University Bands 2012–13 Season Sunday 18 November 2012 185Th Concert Miller Auditorium 3:00 P.M

University Bands 2012–13 Season Sunday 18 November 2012 185th Concert Miller Auditorium 3:00 p.m. UNIVERSITY CONCERT BAND John A. Lychner, Conductor Brad Pulverenti, Graduate Assistant Conductor John Philip Sousa The Thunderer (1889) 1854–1932 arr. Keith Brion/Loras Schissel Richard Strauss Allerseelen (1885) 1864–1949 Brad Pulverenti, Conductor arr. Albert O. Davis ed. Frederick Fennell Malcolm Arnold Four Scottish Dances (1957) 1921–2006 I. Pesante arr. John P. Paynter II. Vivace III. Allegretto IV. Con Brio UNIVERSITY SYMPHONIC BAND Robert L. Spradling, Conductor Matthew Pagel, Graduate Assistant Conductor with guest artists WESTERN BRASS QUINTET Scott Thornburg, Trumpet Stephen Jones, Trumpet Lin Foulk, Horn Daniel Mattson, Trombone Jacob Cameron, Tuba Clifton Williams Symphonic Dance Number 3 – “Fiesta” (1965) 1923–1976 Matthew Pagel, Conductor Scott Lindroth Passage (2010) b. 1958 Eric Ewazen Shadowcatcher (1996) b. 1954 I. Offering to the Sun II. Among the Aspens III. The Vanishing Race IV. Dancing to Restore an Eclipsed Moon with the Western Brass Quintet Building emergencies will be indicated by the flashing exit lights and sounding of alarm s within the seating area. Please walk, DO NO T RUN, to the nearest exit. Ushers will be located near exits to assist patrons. Please turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices during the perform ance. Because of legal issues, any video or audio recording of this performance is prohibited without prior consent from the School of M usic. Thank you for your cooperation. PROGRAM NOTES compiled by John Lychner and Brad Pulverenti Sousa, The Thunderer determined that Sousa had no association with that newspaper at the time. It was also thought that the Known as “The March King,” John Philip Sousa and “thunderer” might have been one of the Masons in his music reflect the idealism, energy, and growth that charge of making arrangements for the 1889 were seen in the United States at the dawning of the conclave, possibly Myron M. Parker, who worked 20th century. Sousa was a prolific composer and a tirelessly to make the event a huge success, but no one consummate showman. He was named the conductor is certain. of the United States Marine Band at the age of 26 and toured with them for decades. A concert by the Regardless of attribution, The Thunderer is a Marine Band was a special event at a time when few wonderful example of Sousa’s work at the height of American orchestras existed. They were the premiere his career. While fairly typical of Sousa’s march ensemble in the country and Sousa, his music, and his writing, it does include a notable “quote” of sorts. In band were famous, both in the United States and the second section of the march, Sousa included an around the world. adaptation of an earlier piece called Here’s Your Health, Sir! which he had written for The Trumpet and The Thunderer march was dedicated to Columbia Drum in 1886. Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar, of Washington, D.C. It was composed on the occasion of the Twenty-fourth Triennial Conclave of the Grand Strauss, Allerseelen Encampment held in October 1889. Sousa had been “knighted” in that organization three years earlier. Richard Strauss was a German conductor and composer who is mostly known now for his tone Sousa’s daughter, Helen, made it known that The poems and operatic works. He was born in Munich to Thunderer was her mother’s favorite march. She also a professional horn player and his wife and began indicated that she believed that the “thunderer” might studying, performing, and composing music at a very have been her father’s salute to The London Times, young age. These early efforts by Strauss would which was known as “the thunderer,” but it has been eventually propel him to a professional career as he bridged the divide between the Romantic and verses, these newer arrangements include a longer Contemporary periods of music history, being introduction, three versus that are written in a influenced by Wagner and providing a model for rounded binary (ABA) form with the middle section Schoenberg and Ravel. being of a developmental nature, and a codetta. Allerseelen was originally written by Strauss as part of In all of its forms, Allerseelen exhibits intense a collection of eight leider titled, Acht Gedichte aus Romanticism. Even though its tonal center is E-Flat “Letzte Blätter” Opus 10, in 1885 when he was just Major, the work visits various key signatures 21 years old. This song cycle was initially intended to throughout its length by using transitory modulations. be performed by soprano voice and piano and uses The powerful emotions conveyed through the music of the poetry of Hermann von Gilm zu Rosenegg the original setting combined with the various solos (1812–1864) as lyrics for its music. When translated and sectional timbres of the wind band arrangement into English, Allerseelen, the last song in the set, make this work nothing short of stunning! means “All Souls (Day).” Its text follows: Arnold, Four Scottish Dances Allerseelen All Souls (Day) Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England Stell auf den Tisch die Place on the table the to a musical family. His father was an amateur pianist duftenden Reseden, fragrant mignonettes, and his mother was an accomplished keyboard Die letzten roten Astern Bring inside the last red performer. His mother encouraged his early musical trag herbei, asters, pursuits and, after trying several instruments, he took Und laß uns wieder von And let us speak again to the trumpet, being fascinated by the playing of der Liebe reden, of love, Louis Armstrong. Arnold went on to study at the Royal Wie einst im Mai. as once we did in May. College of Music in London with Gordon Jacob as his principal teacher. He played in the London Philharmonic for a number of years before moving to Gib mir die Hand, daß Give me your hand, so Italy to focus on composition for a year. When he ich sie heimlich drücke that I can press it returned to England, he had completed the first of Und wenn man’s sieht, secretly; nine symphonies. Arnold went on to have a successful mir ist es einerlei, and if someone sees us, career as a composer, writing for various kinds of Gib mir nur einen it’s all the same to me. ensembles and for numerous films, including The deiner süßen Blicke, Just give me your sweet Bridge Over the River Kwai for which he won an Wie einst im Mai. gaze, Oscar in 1958. as once you did in May. Es blüht und funkelt heut With regard to Four Scottish Dances, Arnold wrote auf jedem Grabe, Flowers adorn today the following: Ein Tag im Jahre ist den each grave, sending off Toten frei, their fragrances; These dances were composed early in 1957, and are Komm an mein Herz, one day in the year are dedicated to the BBC Light Music Festival. They are all daß ich dich wieder the dead free. based on original melodies but one, the melody of habe, Come close to my heart, which was composed by Robert Burns. Wie einst im Mai. so that I can have you The first dance is in the style of a slow strathspey – a slow Scottish dance in 4/4 meter – with many dotted notes, frequently in the inverted arrangement of the Since the debut of Acht Gedichte aus “Letzte Blätter” “Scotch snap.” The name was derived from the strath Strauss and a few other composers have scored the valley of Spey. movements of the song cycle for full orchestra. Albert O. Davis then arranged Allerseelen for wind band in The second, a lively reel, begins in the key of E-Flat 1955 and Frederick Fennell later made a revised Major and rises a semi-tone each time it is played edition of Davis’s wind band arrangement. In contrast until the bassoon plays it, at a greatly-reduced speed, to the original version of Allerseelen that had only two in the key of G Major. The final statement of the dance is at the original speed in the home key of Passage was commissioned by the American E-Flat Major. Bandmasters Association and received its premiere at the Midwest Conference on December 15, 2010 in a The third dance is in the style of a Hebridean Song, performance by the United States Marine Band, (“The and attempts to give an impression of the sea and President’s Own”) conducted by Captain Michelle mountain scenery on a calm summer’s day in the Rakers. Hebrides. The last dance is a lively fling, which makes a great Ewazen, Shadowcatcher deal of use of the open-string pitches of the violin (saxophones in the band section). Eric Ewazen’s Shadowcatcher was commissioned by Butler University and premiered with the American Originally written for orchestra, John Paynter Brass Quintet on October 25, 1996. Edward Curtis, arranged Four Scottish Dances for band in 1978. the great American photographer who traveled Since then, it has become one of the staples of the throughout the American West during the early standard repertoire for concert band. decades of the 20th century, took literally tens of thousands of photographs of Native Americans. He chronicled their ancient lifestyle capturing a time and place destined to disappear in the face of the modern PROGRAM NOTES age. His mysterious, beautiful, and powerful compiled by Robert Spradling photographs had a distinctive play of light and dark, and the Indians dubbed him the “Shadowcatcher.” Williams, Symphonic Dance Number 3 – “Fiesta” Four of his photographs are the inspiration for this Symphonic Dance Number 3, Fiesta, was one of five concerto for brass quintet and wind band.

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