are enjoying your retirement. Second, why not donate the sheet music to a school or some start up youth church groups or just some youth/college groups in your area..Also your thread is eight (8) years old and it sounds liked you missed playing sheet music with the old guys. Good luck.

 

[AwayWeGo]

America Dances !

On Saturday, October 24, 2015, at 7:30 PM, Virginia's City Of Fairfax Band, Robert Pouliot music director, presents a concert featuring American dance-music styles through the years.

The concert venue is Fairfax High School Auditorium, 3501 Rebel Run, Fairfax VA.

Tickets are on sale now.

The musical selections . . .

Suite Of Old American Dances (Robert Russell Bennett, 1894-1981). Robert Russell Bennett was for most of his career the dean of American musical arrangers, creating what seemed like a ceaseless stream of orchestrations for more than 200 Broadway shows. His most famous collaborations as arranger & orchestrator were with Richard Rodgers & Jerome Kern. On his own, he wrote film music, opera, symphonies, chamber music, choral works, & concert band music. At a 1948 Goldman Band concert in New York City, Bennett recalled, “I suddenly thought of all the beautiful sounds the American concert band could make that it hadn’t yet made. That doesn’t mean that the unmade sounds passed in review in my mind at all, but the sounds they made were so new to me after all my years with orchestra, dance bands, & tiny 'combos' that my pen was practically jumping out of my pocket begging me to give this great big instrument some more music to play.” From that musical impulse, an early result was Bennett's 5-movement Suite Of Old American Dances. The Goldman Band premiered the suite, with the composer conducting, in New York's Central Park in June 1949, & gave it several additional performances that summer. “Cake Walk” is a strutting, march-like dance, once a staple of minstrel shows. “Schottische” is one of the oldest of all dances, based on something like a polka, only slower, & with an added circular hop -- simply a step & a hop on each foot alternately while turning clockwise in place. Schottische dance partners originally faced each other throughout the number. Then sometime in the 1890s the Schottische went to an open position for the 1st part and a closed position for the turning part. “Western One-Step,” a forerunner of the foxtrot with slightly quicker pace, was also known in other places as the 2-step. (One step per beat and 2 steps per bar are just 2 ways of saying the same thing.) The 1-step was so popular that it spread to nightclub shows & even the Ziegfeld Follies, where the 1-step was called the Castle Walk. The home-spun “Wallflower Waltz,” though plainer than those fancy Viennese waltzes, is still the same familiar turning dance with three beats to the measure. The “Rag” is aptly named for its bright & highly syncopated “ragged” rhythm. Ragtime music really started something. Raggy tunes not only paved the way for Swing but also led to dance crazes like the Charleston, the Shimmy, & the Black Bottom.

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Danzon (Leonard Bernstein, 1918-1990). As composer, conductor, & educator, Leonard Bernstein became 1 of just a few 20th century figures who recontoured the musical landscape. He composed 3 symphonies, the film score for On the Waterfront (1954), & a significant collection of stage works, including West Side Story (1957). He was the 1st American-born conductor to reach the heights of international superstars. His dynamic & sometimes flamboyant manner on the podium generated plenty of criticism. But Bernstein’s fans way outnumbered the scoffers who wrote him off as a flashy exhibitionist. Fancy Free was Leonard Bernstein’s 1st try at composition for ballet. The ballet story (which Bernstein recycled in On The Town) takes place in New York City, where 3 sailors are on shore leave. They meet 3 girls in a bar, dance with them, & fight over them before deciding it’s stupid to let women ruin friendships. Bernstein used music from his ballet to create a concert suite for orchestra in 6 movements, 1 of which includes Danzon.

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Hoe Down (Aaron Copland, 1900-1990). Aaron Copland was the youngest of 5 children in a family of Russian immigrants. Despite his outstanding talent, he got no formal musical education until age 21, when Nadia Boulanger made him her 1st American student. Copland was in a generation of American composers (including George Gershwin) who successfully wove popular American musical idioms into formal concert music. Copland's Rodeo orchestral suite was derived from ballet music that Copland wrote on commission for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1942. The music has a southwestern American tang drawn from cowboy folk songs. The suite’s finale, the famous foot-stompin’ “Hoe-Down” barn dance tune, delivers non-stopl fun peppered by dazzling brass & brilliant percussion. The concert band arrangement is by Mark Rogers. (Note adapted from the Carson City Symphony – ccsymphony.com )

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The Gliding Girl (John Philip Sousa, 1854-1932). John Philip Sousa earned his “March King” title by composing 136 march tunes, an amazing body of work. But he did not stop there. He wrote in virtually all musical forms, including suites, songs, waltzes, fantasies, dance tunes, & operettas. Although The Gliding Girl is subtitled “Tango,” some conductors & directors hear it as more of an impression of a tango than actual dance-tune. The piece has been described as having a strutting feel that gives it more of the character of a 2-step than an actual tango. Regardless, Maestro Sousa conceived it as a tango, which he wrote in 1912 and & dedicated to his daughter Priscilla (1882-1958). The edition being performed tonight was edited by Loras John Schissel.

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Fandango (Joseph Turrin, 1947 - ). Turrin was born in Clifton NJ. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music & the Manhattan School of Music. He has appeared as a conductor with the Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New Orleans, Detroit, & New Jersey Symphonies. He is a recording artist on piano, & has performed as orchestral pianist for the New Jersey Symphony. Turrin has composed on commission for a variety of orchestral forms, including concertos for flute & trumpet. He is active in composition for film & theater. Fandango for Trumpet, Trombone, & Wind Symphony was commissioned in 2000 by the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony for Philip Smith (trumpet) & Joseph Alessi (trombone). The piece builds on the rhythmic, melodic, & syncopated elements of the Spanish fandango -- a lively dance form in triple time for 2 dancers. The piece falls into 3 sections, starting with a combination of lively melodic & articulated interplay between the trumpet, trombone, & band. A stately woodwind chorale opens the middle section. A short cadenza leads into the 3rd section, which recapitulates the opening material with both soloists weaving the musical themes into a canon. The chorale returns in brief for the full ensemble before a rhythmic coda drives the piece to its conclusion.

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Dance Suite – Aragon 1945-1952 (Ira Hearshen, 1948 - ). Ira Hearshen is 1 of America's most popular & successful orchestrators & arrangers. He has written for many Hollywood films, such as Toy Story and The Scorpion King. He has also written for the concert stage, especially wind band, notably his Pulitzer-nominated Symphony on Themes of John Philip Sousa (1997). On commission from the City of Fairfax Band Association, Hearshen has just completed an original suite of concert music inspired by popular dance tunes from the heyday of Chicago's Aragon Ballroom. Built in 1926, the Aragon Ballroom by the end of WW2 was drawing thousands of people every week. The crowds were attracted by the danceable sounds of just about every top group from the big band era. Each night, listeners throughout the Midwestern U.S. & Canada tuned in to powerhouse radio station WGN for an hour-long program of dance music live from the Aragon stage. The music of Ira Hearshen's Aragon 1945-1952 Dance Suite is all original. Yet it is enriched by tantalizing hints & suggestions of unforgettable hit dance songs like “Sentimental Journey,” “Tennessee Waltz,” “Dance Ballerina Dance,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” & "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive." Tonight's presentation of Ira Hearshen's Aragon Dance Suite is the world premiere performance of this specially commissioned concert band music.

-- xXx --​

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Music At The Box Office.

The City of Fairfax Band (Robert Pouliot, music director) welcomes the coming of spring with an evocative selection of classic compositions for the silver screen. The program features music of famous 20th century Hollywood composers Erich Korngold, Jerry Goldsmith, & Aaron Copland. Clarinetist Dennis Strawley, concertmaster of one of the nation's premiere military bands, will perform John Williams's Viktor's Tale, from the Spielberg film The Terminal.

Tickers are on sale now.

Place: Fairfax High School, 3501 Rebel Run, Fairfax VA
Time: 7:30 PM, Saturday, March 19, 2016​

The Red Pony - Film Suite For Band (Aaron Copland, 1900-1990). Copland wrote the music for the 1949 film The Red Pony during a 10-week period in 1948 on the film studio lot in the San Fernando Valley of California. An orchestral suite was completed that same year, commissioned by Efrem Kurtz of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Four of the original movements were transcribed for performance by the U.S. Navy Band in 1968. The film is based on John Steinbeck's story about a 10-year old-boy, Jody (renamed Tom Tiflin in the movie) growing up on a California ranch. Steinbeck drew on his own experiences growing up in California's Salinas Valley near King City, & a pony he had once cared for. The story derives its warmth & sensitive quality from the character studies of the boy, his parents, his grandfather, & cowhand Billy Buck. The narrative is filled with the emotions of daily living, from the joy of a boy receiving a pony of his very own to the bitter reality of death & dying. "Dream March" & "Circus Music" depict 2 of Tom Tiflin's daydreams – Tom at the head of an army of knights in silvery armor, & Tom as the whip-cracking ringmaster of the circus. The "Walk to the Bunkhouse" shows Tom's admiration for Billy Buck's talents, especially his ability with horses. "Grandfather's Story" tells of how Tom's grandpa led the wagon train “clear across the plains to the coast.” But Grandpa's bitterness that the “Westerning has died out of the people” can't stay hidden from Tom. The suite's last movement suggests the open air quality of country living as it mounts to the climax of a "Happy Ending." (Program note adapted from Foothill Symphonic Winds, Los Altos Hills, California, www.windband.org )

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Sea Hawk Suite for Symphonic Band (Erich Korngold, 1897-1957), arranged by Jerry Brubaker. Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a child prodigy whose remarkable talent was noted by Gustav Mahler & Richard Strauss, among others. He wrote his 1st orchestral score at age 14, then began writing operas. His opera Die tote Stadt became an international success in 1920. Korngold was just 23. Actor & director Max Reinhardt, with whom Korngold had collaborated on operas, asked the composer to come to Hollywood from Austria in 1934 to adapt Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for A Midsummer's Night's Dream for Reinhardt's film version of the play. Over the next 4 years, Korngold became a pioneer in composing film scores that have been recognized ever since as classics of their kind. In 1938, Korngold was conducting opera in Austria when he was asked by Warner Bros. to come back to Hollywood & compose a score for their new (and very expensive) film, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) starring Errol Flynn. Korngold agreed & returned to the U.S. by ship. Shortly after he arrived in California, the Nazis came to power & the condition of Jews in Austria became very perilous. Korngold later would say the film score of The Adventures of Robin Hood saved his life. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for that film, & later received Oscar nominations for The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex (1939) & The Sea Hawk (1940). In 1943, Korngold became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He stopped writing original film scores after 1946. His final score at Warner Bros. was for Deception (1946) starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, & Claude Rains. Despite his achievements & considerable popularity with the musical public, Korngold for years attracted almost no positive critical attention, but considerable critical disdain. That started changing in 1972, when RCA Victor released an LP titled The Sea Hawk, featuring excerpts from Korngold's film scores performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra (in Britain), conducted by Charles Gerhardt & supervised by the composer's son George. More recently, new digital recordings of Korngold's film scores have been issued, as well as recordings of some of his concert works, especially his violin concerto & his symphony. The Sea Hawk Suite was arranged by Jerry Brubaker. The City of Fairfax band's 2009 performance of the piece was the world premiere of that arrangement. [Note adapted from Wikipedia.org ]

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James Horner: Hollywood Blockbusters. The silver screen gets its magic not just from dramatic plots played out in romantic locales by glamorous movie stars. The fabulous music of the Hollywood soundtracks has lots to do with the magic of the movies. Among the giants of Hollywood composers is the late James Horner, who died last summer when his single-engine airplane crashed in the Los Padres National Forest in California. His musical legacy lives on in some memorable Hollywood blockbusters. Arranger John Moss has served up a generous sampling of those for concert band, including the Main Title music from Apollo 13, “Somewhere Out There” from An American Tail, “Bannockburn” from Braveheart, & from Titanic, “Southampton” & “My Heart Will Go On.”

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Symphonic Suite From Star Trek. Starting in 1966, Star Trek has been a major entertainment phenomenon in the form of long-running series on prime-time television, several animated adventures, & a dozen major Hollywood motion pictures. The music has been a big part of the long-lasting success of Star Trek, on TV as well as on the big screen, involving composers Alexander Courage (1919-2008) & Michael Giacchino (1967- ), as well as series originator Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991). Their work is combined in a suite of music arranged by Jay Bocock titled Symphonic Suite from Star Trek.

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Viktor's Tale (John Williams, 1932 - ). Only a tremendous catalog of widespread musical accomplishment could overshadow the music from Star Wars (1977), named by the American Film Institute as the greatest American film score of all time. For composer-director-pianist John Williams, success did not begin or end with Star Wars. He started writing Hollywood film scores in 1958, the same year he played piano on Henry Mancini's breakthrough Peter Gunn recording sessions. In the 1970s, before Star Wars, he scored Jane Eyre, The Cowboys, The Paper Chase, The Sugarland Express, The Towering Inferno, Jaws, Midway, Black Sunday, & a dozen more feature movies. He has been associated with director Steven Spielberg since 1974, composing music for most of Spielberg's feature films. In 2004, Spielberg & Williams collaborated on The Terminal, Spielberg's comedy-drama about Viktor Navorski, who got stuck for 9 months in JFK International Airport in New York City because a revolution in his home country invalidated his passport so that he could neither enter the U.S. nor return home. With no other choice, Viktor settled in at a closed-off terminal gate, with nothing but his suitcase & a peanut can. The John Williams score evokes eastern European styles & moods of Viktor's imaginary homeland Krakozhia. Stephen Spielberg, a former clarinetist himself, was so favorably impressed by the performance of soloist Emily Bernstein (1959-2005) that he made sure her name appeared in the film's end credits, even though individual musicians in film studio orchestras traditionally remain anonymous. The piece was transcribed for solo clarinet with concert band by Paul Lavender.

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Star Wars Main Title (John Williams, 1932 - ). The Star Wars phenomenon had wider and more lasting impact on pop culture than anything since Mickey Mouse & the Disney entertainment empire -- so much so that in 2012 the Walt Disney Company bought out the Lucasfilm studio that brought us Star Wars. The original 1977 film was such a financial blockbuster that stock in 20th Century Fox jumped from $6 to $25 per share & generated revenues of $1.2 million per day, transforming Fox from a nearly bankrupt production company to a booming media conglomerate. The Reagan Administration's strategic defense initiative was nicknamed Star Wars by supporters & detractors alike. In the 2001 census, more than 390,000 respondents in Britain said their religion was Jedi. Conversational references to Star Wars characters & themes are made all over the English-speaking world with safe assumption that the references will be understood. Darth Vader is an iconic villain. Phrases like Evil Empire & May The Force Be With You are commonplace, with or without reference to the movie or its many spin-offs. In 2013, President Obama quipped that some people expect him to do a "Jedi mind meld" on members of Congress. John Williams's compositions for the Star Wars films, particularly the "Main Title" theme & the recurring “Imperial March,” have become thematic standards heard not just in concert halls but at major public attractions & sporting events. The original film score was recorded over 8 sessions at Anvil Studios in Denham, England, in March 1977. The music was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra with Williams himself conducting. The score was orchestrated by Williams's frequent associate Herbert W. Spencer, who also orchestrated The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi. The music was transcribed for concert band by Stephen Bulla.

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The Wind & The Lion Symphonic Suite for Concert Band (Jerry Goldsmith, 1929-2004). Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, & John Huston starred in MGM's 1975 action-adventure movie titled The Wind & The Lion, set in 1904, in which an American woman & her 2 children are kidnapped in Morocco, prompting U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to order an armed invasion & rescue mission. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in 2 categories, including Best Original Score (by Jerry Goldsmith). Michael Davis arranged a symphonic suite for concert band based on Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score.

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Selections from The Great Race (Henry Mancini, 1924-1994). Basking in the success of Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther, & A Shot in the Dark, director Blake Edwards got green-lighted by United Artists, & later Warner Bros., to the make the funniest comedy movie ever, based loosely on a 1908 New York to Paris auto race, with slapstick adventures spread over 3 continents. (One scene filmed over 5 days is regarded as the greatest pie fight ever, with some 4,000 pies flung.) The budget started out at $6 million. Actual costs doubled, making The Great Race the most expensive comedy feature film ever at the time (1965). The score by Henry Mancini includes an overture, plus “He Shouldn't-A, Hadn't-A, Oughtn't-A Swang on Me,” The Sweetheart Tree,” They're Off,” “Push the Button, Max!", “The Royal Waltz," & "The Great Race March." The concert band selections were arranged by Stephen Bulla.

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Harry's Wondrous World (John Williams, 1932 - ). Harry's Wondrous World is the musical theme that represents Harry Potter in 2 of the Harry Potter movies -- Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets. The theme is heard during the closing credits of both of those films, & in key action moments during both. The theme opens with the familiar strains of "Hedwig's Theme" before transitioning into a tender & hopeful theme that develops into a lively & triumphant passage. Harry's Wondrous World was played during certain DVD special features for both films, but was not used in later Harry Potter feature films once the series moved on to other composers & darker dramatic themes.

-- xXx --​

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Around The World In 80 Minutes.

Concert Theme: Around The World In 80 Minutes
Ensemble: City Of Fairfax Band
Conductor: Robert Pouliot, music director
Host: Rich Kleinfeldt

When: Saturday, May 7, 2016 -- 7:30 PM

Venue: Ernst Theater
Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center
NOVA Annandale
8333 Little River Turnpike, CE
Fairfax, Virginia​

Travel with the City Of Fairfax Band on a musical journey via musical selections from across the world. Through this rich & varied program, imagine old Europe, stroll the English countryside, pass through the vibrant Southwest on the way to exotic Mexico, & experience the intrigue of Japan. All with no jet lag!

Tickets are on sale now.​

Hands Across The Sea (John Philip Sousa, 1854-1932). This favorite Sousa march was composed in 1899 & premiered at the Philadelphia Academy Of Music the same year. (The academy audience was so enthusiastic that the band had to play the march 3 times.) The origin of the march's title is uncertain, even though the phrase is consistent with the good will that the Sousa Band built on its multiple European & world tours. Sousa wrote on the score a quotation from the English diplomat John Hookham Frere (1769-1846): “A sudden thought strikes me; let us swear eternal friendship.” Sousa biographer Paul Bierley (1926-2016), noting that the march was composed when the memory of the Spanish-American War was fresh, wrote that the march is “addressed to no particular nation, but to all of America's friends abroad.”

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Mardi Gras (Ferde Grofé, 1892-1972). Ferde Grofé was born in New York City. After studying piano, viola, & composition in Leipzig, Germany, he became proficient on a wide range of instruments including piano, violin, viola, baritone-euphonium, alto horn, & cornet. After leaving home at age 14, he worked as a milkman, truck driver, usher, newsboy, elevator operator, book bindery helper, iron factory worker, & piano player in a bar for $2 a night. By age 15 he was performing with dance combos & playing alto horn in brass bands. He started playing jazz piano with the Paul Whiteman orchestra & was Whiteman's chief arranger from 1920 to 1932. Grofé's most memorable arrangement is George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue. Gershwin wrote it for two pianos. Grofé rewrote it for solo piano accompanied by jazz orchestra. Grofé's best known original compositions are Grand Canyon Suite (1931) & his 4-movement Mississippi Suite (1925), which the composer described as a “tone journey” down the Mississippi from its Minnesota headwaters all the way to New Orleans. “Mardi Gras,” the concluding movement of the Mississippi Suite, was scored for concert band by Erik W. G. Leidzén ( 1894-1962).

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The Lion King Soundtrack Highlights (arranged by Calvin Custer, 1939-1998). Disney's animated feature The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is in line to succeed his father, Mufasa, as king. But after Simba's uncle Scar murders Mufasa, Simba is deceived into believing that he was responsible, so he flees to exile in shame & despair. Growing up after living with a meerkat & a warthog, Simba gets some valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, & his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge his uncle & put an end to Scar's tyranny. Elton John & lyricist Tim Rice wrote 5 original songs for The Lion King -- “Circle of Life,” “I Just Can't Wait to Be King,” “Be Prepared,” “Hakuna Matata,” & “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” The film's score was composed by Hans Zimmer. The Lion King won 2 Academy Awards -- Best Original Score & Best Original Song (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”).

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Jamaican Rhumba (Arthur Benjamin, 1893-1960). Arthur Benjamin was born in Sydney, Australia, & lived with his parents there & in Brisbane. In 1911, he won a scholarship to the Royal College Of Music (London), where he studied composition, harmony, counterpoint, & piano. After military service in WW1, he returned to Australia in 1919 to become piano professor at the New South Wales State Conservatorium Of Music, Sydney. He returned to England in 1921 to become piano professor at the Royal College Of Music. He composed music for orchestras, chamber ensembles, & voices. He also wrote operas & film music. Arthur Benjamin is best known today for a suite titled Two Jamaican Pieces (“Jamaican Song” & “Jamaican Rhumba”), written in 1938 using melodies from the West Indies. "Jamaican Rhumba" is the composer's best known & most frequently heard piece, often in an arrangement by the composer for 2 pianos. The concert band arrangement of "Jamaican Rhumba" is by Philip J. Lang (1911-1986).

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A Yorkshire Overture (Philip Sparke, 1951 - ). Born in London in 1951, Philip Sparke studied composition, trumpet, & piano at the Royal College Of Music, where he earned an Associate degree. His participation in wind band at the college, together with a brass band that he formed, spurred his interest in music for wind instruments & percussion & led him to compose music both for brass band & for concert band. Favorable interest in his initial published pieces resulted in his receiving several commissions, including The Land Of The Long White Cloud written for the Centennial Brass Band Championships in New Zealand. He has written for brass band championships in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Holland, Australia, & New Zealand. In 1997, his Dance Movements, commissioned by the U.S. Air Force Band, won the prestigious Sudler Prize. Sparke wrote A Yorkshire Overture in 1991 on commission from Banks & Son Ltd., a Yorkshire-based music retailer. The piece was composed for a music festival featuring school bands through Yorkshire, England.

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Australian Up-Country Tune (Percy Aldridge Grainger, 1882-1961). Percy Grainger was born in the town of Brighton in Victoria, Australia. He was such a prodigy on piano that the proceeds of a series of concerts he played at age 12 paid for 6 years of conservatory study in Frankfurt, Germany. He toured Europe as a concert pianist, settling in London in 1901. When WW1 broke out, Grainer moved to the USA & enlisted in the U.S. Army as a saxophonist with the 15th Coastal Artillery Corps Band in New York City. He also worked on learning to play oboe, writing that “I long for the time when I can blow my oboe well enough to play in the band.” He became a U.S. citizen in 1918. After leaving the army in January 1919, Grainger refused an offer to become conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra & resumed his career as a concert pianist. He was soon performing about 120 concerts a year. At the conclusion of a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1928, Grainger married Ella Ström, a Swedish-born artist he had known since 1926. At the wedding, a choral version of Grainger's Australian Up-Country Tune was performed. Describing the piece, Grainger said, “I had wished to voice Australian up-country feeling as Stephen Foster had with American country-side feelings in his songs.” The piece was arranged for concert band by Glenn Cliffe Bainum (1888-1974).

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Kaddish (W. Francis McBeth, 1933-2012). The Kaddish is one of the most important & central elements in the Jewish liturgy. Kaddish cannot be recited alone. Along with some prayers, it can only be recited with a minyan of 10 believers. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification & sanctification of God's name. Kaddish often refers specifically to the mourner's Kaddish, said as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in all prayer services, as well as at funerals (other than at the burial site). When mention is made of “saying Kaddish,” this unambiguously refers to the rituals of mourning. Mourners say Kaddish to show that despite the loss they still praise God. The central line of the Kaddish in Jewish tradition is the congregation's response: “May His great name be blessed for ever, and to all eternity” -- a public declaration of God's greatness & eternality. Kaddish is the title, chosen by the composer, for a solemn piece written by W. Francis McBeth for a concert band, based on the chant of the prayer. McBeth composed Kaddish as a memorial for his teacher J. Clifton Williams (1923-1976).

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Orpheus In The Underworld (Jacques Offenbach, 1819-1880). The story of Orpheus & Eurydice from Greek mythology is so wonderful that many writers & composers have done their own interpretations. In the 1850s, Jacques Offenbach re-did it as a comic operetta. In Offenbach’s 2-act spoof, Orpheus is teaching music at the conservatory of Thebes. He is married to Eurydice but they are not in love with each other. Eurydice runs away with the King Of The Underworld. Orpheus is glad she’s gone, but a powerful character in the operetta named Public Opinion makes Orpheus venture into the underworld try to get Eurydice back. Orpheus eventually succeeds in losing Eurydice completely. They live happily ever after in complete separation. The overture, & the entire production, are full of humor, fun, color, & great tunes, including the famous can-can. The overture was arranged for military band by A. Hibbbert.

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Morning, Noon, & Night In Vienna Overture (Franz von Suppé, 1819-1895). When Suppé's father sent him to study law, Franz studied music on the side. When his father died, Franz gave up law & went all-in for music. He composed about 30 operettas plus 180 farces, ballets, & other stage pieces. Though he composed some sacred works late in his life, his output is almost entirely theater music -- popular entertainment that in its own era was on a par with Broadway musicals of today. Morning, Noon, & Night In Vienna is one of Suppé's earliest works. The overture did not relate to the story line so much as serve to grab the attention of the audience, quiet down the house, & set the mood for the entertainment to come. Even at age 24, Suppé had a feel for how to win over an audience through a pleasant, unpretentious bit of fluff. The original stage comedy sank into an obscurity fitting a so-so entertainment in a form longer in vogue, but its vibrant, charming overture lives on as a pops concert favorite. The overture was arranged for concert band by Henry Fillmore (1881-1956). (Note adapted from Immaculata Symphony, Immaculata PA.)

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El Torero (Hudson Nogueira). Hudson Nogueira was born in Itapetininga in rural São Paulo State, Brazil. He grew up in the small city of Porangaba, which is also located in rural São Paulo. At an early age, he began his studies & graduated from the Escola Superior de Música Mazarteum in São Paulo in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in clarinet performance. In 1995, he began his career as a composer with his 1st pieces written for chamber ensembles. Receiving great success, he was inspired to take his 1st steps in the world of symphonic music. Many works followed, all currently being registered by official recordings. In 1998, he became the resident composer at the Conservatório Dramático e Musical Dr. Carlos de Campos in Tatuí, São Paulo. His pieces have been performed by many various chamber, symphonic, & popular ensembles throughout Brazil & other various countries including Hungary, Ukraine, France, Italy, Spain, & the United States. Along with his work as a classical composer, Hudson has never forgotten his passion for Brazilian popular music, which can always be seen in his chamber & symphonic works. El Torero is a Latin-style march in pasodoble style. (Information taken from brazilianmusicpublications.com )

-- oOO --​

Ryukyuan Fantasy For Band (Ito Yasuhide, 1960 - ). Ito Yasuhide is best known as a concert pianist & composer of band music. He majored in composition at Tokyo National University Of Fine Arts & Music, graduating in 1986. While still at the university, he started gaining national and international acclaim by winning several musical competitions, including 1st prize at the 1980 Shizuoka Music Competition for piano & 3rd prize at the 1982 Japan Music Competition for piano. He won an award at the 1987 Competition for Saxophone Music, & the 1994 Academy prize from the Band Masters Academic Society of Japan. Japan's Ryukyu Islands are a chain extending southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan. The largest of the islands is Okinawa. Ryukuan Fantasy For Band had its premiere performance May 14, 1999, by the NTT East Tokyo Wind Ensemble, conducted by Yamada Masahiro.

-- oOo --​

Valdres March (Johannes Hanssen, 1874-1967). Johannes Hanssen was one of Norway's most active & influential bandmasters, composers, & teachers during the 1st half of 20th century. He was born in Ullensaker, a small town near Oslo, & played in a military band in Oslo as a young boy. He was bandmaster of the Oslo Military Band 1926-1934 & 1945-1946. Hanssen received many honors in his lifetime, including the King's Order Of Merit In Gold & King Haakon VIII's Jubilee Medal. Valdres March, written in 1902, is Hanssen's most famous composition. The title has geographic as well as musical meaning. Valdres is a beautiful region in Norway between Oslo & Bergen. The 1st 3 measures of the march contain a signature fanfare, based on an ancient melody, for the Valdres Battalion. Other melodies in the piece derive from a Hardanger fiddle tune & a pentatonic folk song heard over a typical Norwegian drone bass. Valdres March was 1st performed in 1904 by the band of the Second Regiment Of Norway, with the composer himself playing baritone horn. (Note adapted from Foothill Symphonic Winds, Los Altos, California.)

-- xXx --​

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Ghosts, Ghouls, & Goblins -- Fairfax Band "Fright Night" Concert October 22, 2016.

Virginia's City Of Fairfax Band, Robert Pouliot music director, is putting on a Halloween-themed concert 7:30 PM on October 22, 2016, in the auditorium of Fairfax High School, 3501 Rebel Run, Fairfax VA. Tickets are on sale now.

The musical selections . . .

Phantasmagoria (Randol Alan Bass, 1953 - ). Before the invention of motion pictures, there were no horror movies. Poducers who wanted to put on scary shows featuring special effects were pretty much limited to phantasmagoria -- a form of horror theatre which used magic lanterns to project frightening images like skeletons, demons, devils, witches, vampires, ghosts, zombies, monsters, & various unspeakable horrors onto surfaces, into smoke, or through semi-transparent screens, frequently using rear projection. Movable & portable projectors were used, allowing the projected image to move & change size on the screen. Multiple projecting devices allowed for quick switching of different images. Phantasmagoria got started in late 18th century Germany, to lend an air of believability to spirit-summoning seances. The effect was chillingly scary in its day, & phantasmagoria gained popularity through most of Europe, & England especially, all through the 19th century. Phantasmagoria came to the United States in May 1803 at Mount Vernon Garden, New York. A few modern theatrical troupes in the United States & Britain still put on phantasmagoria projection shows, especially at Halloween. Composer Randol Alan Bass evokes the shifting, frightening, terror-inspiring mood of the old magic-lantern specters & shadows in his 2011 concert band piece titled Phantasmagoria. The three movements are subtitled Prelude, Buried Alive, and Demon Dance.

--oOo--​

The Inferno (Robert W. Smith, 1958 - ). With more than 600 publications in print, Robert W. Smith is one of the most popular & prolific composers currently writing concert band & orchestral music. He received a bachelor's degree in music education from Troy University (Alabama) & a master's degree in music & media writing & production from the University of Miami (Florida), where he studied under legendary composer Alfred Reed. The Inferno, commissioned by the James Madison University Band, & published in 1995, is the opening movement of Robert W. Smith's Symphony No. 1, titled The Divine Comedy. The music follows the events of Dante's epic 14th century poem, building musical references to the certain cantos of The Inferno. Enormous crescendos, furious percussion, & towering blocks of sound imaginatively portray Dante’s vision of hell. Dante's Divine Comedy relates the poet's travels through the 3 realms of the dead -- Inferno, Purgatorio, & Paradiso -- a journey lasting from the night before Good Friday to the Wednesday after Easter in the spring of 1300. The Roman poet Virgil guides Dante through Hell and Purgatory. Beatrice, Dante's ideal woman, guides him through Heaven.

--oOo--​

The Witch & The Saint (Steven Reineke, 1970 - ). Steven Reineke is a conductor, composer, & arranger from Cincinnati, Ohio, now living in New York City where he is music director of the New York Pops. He showed early musical talent on trumpet & taught himself to play piano at age 15. He continued trumpet studies at Miami University of Ohio, receiving bachelor of music degrees, with honors, in trumpet performance & music composition. Reineke's tone poem titled The Witch & the Saint is a musical description of the lives of twin sisters Helena & Sibylla, who were born in Germany at the end of the 16th century, a time when the phenomenon of twin births was seen as a bad omen. And in fact the girls both had the gift of clairvoyance, an uncanny ability to see events to come that had not yet taken place. Sibylla was called witch & sorceress & was hated and feared for that. The best she could do was to learn midwifery & serve in that way to be helpful. Helena, who was sent away to a convent to be raised as a nun, by contrast was revered as a saint & a sage once her supernatural ability was discovered. The tide turned for both sisters when Sibylla was jailed as a witch & Helena attempted to rescue her. Their lives did not end happily. The Witch & the Saint was commissioned as a gift to the Youth Brass Orchestra of Ellwangen (Germany) in recognition of the ensemble's 50th anniversary. (Note adapted from Wikipedia.org )

--oOo--​

Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath, (Hector Berlioz, 1803-1869). In 1827 Berlioz attended a performance of Hamlet in which a charismatic actress played the role of Ophelia. Struck by her beauty & stage presence, Berlioz fell desperately in love. Over the next 2 years he conceived a way to channel his agitated feelings into a work of art -- a “fantastic symphony” created out of the subjective experiences of a young musician in love. It was also an attempt to attract the unattainable woman's attention. The idea took shape during 1829 & was completed by mid-April 1830. A revolutionary treatment of melody, an audacious form, & Berlioz's brilliantly innovative instrumentation made the Symphonie Fantastique a keystone of Romanticism in music. The premiere was December 5, 1830, at the Paris Conservatoire. Over the next 2 years, Berlioz not only revised the score extensively but also successfully courted the actress. The pair married in 1833. The concert program that Berlioz wrote & published before the premiere reveals the Symphonie Fantastique as a romantically heightened self-portrait. In the 5th movement, he sees himself in the midst of a frightful throng of ghosts, witches, monsters of every kind, who have assembled for his funeral. Strange noises, groans, bursts of laughter, distant cries. A beloved melody reappears, but it has lost its modesty & nobilty; it is no more than a vulgar dance tune, trivial & grotesque; it is she, coming to the sabbath. A joyous roar greets her arrival.... She joins in the devilish orgy.... A funeral knell, a parody of the Dies irae. A sabbath round-dance. The Dies irae & the round-dance are combined. (The symphonic band transcription is by R. Mark Rogers.)

--oOo--​

Funeral March of a Marionette (Charles Gounoud, 1818-1893). Gounod intended to dedicate the piece satirically to a noted music critic. But the critic died before the piece could be published, so Gounod's English patron, Georgina Weldon (1837-1914) came up with the idea of a story for the music based on a funeral procession for a string puppet killed in a duel. Even though it is an orchestral concert piece, its fanciful nature puts it in the same mock-spooky category as “The Munsters,” “The Addams Family,” and “Monster Mash.” Funeral March of a Marionette has been recorded many times, including by John Philip Sousa's own band in 1903. It was used in a number of Hollywood movies as musical accompaniment in the silent film era & in the talkies starting in 1929. For 10 years it was television theme music in a variety of arrangements for the long-running series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1965), reaching a wider audience than all the concert halls in the world. The concert band arrangement is by Miguel C. Mayrelles (1830-1900).

--oOo--​

A Night on Bald Mountain (Modeste Moussorgsky, 1839-1881). The piece was composed in 1860, but never used, for a play titled The Witch, which was based on an ancient Russian legend. Bald Mountain, near Kiev, is the legendary gathering place of witches from all over Russia. One day each year, they come to celebrate a Black Mass. They dance insanely to gain Satan's favor. At the height of their frenzy, a church bell tolls the coming of the dawn & breaks the spell. A songbird welcomes the daybreak. From the valley shadowed by Bald Mountain, a song greets the sunrise. Good triumphs over evil. The sacred trumps the profane. This music, Moussorgsky's 1st and only tone poem, was not performed in any version during the composer's lifetime. Five years after Moussorgsky died, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov published an arrangement of the piece, which he described as a "fantasy for orchestra." It became a concert favorite following its 1886 premiere, & entered the mass media in 1940 when an arrangement of it by Leopold Stokowski was featured in Walt Disney's animated feature Fantasia. Night on Bald Mountain was scored for concert band by William A. Schaefer.

--oOo--​

Soundtrack Highlights from Disney's Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Alan Menken, 1949 - ). Victor Hugo's 1831 gothic novel takes place in France in 1482, the day of the Festival Of Fools in Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, is crowned Pope of Fools. Esmeralda, a beautiful Gypsy with a kind & generous heart, captures the hearts of many, including Captain Phoebus, but especially Quasimodo & his adopted father, Archdeacon Claude Frollo, who is torn between lust for Esmeralda & the rules of the church. He orders Quasimodo to kidnap Esmeralda, but the hunchback is suddenly captured by Phoebus & his guards, who save Esmeralda. Quasimodo is sentenced to be whipped. Esmeralda, seeing that Quasimodo suffers from thirst, offers him water. That act of kindness saves her, for in it she captures Quasimodo's heart. Esmeralda is later charged with the attempted murder of Phoebus, whom Frollo actually attempted to kill in jealousy, & she is sentenced to hang. As she is being led to the gallows, Quasimodo swings down by the bell rope of Notre Dame & carries her off to sanctuary in the cathedral. Clopin, known as King Of The Criminals, rallies the criminals of Paris to charge the cathedral & rescue Esmeralda. King Louis XI, seeing the chaos, cancels the law of sanctuary & commands his troops to kill Esmeralda. When Quasimodo sees the criminals, he assumes they are there to hurt Esmeralda, so he drives them off. Frollo betrays Esmeralda by handing her to the troops & watches while she is hanged. Quasimodo pushes him from the heights of Notre Dame to his death. Quasimodo then crawls off to Esmeralda's tomb with his arms around her body & eventually dies of starvation. Two years later, Esmeralda's skeleton is found with a broken neck, locked in embrace with Quasimodo's bones. When people try to pull them apart, Quasimodo's bones turn to dust. The Disney version (1996) takes major G-rated liberties with the original. In Disney's animated feature, as Frollo prepares to burn Esmeralda at the stake in front of a rioting crowd, Quasimodo, chained to the bell-tower, feels hopeless to save her. Frollo offers Esmeralda her freedom in exchange for her love. She refuses, & the execution commences. Seeing this, Quasimodo becomes enraged & breaks free. He swings down & rescues Esmeralda, taking her back to the cathedral & angrily declaring sanctuary for her. Frollo, however, storms into the cathedral just as the prisoners begin to break free in revolt with the citizenry. Upstairs, Frollo finds Quasimodo crying over Esmeralda, who is apparently dead. Frollo, attempting to stab Quasimodo, is overpowered by Quasimodo instead. Just as Quasimodo prepares to kill Frollo, Esmeralda awakens. Quasimodo runs off with her onto the cathedral's balconies, with Frollo pursuing, sword in hand. As Quasimodo & Frollo struggle, they fall from the tower. Frollo falls to his death. Quasimodo is caught in mid-air by Phoebus and the 2 of them reunite with Esmeralda. Quasimodo comes to accept that Esmeralda & Phoebus love each other. With Esmeralda's help, he reluctantly emerges from isolation in the cathedral, & is finally accepted into society. Alan Menken's score for the film was nominated for an Academy Award. Calvin Custer's concert band arrangement of the soundtrack highlights features the songs “The Bells Of Notre Dame,” “Out There,” “Topsy Turvy,” “God Help The Outcasts,” and “Hellfire.”

--oOo--​

Shadow Waltzes (Brian Balmages, 1975 - ). Brian Balmages received his bachelor's degree in music from James Madison University (Virginia) & his master's degree from the University of Miami (Florida). Shadow Waltzes, an original composition for concert band, draws on the fleeting shapes of darkness against light, generating moods that are menacing at times, innocent at others, & seemingly out of control at the most volatile moments. An unchanging rhythmic pulse forms the backdrop for the entire piece as the shadows flicker into & out of the darkness, sometimes playfully & other times in a more somber mood.

--xXx--​

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Salvation Is Created (By Pavel Chesnokov).

One of the tunes, Salvation Is Created (by Pavel Tchesnokov, 1877-1944), gets me choked up whenever I hear it -- to the point that my throat narrows & it's hard to keep on playing. It had that effect even before I selected it as music for my mother's funeral 25 years ago. I suppose that's why I selected it. The combination of the music's beauty & its association with remembrance of my mother packs a powerful emotional wallop.

Click here for Salvation Is Created.

The emotional impact is still powerful, but over the past 6 years I've played the tune so many times that now I get through it just fine.

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

 

[MULTIZ321]

Alan,

Thanks for sharing. What a nice tribute to your mom whose spirit remains with you.

Richard

 

[AwayWeGo]

Barber, Bernstein, & Broadway — March 25, 2017, Concert By The City of Fairfax Band.

Information & program notes for Fairfax Band concerts have migrated to Mox Nix Blog . . .

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2017/0...-25-2017-concert-by-the-city-of-fairfax-band/

NOTE: Much of what's on Mox Nix Blog from its beginning originated on the pages of TUG-BBS over the years, mainly the TUG Lounge general discussion section.

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Legends Of The Air -- City Of Fairfax Band Concert set for March 13, 2017.

Program notes are on the internet at . . .

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2017/0...-13-2017-concert-by-the-city-of-fairfax-band/

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Halloween Music That's Scary But Not Too Scary . . .

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2017/1...alloween-music-thats-scary-but-not-too-scary/

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

 

[MULTIZ321]

Halloween Music That's Scary But Not Too Scary . . .

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2017/1...alloween-music-thats-scary-but-not-too-scary/

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

Hi Alan,

Thanks again for keeping this thread going.

I'm curious, what did you decide to do with all the sheet music?

 

[AwayWeGo]

Hi Alan,

Thanks again for keeping this thread going.

I'm curioua, what did you decide to do with all the sheet music?

The published scores & instrumental parts belong to Fairfax Band.

The City Of Fairfax Band & Fairfax High School Band share their music libraries, an arrangement that benefits both groups.

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Polkas & Fugues & Foxtrots — Music Meant For Motion.

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/polkas-fugues-foxtrots-music-meant-for-motion/

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

The Americans — (musical composers of the USA, not the Soviet spy TV show).

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2018/0...posers-of-the-usa-not-the-soviet-spy-tv-show/

 

[AwayWeGo]

Music Of The Stars.

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2018/09/12/music-of-the-stars/

 

[AwayWeGo]

City Of Fairfax Band Goes Hollywood.

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2019/02/23/city-of-fairfax-band-goes-hollywood/

 

[AwayWeGo]

Virginia’s City Of Fairfax Band Presents American Vistas.

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/virginias-city-of-fairfax-band-presents-american-vistas/

 

[DrQ]

Amazing thread. Standing ovations Alan!

 

[AwayWeGo]

ORIGINALS — A Concert Of Music Specially Composed For The City Of Fairfax Band.

https://moxnix.wordpress.com/2019/1...cially-composed-for-the-city-of-fairfax-band/

 

[AwayWeGo]

​

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

Cathedral Brass Virtual Ensemble Rendition Of Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee.

 

[b2bailey]

If there has been one bright spot for me during this time, it would be the wonderful assortment of music makers who have used this technology to share their gifts.

 

[AwayWeGo]

The social distancing & other safeguards that were put in to protect against spreading coronavirus just happened to blow up the entire rehearsal & performance schedules of just about all my musical groups. I'm really feeling the loss -- not just of the horn playing experience but also of the social contact with my band & brass ensemble friends.

Virtual ensemble internet performances are a pale shadow of the real thing. Even so, they are highly welcome in their own right & even more so in contrast to going completely without.

Hats off to all the Cathedral Brass people who participated in Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee -- & special thanks to Bill Wright for his creativity & skill in bringing together all the separate recorded segments into a nicely polished finished product.

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

 

[MULTIZ321]

Thanks Alan. You've lifted our hearts!

Richard