CONCERT BAND TYLER KIMBALL & ROBERT LUKE MARTIN CONDUCTORS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LAKEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL CONCERT BAND MELISSA PALMER & EVAN SHEGINA CONDUCTORS THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019 7:00PM GERALD R. DANIEL RECITAL HALL PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC MOBILE DEVICES. PROGRAM LAKEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL CONCERT BAND Celebration ....................................................................................................................................................Randall Standridge River of Life ........................................................................................................................................................... Steven Reineke Earth Song ...............................................................................................................................................................Frank Ticheli Fanfare for the Third Planet ...........................................................................................................................Richard Saucedo INTERMISSION CONCERT BAND Landscapes ........................................................................................................................................................Rossano Galante With Quiet Courage ................................................................................................................................................ Larry Daehn Chorale and Alleluia ....................................................................................................................................... Howard Hanson Cajun Folk Songs .................................................................................................................................................... Frank Ticheli The Witch and the Saint .................................................................................................................................... Steven Reineke Son of a Gambolier................................................................................................................................................... Charles Ives PROGRAM NOTES Landscapes Although fairly brief in duration, this exciting overture features plenty of power and musical depth. It was originally written for brass quintet and it wasn’t until many years later that the full band version was written. The opening melody sweeps across the audience, taking each listener on a beautiful journey. One may envision themselves gliding over a vast and open valley or sweeping though a redwood forest. The second section gives way to a soaring melody in the oboe with the gentle trickle of percussive bells. Clarinet and euphonium develop this melody, with trumpets joining in for a triumphant return to the original theme. The ensemble returns with the opening fanfare for a brilliant conclusion to this new and exciting composition. With Quiet Courage Her life was heroic, but without fanfare. She worked and hoped and inspired. She loved and was loved. Her life was a noble song of quiet courage. 2 Dedicated to the memory of his mother, Larry Daehn describes her as a brave woman who raised her family through the hardships of farm life in Wisconsin. Despite the loss of both legs due to diabetes, she lived with nobility and quiet courage. She loved to sing. These qualities are evident in this composition, which was written in the summer of 1995 following Lois Daehn’s death. It is a song that is passed between the horns, saxophones, a solo trumpet, percussion, and finally to the full ensemble. Building from a quiet pianissimo to the strength of a fortissimo, it concludes with the gentle chords symbolic of the open Wisconsin farmland and a full and rewarding life. With Quiet Courage was premiered by the U.S. Navy Band in our nation’s capital September 16, 1995. —note by Thomas Stone Chorale and Alleluia Chorale and Alleluia was completed in January 1954, and is Howard Hanson’s first work for symphonic band. It was given its premiere on February 26 at the convention of the American Bandmasters Association at West Point with Colonel William Santelmann, leader of the US Marine Band, conducting. The composition opens with a fine flowing chorale. Soon the joyous Alleluia theme appears and is much in evidence throughout. A bold statement of a new melody makes its appearance in the lower brasses in combination with the above themes. The effect is one of cathedral bells, religious exaltation, solemnity, and dignity. The music is impressive, straightforward, and pleasingly non-dissonant, and its resonance and sonority are ideally suited to the medium of the modern symphonic band. —note by Howard Hanson Cajun Folk Songs Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians, a group of early French colonists who began settling in Acadia (now Nova Scotia) around 1604. In 1755 they were driven out by the British, eventually resettling in South Louisiana. Although a rich Cajun folksong tradition exists, the music became increasingly commercialized and Americanized throughout the 20th century, obscuring its original simplicity and directness. In response to this trend, Alan and John Lomax traveled to South Louisiana in 1934 to collect and record numerous Cajun folksongs in the field for the Archive of Folk Music in the Library of Congress. “La Belle et le Capitaine” and “Belle” can both be heard in their original versions on the Lomax recordings. “La Belle et le Capitaine” tells the story of a young girl who feigns death to avoid being seduced by a captain. Its Dorian melody is remarkably free, shifting back and forth between duple and triple meters. “Belle” is about a man who goes away to Texas only to receive word of his sweetheart’s illness, forcing him to return to Louisiana. Finding her unconscious upon his return, he pawns his horse to try to save her, to no avail. The folk melody is sometimes varied rhythmically, texturally, and coloristically, and an original melody is added for variety. Cajun Folk Songs is composed as a tribute to the people of the old Cajun folksong culture with hopes that their contributions will not be forgotten. —note by Frank Ticheli The Witch and the Saint The Witch and the Saint is a one movement symphonic poem that describes the lives of Helena and Sibylla, twin sisters born in Germany at the end of the 16th century. In those times, the birth of twins was considered a bad omen and as the sisters grew up, it became clear that they had the gift of second sight and could predict future events. The thematic material representing both sisters is first introduced in this section along with a medieval Gregorian chant-type motif. The second section is the development of Sibylla’s theme. This sister led a horrible life and her gift was looked down upon. Many townspeople feared Sibylla and considered her to be a witch. After a brief transition, the theme representing the other sister, Helena, is introduced in its entirety. The third section is the development of Helena’s theme. This sister was sent away to a convent when she was a child. While at the convent, Helena is revered as a saint because of her visions. The forth section is a turbulent section representing the struggle both sisters had in their lives. 3 Eventually, Sibylla is imprisoned and Helena returns to the town to save her sister. The fifth section and finale of the piece depicts the return of Helena and the rescue of her sister, Sibylla. As they are trying to escape, the sisters are captured once again, and this time, for fear of being burnt at the stake, the saint, Helena, drinks some poison. She dies in her sister’s arms and Sibylla, the witch, rides off in sorrow. A Son of a Gambolier The tune A Son of a Gambolier is most likely of Irish origin and has become a widespread favorite of American college men who have composed an unending canon of rollicking ditties to it (probably the best known being Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech). Charles Ives composed his setting of A Son of a Gambolier for voice and piano, one of his “marches with college tunes in the trio against original themes,” in 1895 while a sophomore at Yale. The original keys are C and F. It is remarkably more elaborate and extended than his earlier known marches, one of which similarly introduces the jaunty Gambolier tune. Although Ives stated that both A Son of a Gambolier and Circus Band “are brass-band pieces,” no hard evidence survives showing that he had scored either march for band. This arrangement for concert band was made in 1961 for Keith Wilson and the Yale University Band on the occasion of their first European tour. Publication was arranged through the kindness of Henry Cowell. —note by Jonathan Elkus ABOUT MELISSA PALMER Melissa Palmer received a BA in Music Education and teaching credential from CSU Fullerton. She is the Director of Instrumental Music at Lakewood High School, teaching Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, Color Guard, and Ukulele. Her teaching experience also includes middle school band, jazz band, and orchestra, as well as private students of all ages and skill levels. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2010-11. Melissa has proudly led her students to numerous Superior ratings, Sweepstakes earnings, and meaningful lifetime experiences. Melissa believes in music education outreach and has served as the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Secretary, and Vice President of Jazz Education. She was also the manager of the SCSBOA High School Jazz All-Stars for three years. In addition, Melissa adjudicates at marching band competitions,