GESÙ BAMBINO GESÙ BAMBINO Christmas Pastorale for Concert Band Grade 3.5 Though lesser known than some Christmas melodies, this stately, pastoral work incorporates the chorus of “O Come All Ye Faithful” (or “Adeste Fideles”) into the writing. The original melody by Yon is rather remarkable in its elegant beauty, and sounds timeless and enchantingly ancient, though it was written rather recently in 1917. Pietro Yon was an organist who spent most of his career at the St. Patrick Cathedral in New York. Yon was well regarded in his lifetime by Pietro Yon fellow musicians. Notably among his pupils was the celebrated American songwriter Cole Porter and, upon his passing edited by in 1943, Arturo Toscanini himself was among those who attended his large funeral. This arrangement begins softly with a simple statement of the melody in the trumpets. The theme expands as it is passed around the various instrumental R. Mark Rogers choirs with increasing use of counterpoint. Culminating in a joyous exaltation, the music winds to a gentle and serene conclusion. The score is well-cued in key sections where the melody is prominent. Yon/ Rogers R. Mark Rogers began wri�ng for band while in high school, and con�nued with degrees from Texas Tech University and the University of Texas. Director of Publica�ons for Southern Music Company from 1993 and Managing Editor of the firm since 2015, Rogers has authored edi�ons of the music of Percy Grainger and John Philip Sousa that have entered band repertory worldwide. He is also widely published as an arranger and transcriber, with performances by all five of the Washington, DC service bands. Dr. Rogers is the conductor of the Heart of Texas Concert Band and serves on the adjunct faculty of San Antonio College, Texas Lutheran University and Trinity University. Prior to coming to San Antonio, he was on the faculty of the University of South Alabama and a staff member of the University of Texas Longhorn Band. A bassoonist, he performs with the orchestras of Corpus Chris�, Victoria, Laredo, San Antonio and Aus�n, as well as the Mid-Texas Symphony. He is ac�ve in church music and occasionally appears in music theater, Southern Music performing numerous roles in the opere�as of Gilbert and Sullivan. Sudie, his wife of forty years, their children and spouses (and grandchildren), are the joy of his later years. S965CB Band Repertoire Classics Series U.S. $75.00 R HL00236118 R MUSIC S965CB HL00236118 MUSIC FULL SCORE Pietro A. Yon Gesù Bambino The Infant Jesus Pastorale for Christmas Arranged for Symphonic Band by R. Mark Rogers INSTRUMENTATION 1-FULL SCORE 2-1st TRUMPET in Bb 2-1st FLUTE 2-2nd TRUMPET in Bb 2-2nd FLUTE 2-3rd TRUMPET in Bb 2-3rd FLUTE 1-1st HORN in F 1-1st OBOE 1-2nd HORN in F 1-2nd OBOE 1-3rd HORN in F 1-CLARINET in Eb 1-4th HORN in F 4-1st CLARINET in Bb 2-1st TROMBONE 4-2nd CLARINET in Bb 2-2nd TROMBONE 4-3rd CLARINET in Bb 2-3rd TROMBONE 1-ALTO CLARINET in Eb 3-EUPHONIUM in Treble or Bass Clef 2-BASS CLARINET in Bb 4-TUBAS 2-CONTRA ALTO CLARINET in Eb 1-STRING BASS 1-1st BASSOON 3-PERCUSSION: Timpani, Suspended 1-2nd BASSOON Cymbal, Bells, and Chimes 2-1st ALTO SAXOPHONE in Eb 2-2nd ALTO SAXOPHONE in Eb 2-TENOR SAXOPHONE in Bb 1-BARITONE SAXOPHONE in Eb Grade 3.5 Duration: SAMPLE Approx. 4:30 Minutes Copyright © 2017 Southern Music Company (ASCAP). International Copyright secured. All rights reserved. Gesù Bambino is an Italian-American Christmas carol composed by Pietro Yon in 1917 to an Italian text. An English text by Frederick H. Martens has commonly been used in American performances, although the English text bears no more than a partial resemblance to the Italian. The refrain of Gesù Bambino (music and text) are derived from the much older Christmas carol Adeste Fideles. In the book Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (p, 78), music historian Salvatore Basile writes “The song would achieve the near- impossible feat of surviving in the standard holiday repertoire, with important performances, innumerable recordings, and every kind of vocal and instrumental arrangement.” Southern Music Company’s arrangement follows the outline of the publication as it appeared in 1917, allowing for performances incorporating solo voices or chorus, as the conductor might wish. The Pastorale has a rich history dating back more than 300 years. Since its appearance in the Italian Baroque, the form has been used to signal a scene or episode that takes place out of doors, often including shepherds in idyllic settings. In musical terms, a pastorale is a movement in 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8 meter that features a melody usually harmonized in 3rds over a drone bass, recalling the Christmas music of pifferari, players of the traditional Italian bagpipe and reed pipe. Another prominent feature of the pastorale is the siciliano rhythm (dotted-eighth note, sixteenth, eighth). The list of notable composers and large compositions that feature pastorale movements include Arcangelo Corelli (Christmas Concerto, Op. 6, No. 8), J. S. Bach (the Sinfonia that prefaces part II of the Christmas Oratorio), George Frederick Handel (Pastorale Symphony “Pifa” in Messiah), and Arthur Sullivan (The Light of the World). Pietro Yon’s Gesù Bambino is another. Each of these examples serves as an introduction to the angelic announcement of the birth of the infant Jesus to the sleeping shepherds. Pastorales are still played in the regions of Southern Italy where the zampogna continues to thrive. Pietro Alessandro Yon was born on August 8, 1886 in Settimo Vittone (Piedmont, Italy), and studied at the conservatories of both Milan and Turin, also attending the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He served for a time as an organist at the Vatican and at the Royal Church in Rome. In the spring of 1907, Father John B. Young, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Manhattan, was in Rome on Vatican business and Yon at the Organ, 1919 additionally to seek out a replacement for his organist, who was leaving to pursue a concert career. Upon hearing Yon play, Father Young was sufficiently Pietro Yon, 1918 impressed to offer him a three-year contract. Thus Yon, at age 21 came to the United States, where from 1907 until 1926 he was the organist of St. Francis Xavier Church. He joined his brother S. Constantino Yon, who had preceded him and held a similar position at St. Vincent Ferrer Church. Pietro Yon became an American citizen in 1921. In 1926, he became the assistant organist of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. On May 1, 1928, he was promoted to music director replacing James C. Ungerer, who had been at the Cathedral for 36 years. On April 9, 1943, Yon suffered a massive stroke that paralyzed his entire right side. Yon died on November 22, 1943, the feast of St. Cecilia. His funeral, which took place on the 25th, was attended by 1300, including Arturo Toscanini. As a composer, Yon is most famous for his Christmas piece Gesù Bambino. He also wrote works for organ, piano, and an oboe concerto. Yon’s pupils included organists who went on to illustrious careers and at least two composers whose names will be familiar to band conductors – Cole Porter and Norman Dello Joio. R. Mark Rogers began writing for band while in high school, and continued with degrees from Texas Tech University and the University of Texas. Director of Publications for Southern Music Company from 1993 and Managing Editor of the firm since 2015, Rogers has authored editions of the music of Percy Grainger and John Philip Sousa that have entered band repertory worldwide. He is also widely published as an arranger and transcriber, with performances by all five of the Washington, DC service bands. Dr. Rogers is the conductor of the Heart of Texas Concert Band and serves on the adjunct faculty of San Antonio College, Texas Lutheran University and Trinity University, and prior to coming to San Antonio was on the faculty of the University of South Alabama and a staff member of the UniversitySAMPLE of Texas Longhorn Band. A bassoonist, he performs with the orchestras of Corpus Christi, Victoria, Laredo, San Antonio and Austin, as well as the Mid-Texas Symphony. He is active in church music and occasionally appears in music theater, performing numerous roles in the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Sudie, his wife of forty years, their children and spouses (and grandchildren), are the joy of his later years. Thank you to Wikipedia for information included in these program notes. GESU` BAMBINO Full Score Pietro A. Yon S965 The Infant Jesus for Symphonic Wind Band by Pastorale for Christmas R. Mark Rogers 3 Andante mosso 1st j œ 1 b 12 ‰ ∑ Œ‰Œœ œ. œ œ œ œ œ ‰Œ ‰Ó. Flutes 2 & 8 J œ 3 J 2nd & 3rd F p 12 1 & b 8 ‰ ∑ ∑ ∑ Oboes 2 ## 12 Eb Clarinet & 8 ‰ ∑ ∑ ∑ # 12 ‰ j j j j j j j j 1 & 8 œ œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ œ- . œ- . œ- . œ- . œ. œ œ œ.˙ œ- œ- œ- œ- F p # 12 b & 8 ‰ j j j j j j j B Clarinets 2 œ. œ. œ . œ œ œ œ- œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ ˙ œ- œ- œ- œ- œ F p # 12 ‰ . œ. œ. 3 & 8 œ œ. œ ˙ ˙. œ œ.