Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral
The Ride of the Valkyries
Tom Wallace has completed over 200 arrangements of popular tunes for marching band. His folk and holiday tunes have been well received by concert bands. While pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music composition at the University of Georgia (UGA), Wallace played trumpet and trombone with the UGA Redcoat Band, becoming their arranger in 1977. Before becoming a full-time arranger, he taught music theory and composition at UGA.
Samuel Augustus Ward was born in Newark, New Jersey, on December 28, 1847. Ward started playing the accordion at the age of six and went on to study music in New York City. He became organist at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey, in 1880. His hymn Materna, with lyrics from Psalm 46:1: “God is our Refuge and our Strength, Our ever present Aid, And, therefore, though the earth remove, We will not be afraid.” The melody was written on a boat ride home to Newark after a day’s outing to Coney Island, an amusement park on Long Island, NY. Ward never knew of the successful pairing of his music to Bates’ lyrics, as he died on September 28, 1903, more than a year before the publication of Bate’s new version in the Boston Evening Transcript on November 19, 1904.
America, The Beautiful
The lyrics to America, The Beautiful were written by American songwriter Katharine Lee Bates (1859 - 1929), an English teacher, during a 1893 summer in Colorado Springs. She and other teachers hired a wagon to ascend nearby Pikes Peak; they had to take mules to reach the top. Though tired from the trip, the view from the top evoked strong emotions she jotted down in a notebook. She recalled: “It was then and there, as I was looking out over the sea-like expanse of fertile country spreading away so far under those ample skies, that the opening lines of the hymn floated into my mind.” The words first appeared in print on July 4, 1895, in The Congregationalist, and attracted a great amount of attention as people tried to match the words to music. Bates “…rewrote it, trying to make the phraseology more simple and direct.” The revision was printed in 1904 and was quickly applied to Samuel A. Ward’s hymn Materna.
Carmen Dragon (1914 - 1984) was born in Antioch, California, and was very active as a conductor, composer of movie scores, and arranger. His Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra was broadcast to western U.S. elementary schools from 1928 through the 1970s. Dragon’s arrangement of America, The Beautiful is one of his most popular. While it may invoke a sense of Hollywood, the orchestration plays with rhythm and dynamics in a way that accentuates the patriotic emotions attached to this music.
Luxemburg-born composer Marcel Wengler (1946 - ) studied at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Brussels and was assistant for many years to Hans Werner Henze in the Musikhochschule in Cologne. In his early years as a composer, he was profoundly influenced by the music of Mahler, with its broad symphonic thinking, dramatic development, and orchestration. He was also influenced Beethoven, Schoenberg, Hartmann, Henze, and even the film music at the time of his youth. Wengler has written over eighty works including symphonies, concertos, works for the stage, film, chamber groups, and the ballet. Since 1995, he has concentrated on composing works for solo instruments with orchestra. As a conductor, Wengler has been mentored by Igor Markevitch and Sergiu Celibidache and has recorded over 100 works. Besides his efforts with the symphony orchestra of Radio-Tele-Luxembourg, he has conducted in England, France, Spain, Romania, Germany, Brazil, and Russia. Since 1994, Wengler has served as President of the Luxembourg Society for Contemporary Music.
Marsch
Bill Whelan is a native of Limerick, Ireland (born May 22, 1950). As a youth, he played piano and drums with local bands. He did some song writing and ran a small recording studio in the attic of his parents’ home. He moved to Dublin to study law at University College Dublin, but he continued to write songs throughout college. In 1973 he was granted a Bachelor of Civil Law, but he decided to devote full time to the music business in Dublin. He drew most fame from a short piece he was asked to write for use during the intermission of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. Riverdance became a seven-minute display of traditional Irish dancing and grew to a full-length stage production and honored with a 1997 Grammy Award. His first major orchestral work was The Seville Suite. He wrote a flute concerto for Sir James Galway. He has worked as a producer with U2, Van Morrison, Kate Bush, Richard Harris, and Planxty. He holds two honorary Doctorates and was awarded a fellowship by the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He serves as an adjunct Professor to Trinity College Dublin’s School of Drama, Film and Music.
Highlights from "The Seville Suite"
Eric Whitacre (born January 2, 1970) began playing piano at an early age and played keyboards in high school. He played trumpet in the marching band, but was kicked out for being obnoxious. Despite this inauspicious beginning, Whitacre became a music major at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Bachelor of Music 1995). His first real exposure to classical music was when he sang Mozart’s Requim with the school choir. The experience caused him to learn to read music and to think like a classical composer. His first assignment, writing a work for 100 trombones and percussion, was a failure. Shortly afterwards, he overheard the sound of a wind symphony rehearsal and was drawn to it. The director, Tom Leslie, encouraged Whitacre’s ideas for a composition that, in 1995, became Ghost Train. His Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!, written in 1996, struck a whimsical chord with many, including the US Marine Band and international audiences. Whitacre earned a master’s degree in 1997 from the Juilliard School of Music. He currently lives in Los Angeles and composes film scores and works for chorus and band. In 2012, he received a Best Choral Performance Grammy as composer and conductor for the album “Light & Gold.”
Ghost Train
This piece is a musical depiction of a legend deeply rooted in American folklore. The Ghost Train is a supernatural machine that roars out of the night through forgotten towns and empty canyons. The work opens with a free cadenza by the solo flute that features bending notes imitative of a distant train whistle. The train comes to life slowly and agonizingly as the full band plays a stuttering rhythm. The snare and bass drums pick up the tempo through an aleatoric section as the great train rolls through the countryside. Written in 1993-4 as a composition project at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the work was dedicated to and premiered by the school’s wind symphony at the 1994 C.B.D.N.A. regional in Reno.
October
The composer described his inspiration for this work, completed in 2000: “October is my favorite month. Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt that same quiet beauty in writing. The simple, pastoral melodies and subsequent harmonies are inspired by the great English Romantics (Vaughn Williams, Elgar) as I felt that this style was almost perfectly suited to capture the natural and pastoral soul of the season.”“Replacing one of the most beloved poems in the English language was a scary task, to say the least. I chose the title Sleep because Eric’s original setting had ended on a haunting meditation on the word “sleep”--“and miles to go before I sleep...” which was too beautiful to sacrifice. Another line, “both dark and deep” also simply had to remain in the text. While I was trying to come up with ideas for the piece, my son, then three years old, would not settle down for bed. That got me remembering what it was like to resist sleep as a child--all the games you play with yourself about monsters under the bed, or spooky shadows in the window, etc. and the idea for Sleep was born. I worked furiously, seized by the inspiration of the challenge, and gave Eric the finished poem the next morning!”
| 1) |
The evening hangs beneath the moon |
3) |
If there are noises in the night A frightening shadow, flickering light Then I surrender unto sleep Where clouds of dream give second sight |
| 2) |
Upon my pillow, safe in bed |
4) |
What dreams may come, both dark and deep On flying wings and soaring leap As I surrender unto sleep As I surrender unto sleep |
The Seal Lullaby
In the spring of 2004, on the recommendation of composer
Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”, “Godspell”), Eric Whitacre received a call
from a major film studio. They were interested in making a classic
animated film based on Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Seal.” Whitacre
wrote of his inspiration for the piece:
“The White Seal” is a beautiful story, classic Kipling, dark and rich and not at all condescending to kids. Best of all, Kipling begins his tale with the mother seal singing softly to her young pup. (The opening poem is called The Seal Lullaby).
I was struck so deeply by those first beautiful words, and a simple, sweet Disney-esque song just came gushing out of me. I wrote it down as quickly as I could, had my wife record it while I accompanied her at the piano, and then dropped it off at the film studio.
I didn’t hear anything from them for weeks and weeks, and I began to despair. Did they hate it? Was it too melodically complex? Did they even listen to it? Finally, I called them, begging to know the reason that they had rejected my tender little song. ‘Oh,’ said the exec, ‘we decided to make “Kung Fu Panda” instead.’
So I didn’t do anything with it, just sang it to my baby son every night to get him to go to sleep. (Success rate: less than 50%.) And a few years later the Towne Singers graciously commissioned [a chorale] arrangement of it. I’m grateful to them for giving it a new life. And I’m especially grateful to Stephen Schwartz, to whom the piece is dedicated. His friendship and invaluable tutelage has meant more to me than I could ever tell him.
Oh! Hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us,
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.
Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow,
Oh weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow swinging seas!
Kenneth Whitcomb did some of his first professional arranging in 1961 for the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point. The next year, Chief Warrant Officer Whitcomb completed the Warrant Officer Bandmaster Course in Anacostia, Virginia, as an Honor Graduate of the Class. Some of his classmates attribute his off-duty tutoring efforts from keeping them from washing out. He currently serves as Associate Bandmaster of the USMA Band and Cadet Glee Club. Coat of Arms, 23 Skidoo!, and My Old Kentucky Home are some of his more than 30 compositions and arrangements.
The Sheffordshire Regiment
Written in 1975, The Sheffordshire Regiment is a British march with all of the pomp and majesty of that genre. Original material is melded with more traditional themes with interesting changes in tempo and dynamics.
James Clifton Williams Jr. was born in Traskwood, Arkansas, in 1923. Despite the financial difficulties of the depression of the early 1930's, Williams fared well in school, learning the piano, mellophone, and french horn. In his senior class of 600, he was voted the most outstanding in artistry, talent, and versatility. In 1942, he joined the Army Air Corps as a bandsman, serving as drum major and composing works at every opportunity. After the war, he attended Louisiana State University and went on to earn his M. M. degree at the Eastman School of Music in 1949. He taught at the University of Texas at Austin for seventeen years. In the 10 years before his death in 1976, he served as chairman of the department of theory and composition at the University of Miami, where he was influenced by and became close friends with Frederick Fennell.
Fanfare and Allegro
In 1956, Fanfare and Allegro was the first composition to win the American Bandmasters Association's Ostwald Award for original band literature. It was the springboard to William’s national acclaim as the composer of serious music for concert band. The Fanfare begins with a dynamic brass and percussion statement. The woodwinds enter with an ostinato figure that gradually shifts pitch from high to low. There is a chordal development as a tympani roll leads directly to the Allegro movement, again introduced by the brass. A rhythmically complex interplay between the voices of the ensemble drives the movement forward to a dramatic climax.
Symphonic Dance No. 3, Fiesta
Fiesta was originally one of Clifton Williams' five Symphonic Dances, commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 1964. In the original suite, each of the five dances represented the spirit of a different time and place relative to the background of San Antonio, Texas. Fiesta is an evocation of the excitement and color of the city's numerous Mexican celebrations. The modal characteristics, rhythms, and finely woven melodies depict what Williams called “the pageantry of Latin-American celebration - street bands, bull fights, bright costumes, the colorful legacy of a proud people.” The introduction features a brass fanfare that generates a dark, yet majestic atmosphere that is filled with the tension of the upcoming events. The soft tolling of bells herald an approaching festival with syncopated dance rhythms. Solo trumpet phrases and light flirtatious woodwind parts provide a side interest as the festival grows in force as it approaches the arena. The brass herald the arrival of the matador to the bullring and the ultimate, solemn moment of truth. The finale provides a joyous climax to the festivities.\
Symphonic Suite
This suite in five movements was commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony for its 25th anniversary in 1957. The composer had personal connections with the Symphony, having played French horn for 12 years. Later scored for concert band, the composition was awarded the Ostwald Award by the American Bandmasters Association. The solemn fanfare of the Intrada flows directly into the Chorale, which is introduced by the brass section. The tempo picks up with the March that is based on the work’s introductory fanfare. The Ancient Dance offers a change of pace with a flute with percussion accompaniment. Jubilee concludes the suite in an energetic manner including samples from the preceding movements.
The Ramparts
Clifton Williams was commissioned to write The Ramparts in commemoration of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s tenth anniversary. The title refers to the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains that rise to the west of the Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. The fanfare opening by the brass conveys the height and majesty or this mountain range, while the woodwinds provide rapid phrases that represent the challenges and dangers that exist. A slow, hymn-like section was included for the Cadet Chorale. Entitled What Greater Thing, it has been performed at every Academy commencement since the 1965 premiere and has become an unofficial Alma Mater song. The ensemble work recalls the opening theme and presents a positive conclusion for problems overcome.
From the ramparts we will go into the sky,
Far away from comrades here,
To whatever fate may bring; fame, or glory, even death.
But no matter what may come,
Life is better, purpose more, honor bright
Because ‘twas here we first beheld,
What greater thing could be.
The Sinfonians, Symphonic March
This march was commissioned by the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America. It opens with an extended fanfare introduction before the horns state the familiar Sinfonian theme: "Hail Sinfonia! Come, brothers, hail!" The words are by Charles Lutton set to the music of Arthur Sullivan. The melody is then completed, embellished, and extended in the style of the composer. The work is dedicated to Archie N. Jones, former president of the fraternity and later director of that organization's foundation. Williams conducted the first performance at the fraternity's national convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, in July 1960.
John Towner Williams was born in Floral Park, NY, on February 8, 1932. As the son of a percussionist in the CBS radio orchestra, he was exposed to music very early and he learned to play the piano, clarinet, trumpet and trombone. He studied composition at UCLA with Mario Castel-Nueovo-Tedesco and later attended the Juilliard School. In 1956, he started working as a session pianist in film orchestras. He has composed the music and served as music director for over 115 films, including Jaws, E.T., Star Wars, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Memoirs of a Geisha, and the Harry Potter series, and nine episodes of Star Wars. Williams has been awarded three Emmys, five Oscars, and 20 Grammy Awards, as well as several gold and platinum records. From 1980 to 1993, Williams served as conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra and continues as Laureate Conductor. He has written many concert pieces and is also known for his themes and fanfares written for the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympics. In 2004, he received Kennedy Center Honors and, in 2009, the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the U.S. Government to an artist. He retired in 2023 after he release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can samples John Williams’ score for Stephen Spielberg’s movie of the same title - their 20th film collaboration. Set in the 1960’s, the film provides a partially fictionalized chronicle of Frank W. Abagnale, Jr., a 15 year old high school student who was distressed by his parents’ troubles with the IRS and separation. He becomes a runaway with only $25 in his checking account, determined to get funds for his parents. His first attempts passing checks fail, but his skills at forgery and impersonation quickly blossom as he masquerades as a PanAm assistant pilot, supervising resident of a hospital, lawyer, and college sociology professor. All the while, the FBI is one step behind. When finally caught after a 5-year chase, Abagnale had forged checks worth $2.5 million and was wanted in 50 states and 26 countries.
John Williams had moonlighted as a jazz pianist in clubs around New York City when he was studying at Juilliard. He’s used this experience to allow jazz melodies to reflect on the era. and inject some drama and intrigue into the situations. The solo alto saxophone sets mood, first coveying the drama and intrigue of the FBI’s cat and mouse chase. A reflective and melancholdic interlude reminds us of this teenager’s concern for and absence of his parents. The pace picks up, even celebratory, as the chase takes many turns until, finally, the FBI catches up.
Harry's Wondrous World
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is the first novel in the series authored by J.K. Rowling. Warner Brothers Pictures selected John Williams to compose the score to the 2001 film version. Harry Potter is an 11-year old boy living in near servitude with his aunt and uncle in Surry, England. His adventures begin when he is invited to attend the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Mail delivering owls and flying broomsticks are the more docile beginnings as Harry and his Gryffindor friends Hermione and Ron face a three-headed dog, flying keys, and a deadly chess match against the villain Lord Voldemort. These adventures and their magic are portrayed in Williams’ score.
March from "1941"
The March from the movie “1941” is the most memorable part of this Steven Spielberg 1979 production starring John Belushi. The lack of success for the movie may stem from the plot that depicts hysteria in Los Angeles just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when fear of a Japanese invasion is imminent. It is hard to appreciate humor in the actions of manic servicemen, zealous store owners, and bickering Nazis. The March has the bright and patriotic theme that would capture such an event, though.
Star Wars Medley
George Lucas' high energy adventure film "Star Wars" is a highly imaginative entertainment experience that transports the audience to an unknown galaxy thousands of light years from earth. It is a blending of contemporary science fiction with the romantic fantasies of sword and sorcery. The story follows a young man, Luke Skywalker, on a journey through exotic worlds in search for the kidnaped Princess Leia, culminating in a dramatic space dogfight over the huge man-made planet destroyer, Death Star. Composed in 1977, John Williams' score reinforces the high adventure and soaring spirits of the film's story. Continuity is given to the score through themes for each of the characters; these leitmotifs appear in a variety of permutations determined by the dramatic action on the screen. For this medley, arranger James H. Burden has chosen representative portions and blended them into what might be suitably called an overture. The arrangement retains all of the fire and excitement, tension and exuberance of the original.
Star Wars Trilogy
In 1977, George Lucas' highly imaginative entertainment experience first transported an audience to an unknown galaxy thousands of light years from earth. The “Star Wars” experience was a blending of contemporary science fiction with the romantic fantasies of sword and sorcery. The story follows a young man, Luke Skywalker, on a journey through exotic worlds in a perpetual struggle of good against evil and the eventual success of love conquering all. “Star Wars” and its two companion films, “Return of the Jedi” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” form the center of a planned nine-part historical series. The five movements of the Trilogy were selected by arranger Donald Hunsberger to display the excitement, beauty, and contrast in these first three films.
The Imperial March, subtitled Darth Vader's Theme, represents the evil might of the Galactic Empire and the supreme villainy of its leader. Princess Leia's Theme is much gentler and pays tribute to the romantic music of the early film heroines. Musical themes are scattered and rapidly shifting in the Battle in the Forest, reflecting the cuts in the movie as the ground battle begins. The almost comedic theme of the teddy bear-like Ewoks contrasts against the huge, but mechanical, armament of the Empire's forces. The old Jedi Master of Dagobah is honored in Yoda's Theme. The gentleness and understanding of the Master is conveyed in the ethereal setting of the swamp where Yoda harnesses the power of the Force to raise Luke's crashed X-Wing fighter. The transition into the heroic Star Wars (Main Theme) seems natural as the power of good, embodied in the Force, is triumphant.
Symphonic Suite from “Far and Away”
This suite is derived from the summary music played during the roll of the end credits of the 1992 movie. The strong Irish ethnicity of the opening location in County Galway introduces the composition. The conflicts of commoners and gentry come forth as the lead characters form a pact to emigrate to the freedom of America. Williams’ music takes the action and adventures through Boston and on to the land rush of the Oklahoma Territory. The rough life of the frontier and its settlers is contrasted with the pastoral scenes of the prairie. The music and the film conclude on a distinctly upbeat theme for a bright future.
The Cowboys
This suite, arranged by Jim Curnow, is a typical example of John Williams' capacity to enrich a film story with an almost narrative musical score. Through music, we are transported to the Old West and experience the joys and hardships of cowboy life. Taken from the 1972 motion picture “The Cowboys” starring John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Browne, the music complements the story of a 60 year old Montana cattleman who enlists (and ultimately mentors) ten schoolboys as cowboys after the regular ranch hands have left with Gold Rush fever. The 400-mile cattle drive provides the boys with a different and harsher schooling as they learn the rigors of the job and have to deal with rustlers. The music conveys the high spirit of wild horses and their taming. Jollity around the campfire is contrasted against the loneliness of the open range. The plains have a beauty, though, which is reflected in the song of a lark. The hard work of the cattle drive, including the fording of the wide, muddy river and dealing with many fears and threats, succeeds in maturing the boys into men.
Theme from "Schindler's List"
“Schindler’s List” is Steven Spielberg’s 1993 black-and-white film based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi Czech businessman, who used Jewish labor to start a factory in occupied Poland. As World War II progressed and the fate of the Jews became apparent, Schindler’s motivations switched from profit to human sympathy. Assisted by his accountant, Itzhak Stern, Schindler devised a plan to employ concentration camp workers in his Czech factory, saving over 1,100 Jews from death in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The theme from the movie is performed by the solo flute, accompanied by the ensemble. The melody evokes the emotions of grief and despair, but finds sufficient hope to fulfill the desire for survival. The Motion Picture Academy awarded John Williams an Oscar for the best original score for the music he composed for the film.
Guy Woolfenden (England, July 12, 1937 - April 15, 2016) studied at Christ's College Cambridge and Guildhall School of Music and arts. He had served as Music Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company beginning in 1962. In that capacity, he composed more than one hundred and fifty scores to support their productions. He adapted other Shakespearean thematic material in his composition Gallimaufry. His French Impressions was commissioned by the Metropolitan Wind Symphony of Boston. Woolfenden became a patron of the Birmingham (England) Symphonic Winds in 1997 and soon after completed Curtain Call under their commission. The Birmingham Symphonic Winds premiered his Firedance in November 2002.
Illyrian Dances
Viola: What country, friend, is this?
Captain: This is Illyria, lady.
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night
The composer wrote: “The precise geographical location of Illyria was not important to Shakespeare. What excited him was the resonance of the word itself and the romance of all far away, make-believe places. Illyria is Never Never Land and the idea of inventing dances for such a place intrigued me.” This suite of three dances was commissioned by the British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles and was given its first performance in 1986. A rondeau was a Medieval and early Renaissance dance of moderate pace with a rigid pattern of repetition. The serenity of a breaking dawn is the theme behind an aubade. It also refers to a song or poem about lovers separating at daybreak. A gigue is a lively Baroque dance from France that had origins in the British jig and was danced by the nobility at social occasions.