Program for April 18, 2010 Madison Central High School Auditorium
Zampa Overture (1831) Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold (1791-1833)
arr. (1912) Victor Frank Safrane
Zampa, ou La fiancée de marbre (Zampa, or the Marble Bride) is an opéra comique by L. J. F. Herold, the overture of which is a staple of orchestral literature. The opera is rife with irresponsibility, seduction, treachery, piracy, death due to heartbreak, supernatural retribution, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. “Zampa” is the adopted name of the treacherous main character. The “marble bride” is a statue honoring his scorned lover commissioned by her new love, and then it gets complicated. The overture runs the gamut of musical styles and human emotions, and it is a delight for concert audiences.
If Thou Be Near (1725) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
trans. (1940) R. L. Moehlmann
Bach reportedly wrote Bist du bei Mir for his second wife, Anna Magdalena, claiming that he could even face death if she were with him. One translation of the lyrics reads:
Be thou with me, and I’ll gladly go
To death and to my repose.
Ah, how my end would bring contentment,
If, pressing with thy hands so lovely,
Thou wouldst my faithful eyes then close.
Today’s performance of this selection is dedicated to the memory of Kathy Saddler, who played flute in the band since its inception in August.
Second Suite in F for Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2 (1911) Gustav Holst (1874–1934), ed. (1984) Colin Matthews
I. March
II. Song Without Words
III. Song of the Blacksmith
IV. Fantasia on the ‘Dargason’
British composer Gustav Holst wrote just a few works for band, but they stand as cornerstone works for the medium. His two suites for band and a BBC commission he called “Hammersmith” are foundational works for the repertoire as it exists a century later. The Second Suite is based on folk songs and dances. Movement I is a medley of Morris Dance, Swansea Town, and Claudy Banks. Movement II is a setting of I’ll Love My Love which depicts a young woman who has been committed to an asylum, having gone insane after her love was sent to sea. Movement III is a song sung by a woman in love with the local blacksmith. Movement IV cleverly juxtaposes Dargeson, a dance tune, with the ballad Greensleeves.
American Cadet March (1893) Robert Browne Hall (1858–1907)
R. B. Hall was born in Maine and lived there most of his life. He was a fine cornetist, conductor, and composer of marches. “American Cadet” was intended to emulate Sousa’s “High School Cadets” march.
Pavanne (1938) Morton Gould (1913–1996)
arr. by the composer
Morton Gould attempted to integrate jazz and pop music into his compositions as exemplified by this pavane (which Gould spelled differently to “facilitate pronunciation.” Technically, a pavane is a slow, stately court dance of the 16th and 17th centuries—this 20th century work evokes the proper mood.
Bayou Breakdown (2004) Brant Karrick (1960)
Kentuckian Brant Karrick wrote this work while teaching at the University of Toledo, and dedicated the work to a mentor: the director of bands at Louisiana State University where Karrick earned a doctorate. The work begins with a four-part fugue, contains a lyric middle section, and features short solos by many of the instruments in the band before a final statement by the full ensemble.
Big Band Classics arr. (1984) Eric Osterling
Tuxedo Junction (1939) Buddy Feyne, Erskine Hawkins, William Johnson, & Julian Dash
Serenade in Blue (1942) Mack Gordon & Harry Warren
In the Mood (1939) Joe Garland
For your listening pleasure, this masterfully arranged medley of swing era classics contains three of the best known, best loved hits from the library of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Tuxedo Junction was a best-selling record in 1939 by Glenn Miller’s band, the lyrics of which describe a jazz and blues club in Birmingham, Alabama. Serenade in Blue is a smoky ballad about nostalgic memories of a former love. In the Mood is, more or less, a lighthearted account of how much fun it is to go dancing.
arr. (1912) Victor Frank Safrane
Zampa, ou La fiancée de marbre (Zampa, or the Marble Bride) is an opéra comique by L. J. F. Herold, the overture of which is a staple of orchestral literature. The opera is rife with irresponsibility, seduction, treachery, piracy, death due to heartbreak, supernatural retribution, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. “Zampa” is the adopted name of the treacherous main character. The “marble bride” is a statue honoring his scorned lover commissioned by her new love, and then it gets complicated. The overture runs the gamut of musical styles and human emotions, and it is a delight for concert audiences.
If Thou Be Near (1725) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
trans. (1940) R. L. Moehlmann
Bach reportedly wrote Bist du bei Mir for his second wife, Anna Magdalena, claiming that he could even face death if she were with him. One translation of the lyrics reads:
Be thou with me, and I’ll gladly go
To death and to my repose.
Ah, how my end would bring contentment,
If, pressing with thy hands so lovely,
Thou wouldst my faithful eyes then close.
Today’s performance of this selection is dedicated to the memory of Kathy Saddler, who played flute in the band since its inception in August.
Second Suite in F for Military Band, Op. 28 No. 2 (1911) Gustav Holst (1874–1934), ed. (1984) Colin Matthews
I. March
II. Song Without Words
III. Song of the Blacksmith
IV. Fantasia on the ‘Dargason’
British composer Gustav Holst wrote just a few works for band, but they stand as cornerstone works for the medium. His two suites for band and a BBC commission he called “Hammersmith” are foundational works for the repertoire as it exists a century later. The Second Suite is based on folk songs and dances. Movement I is a medley of Morris Dance, Swansea Town, and Claudy Banks. Movement II is a setting of I’ll Love My Love which depicts a young woman who has been committed to an asylum, having gone insane after her love was sent to sea. Movement III is a song sung by a woman in love with the local blacksmith. Movement IV cleverly juxtaposes Dargeson, a dance tune, with the ballad Greensleeves.
American Cadet March (1893) Robert Browne Hall (1858–1907)
R. B. Hall was born in Maine and lived there most of his life. He was a fine cornetist, conductor, and composer of marches. “American Cadet” was intended to emulate Sousa’s “High School Cadets” march.
Pavanne (1938) Morton Gould (1913–1996)
arr. by the composer
Morton Gould attempted to integrate jazz and pop music into his compositions as exemplified by this pavane (which Gould spelled differently to “facilitate pronunciation.” Technically, a pavane is a slow, stately court dance of the 16th and 17th centuries—this 20th century work evokes the proper mood.
Bayou Breakdown (2004) Brant Karrick (1960)
Kentuckian Brant Karrick wrote this work while teaching at the University of Toledo, and dedicated the work to a mentor: the director of bands at Louisiana State University where Karrick earned a doctorate. The work begins with a four-part fugue, contains a lyric middle section, and features short solos by many of the instruments in the band before a final statement by the full ensemble.
Big Band Classics arr. (1984) Eric Osterling
Tuxedo Junction (1939) Buddy Feyne, Erskine Hawkins, William Johnson, & Julian Dash
Serenade in Blue (1942) Mack Gordon & Harry Warren
In the Mood (1939) Joe Garland
For your listening pleasure, this masterfully arranged medley of swing era classics contains three of the best known, best loved hits from the library of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Tuxedo Junction was a best-selling record in 1939 by Glenn Miller’s band, the lyrics of which describe a jazz and blues club in Birmingham, Alabama. Serenade in Blue is a smoky ballad about nostalgic memories of a former love. In the Mood is, more or less, a lighthearted account of how much fun it is to go dancing.
