Program for July 5, 2016 The Ravine at EKU
Videorecording of this concert
Red, White and Blue
Colors presented by members of Scout Troop 401 of Richmond.
Emblem of Freedom March (band)
In his early life, Karl King became a specialist in circus bands. Although he was a native Ohioan, he settled in Ft. Dodge, Iowa where he conducted the Ft. Dodge Municipal Band for fifty-one years. He is quoted as having said that Emblem of Freedom, was his best march.
Shenandoah (chorus)
This song, from the early 1800s, was originally about a fur trader who travelled by canoe down the Missouri river, and his conversation with a native American chief known as “Shenandoah” in regard to marrying the chief’s daughter. The song was passed to flatboatmen, then to clipper ship sailors, and thus it traveled around the world. Lyrics have evolved over time. The song has been used extensively in Virginia, the name being used in reference to the Shenandoah Valley and the river of that name.
Armed Forces on Parade (band)
Performing a medley of military themes set by Richmond’s own Larry Barton, we invite those who are, were, or are related to members of our armed forces to stand during the playing of the song associated with the branch of the service with which you identify. The songs will appear in the following order: Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Army.
The Glory of Love (chorus)
Benny Goodman made the Glory of Love a number one pop hit in 1936. Bette Midler has sung it. Jimmy Durante has sung it. So has Dean Martin, and even Paul McCartney. It was used as the theme for the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and it was used in Pennies from Heaven.
The American Way
In 1947, when now-retired EKU music professor Robert Surplus was 23 years old, he was the high school band director in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. That year he wrote a tuneful march for his high school band, which he entitled The American Way. He left Red Lion in January 1956 to join the faculty of Shippensburg State College, at which time he packed the march in a box. In the early '60s he taught at the University of Minnesota, and later in the decade he joined the music faculty at EKU. He recently unpacked the march and he asked the Madison Community Band if they would like to play it.
A Call to Freedom (chorus)
From 1861 until 1941 in the Bengali region of south Asia, there lived a writer called Rabindranath Tagore, and among his works was a striking and bold poem, a prayer for his country, which was oppressed by British rule. Composer Linda Spevacek first heard it during a visit to see Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, during which actor Martin Sheen recited it. He later sent her the poem transcribed in his own hand. It reads--
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free,
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow and domestic walls,
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection,
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sands of dead habit,
Where the mind is led forward
Into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
The Whistler and his Dog
Arthur Willard Pryor, a trombonist in the Sousa band, was the son of a bandmaster, and he took over the Pryor Band after his father’s death in 1902. Of his many compositions, the novelty The Whistler and His Dog is the best known. The work features the piccolo.
Motor Boat Rag
Alberte Chiaffarelli, an Italian born composer, conductor, clarinetist, and arranger was the principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic from 1914–1920. Among his compositions was the delightful Motor Boat Rag configured in march form. Music aficionados will note that the Trio section is in the dominant key rather than the typical subdominant.
United We Stand (band and chorus)
John Higgins’ United We Stand is a collection of several favorite patriotic songs, Simple Gifts; America, the Beautiful; America, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
The Stars and Stripes Forever (band and chorus)
The Stars and Stripes Forever has been adopted as the official march of the United States.
My Old Kentucky Home (band and chorus)
Colors presented by members of Scout Troop 401 of Richmond.
Emblem of Freedom March (band)
In his early life, Karl King became a specialist in circus bands. Although he was a native Ohioan, he settled in Ft. Dodge, Iowa where he conducted the Ft. Dodge Municipal Band for fifty-one years. He is quoted as having said that Emblem of Freedom, was his best march.
Shenandoah (chorus)
This song, from the early 1800s, was originally about a fur trader who travelled by canoe down the Missouri river, and his conversation with a native American chief known as “Shenandoah” in regard to marrying the chief’s daughter. The song was passed to flatboatmen, then to clipper ship sailors, and thus it traveled around the world. Lyrics have evolved over time. The song has been used extensively in Virginia, the name being used in reference to the Shenandoah Valley and the river of that name.
Armed Forces on Parade (band)
Performing a medley of military themes set by Richmond’s own Larry Barton, we invite those who are, were, or are related to members of our armed forces to stand during the playing of the song associated with the branch of the service with which you identify. The songs will appear in the following order: Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Army.
The Glory of Love (chorus)
Benny Goodman made the Glory of Love a number one pop hit in 1936. Bette Midler has sung it. Jimmy Durante has sung it. So has Dean Martin, and even Paul McCartney. It was used as the theme for the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and it was used in Pennies from Heaven.
The American Way
In 1947, when now-retired EKU music professor Robert Surplus was 23 years old, he was the high school band director in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. That year he wrote a tuneful march for his high school band, which he entitled The American Way. He left Red Lion in January 1956 to join the faculty of Shippensburg State College, at which time he packed the march in a box. In the early '60s he taught at the University of Minnesota, and later in the decade he joined the music faculty at EKU. He recently unpacked the march and he asked the Madison Community Band if they would like to play it.
A Call to Freedom (chorus)
From 1861 until 1941 in the Bengali region of south Asia, there lived a writer called Rabindranath Tagore, and among his works was a striking and bold poem, a prayer for his country, which was oppressed by British rule. Composer Linda Spevacek first heard it during a visit to see Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, during which actor Martin Sheen recited it. He later sent her the poem transcribed in his own hand. It reads--
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free,
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow and domestic walls,
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection,
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sands of dead habit,
Where the mind is led forward
Into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
The Whistler and his Dog
Arthur Willard Pryor, a trombonist in the Sousa band, was the son of a bandmaster, and he took over the Pryor Band after his father’s death in 1902. Of his many compositions, the novelty The Whistler and His Dog is the best known. The work features the piccolo.
Motor Boat Rag
Alberte Chiaffarelli, an Italian born composer, conductor, clarinetist, and arranger was the principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic from 1914–1920. Among his compositions was the delightful Motor Boat Rag configured in march form. Music aficionados will note that the Trio section is in the dominant key rather than the typical subdominant.
United We Stand (band and chorus)
John Higgins’ United We Stand is a collection of several favorite patriotic songs, Simple Gifts; America, the Beautiful; America, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
The Stars and Stripes Forever (band and chorus)
The Stars and Stripes Forever has been adopted as the official march of the United States.
My Old Kentucky Home (band and chorus)
