Program for October 6, 2013 Madison Central High School Auditorium
La Forza del Destino Overture (1869), Giuseppi Verdi (1813–1901) arr. Mayhew L. Lake/H. R. Kent
Suffice it to say that Verdi’s opera, the title of which translates as The Force of Destiny, contains love, death, deception, plot twists, acts of disloyalty, and revenge. (It’s an opera.) The overture heard on this afternoon’s program begins with three unison brass notes—the ominous “fate” motive. It presents melodies from the opera, and we repeatedly hear the la-ti-do-mi ascending motive associated with Leonora, a main character in the opera. The overture is considered to be a masterwork of thematic development, and we perform it in celebration of the composer’s 200th birthday, which will be Thursday, October 10.
Song for Band (1989), Cecil Karrick (1918)
Cecil Karrick, a Kentucky band director and composer and an EKU graduate, taught for 38 years, the last 25 of which were at Bowling Green High School. Song for Band is a reflective treatment of an original theme.
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company March (1924), J. P. Sousa (1854–1932)
The “Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company” of Boston serves as the honor guard for the Massachusetts governor. It was formed by colonists in 1637, and it is the oldest military unit in the United States. The march incorporates the venerable Auld Lang Syne as one of its melodies, because historically it was regularly sung by the company. The company’s name was homage to the “Honourable Artillery Company of London,” founded in 1537.
The Beatles: Echoes of an Era (1965–1968), arr. John Higgins
It was fifty years ago today, give or take a few weeks, that the Beatles rose to the top of the charts, appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, and began their period of enormous popularity, a stint that had an undeniable influence on the direction of popular music ever since. John Higgins’ medley includes With a Little Help from My Friends; Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds; Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band; Penny Lane; Fool on the Hill; Day Tripper; When I’m Sixty-Four; Michelle; Eleanor Rigby; Yellow Submarine; Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da; and Hey Jude.
The Music-Makers (1967), Alfred Reed (1921–2005)
The name of this concert overture is taken from Arthur O’Shaunessey’s poem, entitled “Ode,” the first stanza of which reads,
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;--
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
Suffice it to say that Verdi’s opera, the title of which translates as The Force of Destiny, contains love, death, deception, plot twists, acts of disloyalty, and revenge. (It’s an opera.) The overture heard on this afternoon’s program begins with three unison brass notes—the ominous “fate” motive. It presents melodies from the opera, and we repeatedly hear the la-ti-do-mi ascending motive associated with Leonora, a main character in the opera. The overture is considered to be a masterwork of thematic development, and we perform it in celebration of the composer’s 200th birthday, which will be Thursday, October 10.
Song for Band (1989), Cecil Karrick (1918)
Cecil Karrick, a Kentucky band director and composer and an EKU graduate, taught for 38 years, the last 25 of which were at Bowling Green High School. Song for Band is a reflective treatment of an original theme.
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company March (1924), J. P. Sousa (1854–1932)
The “Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company” of Boston serves as the honor guard for the Massachusetts governor. It was formed by colonists in 1637, and it is the oldest military unit in the United States. The march incorporates the venerable Auld Lang Syne as one of its melodies, because historically it was regularly sung by the company. The company’s name was homage to the “Honourable Artillery Company of London,” founded in 1537.
The Beatles: Echoes of an Era (1965–1968), arr. John Higgins
It was fifty years ago today, give or take a few weeks, that the Beatles rose to the top of the charts, appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, and began their period of enormous popularity, a stint that had an undeniable influence on the direction of popular music ever since. John Higgins’ medley includes With a Little Help from My Friends; Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds; Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band; Penny Lane; Fool on the Hill; Day Tripper; When I’m Sixty-Four; Michelle; Eleanor Rigby; Yellow Submarine; Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da; and Hey Jude.
The Music-Makers (1967), Alfred Reed (1921–2005)
The name of this concert overture is taken from Arthur O’Shaunessey’s poem, entitled “Ode,” the first stanza of which reads,
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;--
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
