Northern Ireland BBC Proms in the Park Saturday 10 September 2011 8.00pm - 10.45 pm, Bangor Castle, Bangor

Welcome to BBC Proms in the Park, Northern Ireland from Castle Park, Bangor in County Down for a wonderful feast of music in the company of The Ulster Orchestra conducted by David Brophy, Barry Douglas, , Craig Ogden and Declan O’Rourke.

Listen Again to Radio Ulster Coverage of the Event

Part One

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- Overture to

Ulster Orchestra: Northern Ireland’s only full-time professional orchestra, with over 60 musicians. Most of the orchestra’s work is in the Ulster Hall and Waterfront but it’s members also record for the BBC, make CDs, give regional concerts and perform in schools.

At the baton: David Brophy, principal conductor of RTE Concert Orchestra. Tonight’s boss travels the world conducting mostly classical music – but he has also performed with U2 and Riverdance.

What’s an overture? Usually it’s a collection of the best bits from an opera. The audience hears the overture at the start, then recognises the big tunes when they come along later in the performance.

What’s quirky about this overture? It doesn’t contain any bits from the rest of the opera! Instead, it’s a fast moving, bright and breezy starter which is often used by itself in concerts.

Mozart is probably the most prominent composer of the elegant 18th Century classical style. He toured Europe performing as a child genius before building a career in Vienna. He was famous, but poor. More than anybody else, he uses simple scales to create sophisticated music which always feels elegant and balanced.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music Showcase - The Genius of Mozart Suzy Klein's favourite Mozart musical moments from Radio 3’s Mozart festival (Jan 1 – 12, 2011). o BBC - Music Showcase- Discovering music: The Marriage of Figaro Stephen Johnson explores Mozart's musical depiction of character and drama in The Marriage of Figaro. o BBC - Music - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Artist biography and selected works. o BBC - Proms 2006 -The Marriage of Figaro – Overture; Proms' programme notes on Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. o BBC Radio 3 Composer of the week H-Q Discover the life and works of the world's greatest composers with these free downloads from the BBC. o BBC - Learning - Bitesize - Mozart Revision notes on Mozart and the Classical period of Music. o Ulster Orchestra The Official Ulster Orchestra website.

Georges Bizet- March of the Toreadors from Carmen

Carmen – Probably the best known opera in the world…. Contains many tunes which are recognised by those who’ve never seen a full opera. This rousing march is one of them.

Bizet died of a heart attack at the age of 36 when his opera was still a commercial flop, scorned by the critics. Months later a production in Vienna was acclaimed by public and critics alike.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music - Georges Bizet Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Radio 3 - Building a library - Bizet Recommended recordings of Bizet's work. o Wikipedia- Carmen (novella) Bizet's opera is adapted from Prosper Mérimée's novella Carmen.

Lesley Garrett- Mercé, dilette amiche from Vespri Siciliani (Giuseppe Verdi)

Lesley Garrett - one of the UK’s most popular classical sopranos. She combines her successful international career as a singer with many television appearances on shows ranging from to .

Verdi – master of 19th Century Italian opera, composer of many instantly recognisable snippets of opera, such as the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves and La donna e mobile (which has nothing to do with a lady on the phone…)

What’s an aria? - This is one! It’s a self-contained song within an opera, usually with a very expressive tune. So when you hear someone singing part of an opera out of context, it’s almost always an aria you’re listening to.

What’s it about? - This aria is sung in the opera by Elena, who has just escaped execution and been told that she can marry Arrigo, the man she loves. The title means “Thank you, dear friends” – and in the aria she thanks everyone around her for the generous gift of flowers - and expresses her delight for the fact that she is soon to experience the intoxicating joy of marital love.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music - Giuseppe Verdi Artist biography and selected works. o BBC - Music - Showcase- Verdi Donald Macleod explores the operas of Verdi. o BBC Proms 2011 Video Highlights : Verdi: Soprano Solo from Requiem - excerpt A clip from Verdi's Requiem recorded in the for the second of the Proms Choral Sundays. o BBC Proms 2011 Video Highlights: Verdi: Dies Irae from Requiem - excerpt A clip from Verdi's Requiem recorded in the Royal Albert Hall for the second of the Proms Choral Sundays.

Lesley Garrett- The Impossible Dream (Mitch Leigh/Joe Darion)

The Impossible Dream – written in 1965 by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion as part of the musical, Man of La Mancha. It is sung in the musical by Don Quixote, a character of great imagination, whose mid-life crisis results in a series of failed adventures.

The song has become one of the standards of popular repertoire, recorded by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Carpenters.

Lesley Garret also performed this song at the London Proms in the Park in 2008, conducted by comedienne, , who had won the opportunity to conduct at the Proms on the BBC TV series, Maestro!

Find out more ... o BBC Radio 4 - Soul Music: The Impossible Dream This Radio 4 programme explores the song which has inspired generations of listeners. o BBC - Music – Lesley Garrett: Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Learning Zone - Lesley Garrett – Opera singing A group of young musicians listen to Lesley Garret sing. Lesley explains why breathing is the most important thing when singing. o Wikipedia - Don Quixote Read the plot summary from Cervantes's Don Quixote.

Karl Jenkins – First Movement from Palladio

Strings only – This is a very exposed piece for the strings, and they have to work hard to create a beautiful rich blend of sound.

Palladio - written in 1996, but inspired by a 16th Century Venetian architect called Andrea Palladio. He rediscovered and reused some of the principles of classical Roman architecture. In a similar way, Karl Jenkins takes some of the principles of classical musical style and presents them in a fresh new way for modern listeners.

This piece has become something of a jewel in the crown for Karl Jenkins, thanks to its appearance in a long-running series of TV commercials.

Jenkins is also known for creating large choral works such as The Armed Man and Adiemus. For Adiemus, Jenkins famously set his music to meaningless “words”, so that listeners can focus on the pure soundscape of the vocal music.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music- Karl Jenkins Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Radio 4- Desert Island Disc - Karl Jenkins Listen to Karl Jenkins's Desert Island selection of music and books. o BBC News - Architecture- Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy A clip from Newsnight exploring the architect Andrea Palladio's life and legacy.

Craig Ogden - Cavatina from The Deer Hunter (Stanley Myers)

Craig Ogden – one of the world’s finest classical guitarists. Born in Australia, his work has taken him all over the world. He was the youngest instrumentalist ever to be awarded a prestigious Fellowship from the Royal Northern College of Music.

Thanks to an early recording by guitar legend , Cavatina by Stanley Myers was famous some time before the release of the film, The Deer Hunter, which uses it as its main theme. Some listeners may also remember it was the music from the Gallery in the children’s programme, Take Hart, where we also first met Morph.

The melody is very simple to the ear, but requires real technical skill to play well. The guitarist has to move the position of his left hand many times whilst keeping the notes incredibly smooth, so that the phrases of the tune don’t break up. Watch how Craig manages to achieve this balance between getting his hands round the instrument and keeping the tune going seamlessly.

Find out more ... o BBC Learning Zone - Music for Film Master Class by Alex Heffers Acclaimed film composer Alex Heffers has written music for, among others, 'Touching the Void' and 'The Last King of Scotland', and here he offers an insight into the role and practice of his profession. o Wikipedia - Stanley Myers Biography of Stanley Myers, British film composer o Wikipedia - The Deer Hunter The Deer Hunter was made in 1978 and follows the lives of a trio of Russian American steel worker friends who leave their American home town to fight in Vietnam War. o BBC - Bitesize Vietnam War 1954-1975 Revision notes on the causes and effects of The Vietnam War

Craig Ogden – Adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez (Joaquín Rodrigo)

Concerto de Aranjuez – probably one of the most famous classical guitar pieces ever, composed in Paris in 1939. Rodrigo was blind from the age of 3 because of diphtheria and had to write his compositions in Braille.

Rodrigo was something of a one-hit wonder among his contemporaries, but this concerto has done more than any other to earn the Spanish guitar its position as a serious instrument for classical music. Rodrigo was honoured with a hereditary title (1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez) because of his contribution to Spanish music.

What’s a concerto? – it’s a piece for orchestra which features one prominent solo instrument – in this case the guitar. Typically concertos have 3 separate movements – fast/slow/fast.

The Adagio is the slow movement of Rodrigo’s concerto, which he said was like a dialogue between the guitar and various other solo instruments in the orchestra. Rodrigo’s wife, Victoria, went on to claim that the mood of the movement reflected his devastation at the miscarriage of their first pregnancy.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music- Showcase - Rodrigo Guitar Concertos Charles Hazlewood, the BBC Concert Orchestra and Craig Ogden examine two guitar concertos by Rodrigo - the Concierto de Aranjuez and the Fantasia para un Gentilhombre. o Wikipedia- Joaquín Rodrigo Biography of the Spanish composer. o Wikipedia - Concierto de Aranjuez Description of the composition inspired by the gardens at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.

Snow Patrol Medley

Snow Patrol – Bangor’s alternative rock band. Formed in 1994 at Dundee University. Now megastars.

Ulster Orchestra playing Snow Patrol? Yes, it’s unusual. But this is Bangor, and these are the songs written by our own boys. This performance probably won’t be quite as loud as when the band themselves played two open air concerts in Bangor’s Ward Park, but it’s still worth a listen. Sit back and enjoy.

Did you know? Snow Patrol were previously called Polar Bear, but had to change their name because of legal complications – another band had the same name…

Find out more ...

o BBC - Music - Snow Patrol Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Music - Showcase - Snow Patrol and Iain Archer Gary and Nathan from Snow Patrol join Iain Archer at the re-opening of Belfast's Ulster Hall.

INTERVAL

Part Two

Beethoven- Third Movement from Piano Concerto No. 5 (Ludwig van Beethoven)

Barry Douglas – Belfast’s most famous concert pianist. Won the gold medal in the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition – the first non Russian to do so since 1958. He is now one of its judges. Barry has performed with most of the world’s major orchestras and has recorded many classical albums.

Concerto – a piece for orchestra plus one prominent solo instrument – in this case, piano. The whole concerto has three movements but we’re only hearing the finale.

Beethoven – a musical visionary, largely responsible for instigating what musicians now call the Romantic style. Famously began to go deaf at the age of 26 but kept on performing for another 15 years, composing until he died. A failed performance of the piece we hear tonight was the final catalyst which made him give up the lucrative work as a live performer.

The 5th Piano Concerto – usually called the Emperor, but it wasn’t given that name by Beethoven - he had little respect for emperors! It is given this name because the tunes are dramatic and powerful, with more than a whiff of the heroic.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music - Ludwig van Beethoven Artist biography and selected works. o BBC - Music - Showcase – Ludwig van Beethoven Donald Macleod explores the music of Beethoven's last 12 years. o BBC Radio 3 – The Beethoven Experience Find out more about the composer, his music, his politics and his life. o BBC Radio 3 – Ludwig van Beethoven, Years of Crisis: An exploration into the key years of Beethoven’s life. o BBC Radio 3 - Musical Genres: Romantic Description of the Romantic style of music composition and composers. o BBC History Britain and the French Revolution Dr Mark Philips explores the French Revolution's effect on Britain. o BBC Podcasts – Radio 3 - Composer of the week A - G Discover the life and works of the world's greatest composers with these free downloads from the BBC.

Barry Douglas - My Lagan Love (Irish Traditional)

My Lagan Love - a beautiful Irish folk song, performed in an arrangement for solo piano.

Because it’s a folk song it was probably taught by people singing it to each other, rather than being written down. Often there is controversy about the history of songs like this, and this one is no exception. Some dare to suggest the Lagan referred to in the song is a stream that flows into Lough Swilly, rather than the river that runs through Belfast. Either way – it’s a moment of beauty and quiet simplicity.

Find out more ... o BBC Learning Zone – The Conductor Grant Llewellyn introduces himself and demonstrates his role as the conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. o BBC Learning Zone - Young conductors - Jessica Cottis Jessica Cottis, Conducting Fellow Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama talks about the challenges of being a young female conductor in a role which is predominantly performed by men. o BBC Learning Zone - Mark O'Keefe This clip features a solo performance of the traditional Irish piece, 'My Lagan Love'. o Wikipedia - Barry Douglas A biography of the Northern Irish Composer.

Barry Douglas – Third Movement from Piano Concerto No. 1 (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)

Tchaikovsky’s parents didn’t want him to have a career in music, so for three years he was in the Russian civil service. But the lure of music was too great and he soon became one of the leading figures of the Romantic era (late 19th Century).

Tchaikovsky wrote the piece to be played by Nikolai Rubinstein. However, when Rubinstein heard it he thought it was unplayable rubbish and said so. Tchaikovsky was sufficiently sure of himself to publish it anyway, after scoring out the dedication to Rubinstein at the top! Once the piece became well known, Rubinstein changed his mind and became an admirer of it.

We’re hearing the finale of this concerto. It’s really dramatic stuff – extremely challenging for the pianist. Again, it’s a Rondo with the same theme recurring throughout the movement.

Find out more ... o BBC Music - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Music Showcase – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Donald Macleod investigates a little-known 'lost decade' in the middle of Tchaikovsky's life. o BBC Bitesize – The Concerto in the Romantic Period Revision notes on the use of the concerto during the Romantic period. o BBC Radio 3 - Musical Genres: Romantic Description of the Romantic style of music composition and composers. o BBC Radio 3 Composer of the week R-Z Discover the life and works of the world's greatest composers with these free downloads from the BBC.

Max Steiner – Tara’s Theme from Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind is famous for being the highest grossing film of all time with a Box Office take of $1,610,295,700, (adjusted for inflation).

Max Steiner is sometimes called the “Father of Film Music”, and this iconic theme is undoubtedly his most famous. He has an impressive CV - taught piano by Brahms and composition by Mahler, he has also worked with Gershwin and Jerome Kern in musicals.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music - Max Steiner Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Radio 4 Film Programme 15/10/2010 joins Francine Stock to play and discuss the work of composer Max Steiner, famous for Casablanca and Gone With The Wind. o BBC Bitesize - Music for film Revision notes on composing musical scores for film. o BBC Learning Zone - Composing music for film and television Debbie Wiseman describes the process she adopts when composing music for a film. o BBC Learning Zone - Composing music for a film Composer Debbie Wiseman reflects on the process of composition for film music. We see a clip of a dramatic murder scene with accompanying soundtrack. o Wikipedia - Gone with the Wind Information about the Academy Award winning 1939 Epic.

Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune (Orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski)

If Beethoven was the transition composer between the Classical and the Romantic Styles, Debussy was the pioneer between the Romantic era and the modern music of the 20th Century. It sometimes feels like his music simply swirls from bar to bar without the constraints of normal musical structure.

This piece was first written as part of a suite for piano, but the rest of the suite has effectively suffered a lunar eclipse, since this little miniature became Debussy’s most celebrated work. We hear it tonight in an orchestral arrangement by American conductor Leopold Stokowski.

Clair de Lune means “shining of the moon” but originally it was called “Promenade sentimentale” (romantic walk). Whichever image you have in your head as you listen, you’ll find this piece very evocative.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music – Claude Debussey Artist biography and selected works. o BBC - Music - Showcase - Claude Debussy Donald Macleod begins by exploring Debussy's life and work, focusing on the historical and political background to his music. o BBC Radio 3 – Building a Library: Debussy Recommended recordings of Debussy. o BBC Podcasts – Radio 3 - Composer of the week A - G Discover the life and works of the world's greatest composers with these free downloads from the BBC. o BBC Learning Zone – Claude Debussy Watch an introduction to classical music and the work of Claude Debussy.

Declan O’Rourke- Galileo Declan O’Rourke- A Little Something to Make Her Mine

Declan’s first album was released in 2004. Before that he was, by his own admission, one of Ireland’s best kept secrets – but when the album achieved double platinum status he began to be noticed beyond these shores.

The album is called Since Kyabram, because a priest in Kyabram, Australia, spotted Declan’s flair for music and gave him his first guitar when he was 13.

Paul Weller was recently asked which song from the last 20 years he wishes he had written. The reply was Galileo by Declan O’Rourke.

Find out more ... o BBC Music – Declan O’Rourke Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Introducing – Song writing Advice and information on song writing. o BBC Introducing – Musical Masterclass Watch the video as Zane Lowe discusses the art of song writing with Mark Ronson and Gary Barlow. o Wikipedia - Declan O'Rourke A biography of singer / songwriter Declan O’Rourke, with some useful web links and information.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Main Title from Captain Blood

Erich Korngold – one of the pioneers of modern film music. Critics thought much of his music was out of fashion by the time he was writing it and for many years his work was ignored by musical scholars. More recently, his role in the development of film music has been more widely appreciated.

Captain Blood was his first film score but he was given only three weeks to write it. Because of this, he used some small extracts of music by Liszt. Being a modest man, he insisted that the credits would say “Musical Arrangements by Erich Korngold” – even though over 90% of the music was genuinely original.

Find out more ... o BBC Music – Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Bitesize – Orchestral programme music Listen and learn about the three different types of orchestral programme music – the concert overture, the tone poem (or symphonic poem) and the programme symphony. o BBC Learning Zone – A composition for film Watch as film composer Simon Boswell provides a commentary on music he has written for a short film. He analyses each section for its dramatic content and writes appropriate musical responses. o Wikipedia - Captain Blood Description of the Swash-buckling film Captain Blood.

Lesley Garrett - Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz (Harold Arlen/EY Harburg)

This Academy-Award winning song was named greatest movie song of all time by the American Film Institute.

What is the secret of its perennial popularity? Is it the soaring melody? Is it that we’ve all heard it on the Wizard of Oz so many times that it evokes rose-tinted Christmas nostalgia? Or is it just that we all secretly wish we could fly? It must be the first two, otherwise the Orville song would still be popular…

Enjoy this beautiful melody in tonight’s especially sensitive orchestration.

Lesley Garrett - Come What May (David Baerwald/Kevin Gilbert)

This song was written in 2001 for Buz Lurhmann’s movie Moulin Rouge!, and originally sung by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. It couldn’t win an Academy Award, however, because it was originally intended to be used in another flim, Lurhmann’s Romeo and Juliet. In the movie the song acts as a coded message which the main characters use to convey their secret love for each other.

It was once recorded as a duet by Lesley Garrett and Michael Ball.

Find out more ... o BBC - Music – Lesley Garrett: Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Learning Zone - Lesley Garrett – Opera singing A group of young musicians listen to Lesley Garret sing. Lesley explains why breathing is the most important thing when singing. o BBC - Music - Showcase - Easy-Listening: Over the Rainbow Danielle sings Over the Rainbow o BBC 2 The Culture Show: Interview with Baz Luhrmann The visionary director behind Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann, talks in-depth to Mark Kermode. o Wikipedia - Wizard of Oz Description of the plot and characters from the 1939 musical fantasy film. o Wikipedia - Moulin Rouge! Description of the plot and characters from the 2001 film.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Flight of the Bumblebee

Rimsky-Korsakov wrote this at the turn of the 20th Century. It is very popular because it contains lots of notes and is a good test of a musicians’ agility. In 2010, violinist Oliver Lewis played this on Blue Peter and broke the record for the fastest performance, coming in at 1 minute 3.356 seconds. Will the orchestra break the one minute barrier tonight?

Did you know? A bumblebee can’t glide like a bird. It’s wings are too small for its weight and it is aerodynamically unstable. If it stays still it will fall. But just like a bike, if it creates enough turbulence with its wings it can keep moving forwards. Maybe this is why such frantic music is needed to depict such an unusual way of getting from A to B!

Find out more ... o BBC - Music - Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Radio 3 - A-Z of Composers - Rimsky-Korsakov Listen to archive programmes from Radio 3 about composers and their works. o BBC Nature - Bumblebees Find out more about these colourful insects. o BBC News: Mapping the flight of the bumblebee Bumblebees are being studied to find out how they organise their nectar-collecting journeys.

Eric Coates – Dambusters March

Eric Coates didn’t like writing film music and turned down many opportunities to do so. But in 1954 he made an exception for Dambusters because he had already completed the piece before the commission was given to him, and he realized his existing march would fit the bill. Eric Coates’ other big hit is a much calmer piece called By the Sleepy Lagoon, which has been the theme tune for Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 since 1942.

Find out more ... o BBC Music – Eric Coates Artist biography and selected works. o BBC History – The Dambusters Raid Learn about the legendary World War II tale of the Dambusters. o BBC Learning Zone - The Dambusters Commemorated A Lancaster bomber flies over a dam in Derbyshire to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the famous Dambusters raid on Germany in 1943. o Wikipedia Dambusters Description of the plot and characters of the 1955 film.

Arthur Sullivan – Overture from HMS Pinafore

HMS Pinafore was the fourth collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan. It is a comic opera, and a massive influence on modern stage musicals. The overture – unlike Mozart’s at the start of the evening – actually does contain several of the main tunes from the opera. Music from HMS Pinafore has been used in many contexts on film and tv, including Chariots of Fire, The Hand the Rocks the Cradle, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The West Wing – and even The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Find out more ... o BBC Music – Sir Arthur Sullivan Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Music - Sir Arthur Sullivan - Ivanhoe Review Review of Arthur Sullivan's opera Ivanhoe o BBC Music – Gilbert and Sullivan Artist biography and selected works. o Wikipedia - HMS Pinafore Description of plot and characters from the comic opera.

Aaron Copland - Hoe Down from Rodeo

Copland’s music is often typecast as the quintessential sound of American classical music. It is rich, warm and exuberant, and like American culture, draws from many influences.

Rodeo is a highly entertaining showcase for the whole orchestra - plenty for all the players to do. The percussionists are always worth watching as they manage the logistics of changing from instrument to instrument!

Hoe Down - a fast American folk dance. This one is part of a cowboy ballet, but is most often performed in its concert version. The original ballet was first performed in 1942 by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, who relocated to the USA during World War 2.

Copland uses several folk tunes to create the atmosphere of a cowboy jamboree.

Find out more ... o BBC Music – Aaron Copland Artist biography and selected works. o BBC Music Showcase – Copland Clarinet Concerto Listen as David Owen Norris joins the Northern Sinfonia conducted by David Lockington with the celebrated American clarinettist, Richard Stoltzman. Together they explore the ideas in Copland's jazz infused Clarinet Concerto. o BBC Four Interviews – Aaron Copland pt1 Listen to clips from his interview. o BBC Four Interviews – Aaron Copland pt2 Biography of the composer. o BBC Learning Zone - Appalachian Spring - a performance Watch this video clip as an orchestra performs Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland. The role of the conductor within the orchestra is discussed. o Wikipedia: Rodeo Description of the ballet scored by Copland and choreographed by Agnes de Mille.

John Philip Sousa – The Liberty Bell

"Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof!” – words from Leviticus in the Bible, cast on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, commissioned in 1752 as a powerful symbol of American independence.

Sousa wrote many military marches, but this one, written in 1893, is the most famous. It was never intended to be such a statement of American patriotism. Originally it was written to be part of a mini opera that never got finished and set to one side. After seeing a picture of the Liberty Bell, a friend suggested he should give that title to the discarded march. He then heard that his son had marched in a parade in honour of the Liberty Bell. Enjoying the coincidence turned out to be a good thing – because when published, the march was an instant success.

The piece has been performed at the inauguration of three US presidents. It was also the theme tune for Monty Python’s Flying Circus, in which comedy sound effects were added, including some artificial flatulence.

Find out more ... o BBC Music – John Philip Sousa Artist biography and selected works. o BBC 4 - Radio 4 - Front Row - 6/03/2002 A feature on John Philip Sousa's work. o BBC History: The American War of Independence Richard Holmes reviews the course of the American Revolutionary War. o Wikipedia: Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence. o Wikipedia: Monty Python's Flying Circus Description of the TV comedy series.