We’re about to leave chilly Chicago, so have your tickets or boarding passes ready and don’t forget to bring a snack! This month the ESO invites you on a musical tour of eight European countries. However, the pieces of music chosen for March are not the grand German symphonies, French oratorios or Italian operas. Rather, they’re works in the Musical Notes and Activities for Seniors classical style that we hope will give you a vivid impression of the country. We’ve cho- from the Evanston Symphony Orchestra sen pieces called “tone poems” or “sound pictures” as well as works based on the folk music of each country, Itinerary the music that comes from the earth and lives on in the bones and the souls of the people. These selections include music inspired by Scotland, England, 2 Scottish bagpipe and fiddle tunes, English Morris dances, Spanish gardens, French nursery rhymes, Italian pines and others. So, find Ireland & St. Patrick’s Day 4 a comfortable seat and settle in for the trip. All aboard! By the way, all of the travel posters in this High- France, 6 Notes date from the 1950s, many from airlines that no longer exist like TWA (Trans World Norway, Armenia 8 Airlines) and Pan Am (Pan American), which couldn’t keep up with changing travel demands Italy 10 and went out of business. Braniff, the airline that produced this colorful Chicago poster, Spain 12 suffered the same fate. Others managed to adapt and some of those have just changed Bygones, Puzzles, Jokes names; BOAC, British Overseas Airways Cor- & Other Amusements 14 poration, is now just plain “British Airways.” Vol. 1, No. 9 March 2021 March 2021 Editor ..............................................................................................KellyHighNotes Brest van Kempen Technical Advisor..................................................................................................David Ellis Puzzle & Maze Checkers …………………………..Connor, Addison, Ryan, Calli, Ciara & Gus Hi hN t © C 2021 SO ( f ’ ESOA makes no claim to copyrights held by others and uses such materials for educational purposes only under the “fair use” exception to copyright law. xxX X First stop on our armchair travels is bonny From Scotland we’ll head south to England, Scotland, the northern half of the island of where so many of our American musical Great Britain and home to bagpipes, tartans, traditions started out, including that of the wild scenery and wonderfully warm people. local brass band. (Think The Music Man!) The bagpipe is the national instrument of Scot- Ralph (pronounced “Rafe”) Vaughan Williams land, but, like kale, you either love the sound (1872-1958) was born into a minister’s family or hate it. We won’t get into that discussion in Gloustershire, which borders Wales in SW here, but will list some sources in the Links. England. He was very influenced by English Max Bruch (1838-1920) was a German composer, conductor and folk song and his music has a distinctly “English” sound. In 1904, he teacher, and who wrote more than 200 works. Although not Scottish, began compiling hymns for the English Hymnal. While reviewing Bruch captured the flavor of the country perfectly in his Scottish collections of English folk songs and church music, he wrote, “I Fantasy, a work in four movements based on Scottish folk songs. wondered then if I was wasting my time. But I know now that two We’ll provide a link to a fabulous performance by Nicola Benedetti, years of close association with some of the best - as well as some Scotland’s foremost classical violinist. of the worst - tunes in the world was a better musical education than any amount of sonatas and fugues.” The first movement is built on "Through the Wood, Laddie". It begins with a brooding violin solo evoking hard life in the glens Vaughan Williams was particularly taken by the folk songs he and by the lochs. Then the music warms with a “Celtic” flavor, discovered because they were fast becoming extinct; the oral tra- perhaps the echo of bagpipes. This tune also appears at the end dition, which had handed them down through the generations, of the second and fourth movements. was being undermined by the increase of literacy and printed music in rural areas. He travelled the countryside, transcribing The second movement is a lively piece built around "The Dusty and preserving many himself, fascinated by the beauty of the Miller", a poem by Robert Burns that tells the tale of a lass who – music and its anonymous history in the working lives of ordinary alas – fell in love with the local grain grinder: ”Dusty was the coat; people. Later he incorporated many of the songs and melodies dusty was the colour; dusty was the kiss that I got from the miller!” into his own music, which did much to raise appreciation of trad- The third tune is a sad lament "I'm A' Doun for Lack O' Johnnie" itional English folk song and melody. (“I’m All Down for the Lack of Johnnie.”), another tale of poignant In March of 2018, the ESO performed Vaughan Williams’ English regret for a lost love, but in this music, it seems so much more… Folk Song Suite of three traditional English folk songs woven toge- The fourth movement includes sprightly variations on the tune in ther for orchestra. Originally written in 1923 for military band, it’s the patriotic anthem "Scots Wha Hae" (also with lyrics by Robert one of his most famous works. The piece has three movements: a Burns, Scotland’s greatest poet). It’s the unofficial Scottish national sprightly March, based on Seventeen Come Sunday; a melancholic anthem and, like “The Star Spangled Banner,” is a song of war. Intermezzo with My Bonny Boy, and a final rousing March from Folk It’s sung in Scots and the first lines translate as “Scots who have Songs from Somerset. It’s easy to imagine a British Army or local with Wallace bled… welcome to your gory bed…” (If you’ve seen band proudly marching along to tunes the musicians had learned the film Braveheart, you’ll understand the reference.)xxxxxxxxx . from their grandparents. X2 X3 “Everyone’s a bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” - Since we’re still in Ireland let’s celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Here are and traditional Irish music must certainly be some facts – and some fiction – about Ireland and its patron saint. one of the reasons! Who can resist a lively jig or a soulful ballad? Many composers have Who was St. Patrick? He was a Roman citizen who was born in arranged traditional Irish songs, but here we’ll the year 385 CE somewhere along the west coast of Britain, most highlight one close to home. likely in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to an Irish sheep farmer. He escaped when he was Leroy Anderson (1908-75) was the king of 22 and spent the next 12 years in a Christian monastery. He then American light music. (We featured his returned to Ireland and is credited with bringing Christianity to that Sleigh Ride in the December HighNotes and island. He died in 461 and is buried at Downpatrick. The Typewriter in October.) In 1947, the Eire Society of Boston commissioned him to create an orchestral suite of traditional Irish What’s this about snakes? Saint Patrick is known for driving folk music to be performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. the snakes from Ireland. It’s quite true that there are no no Anderson completed four movements in just 11 days, then added no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have two movements in 1949 for the version we know today. been! The island separated from the rest of Europe 1. The Irish Washerwoman: not only a traditional Irish jig, but also at the end of the Ice Age when all the snakes were part of Scottish Highland dancing competitions. Celtic cousins. farther south where it was warmer. (Smart snakes!) 2. The Minstrel Boy: one of the saddest of Irish ballads. “The When was the first St. Patrick's Day parade? Not in Ireland, but minstrel boy to the war has gone…” We already know what rather in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the British army happens to the lad. The song was popular during the U.S. Civil marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their War, when a third verse was added. It’s on the Links pages music, the parade helped them reconnect with their Irish roots. 3. The Rakes of Mallow: a lively jig or polka about the young hell- Are shamrocks lucky? That depends on whether you’re raisers from the Creagh family in the town of Mallow. Also used lucky enough to find one! One estimate suggests that as a fight song for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish! there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for 4. The Wearing of the Green: an old ballad lamenting the English every lucky four-leaf clover. Legend gives meaning to repression of supporters of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. “They’re each leaf of the clover: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the hanging men and women for the wearing of the green." third for love, and the fourth for good luck. 5. The Last Rose of Summer: a lovely song based on a poem by What’s a leprechaun? In most Irish folktales leprechauns are Thomas Moore about growing old. It was set to music in the small, stocky creatures who like living in remote places. They are early 1800s and a favorite of solo singers.