Charleston Concert Band presents
Americans All!
Program Notes
Americans We
First published in 1929, Henry Fillmore dedicated this piece "to all of us." It forms one third of that great triad of marches that are the basis of our patriotic inspiration: Fillmore's Americans We, Bagley's National Emblem March and Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever. With his "old-fashioned patriotism" Henry Fillmore sincerely wished to make happy the never-ending thousands of young high school band musicians with his music.
Liberty
Comprising two main themes, Rossano Galante strives to capture the essence of Americana. This piece was commissioned by the Covina (Calif.) Concert Band for their 60th anniversary.
Sunflower Slow Drag
Composed by Scott Joplin and Scott Hayden, this ragtime composition was advertised as the twin sister of Maple Leaf, one of Joplin’s earlier works. The trio (the only portion written by Joplin) was written during Joplin’s courtship of Belle Hayden, his first wife, who was also Scott Hayden’s sister-in-law, his brother's widow. Incidentally, the Slow Drag was a popular dance of the day for which many ragtime pieces were composed.
Overcome
This piece is a rich symphonic setting of We Shall Overcome, a gospel song which became a protest song and a key anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. The modern version of the song was first sung by tobacco workers led by Lucille Simmons during a 1945 cigar workers’ strike in Charleston, South Carolina. After consulting with the family of the late Dr. James, a prominent black educator in Statesboro and Bullock County, to find out the name of his favorite hymn, this piece was commissioned to mark the 1998 closing of historic William James Middle School in Statesboro, Georgia (Kathy Frey, band director).
Viktor’s Tale from the Motion Picture The Terminal
In The Terminal an Eastern immigrant named Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) reaches JFK airport from a politically unstable country. Due to collapse of his government, his papers are no longer valid in the airport, and hence he is forced to stay in the airport till the war cools down. He makes the airport his home and develops a friendship with the people who work there until he finally must leave.
This piece features a clarinet solo, performed this evening by Maralee Barela.
The Promise of Living
Aaron Copland’s only full-length opera, "The Tender Land" (1952-1954), tells the story of a young girl, Laurie Moss, who grows up on a Midwestern farm and is about to leave home. At the close of the first act, The Promise of Living, unites hobos and three generations of the Moss family who sing a hymn of gratitude for life, the land, and the spring harvest and its traditions.
Famishius Fantasticus
Influenced by the work of the late and great Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones, Markowski wrote this piece to "captured the energy of the students." The title, Famishius Fantasticus, is a direct allusion to the faux binomial (the scientific Latin name) of Wile E. Coyote, as shown in the opening freeze-frame of the 1956 Looney Tunes cartoon, "There They Go-Go-Go!" If this was Latin (and again, it is totally made up), it would probably be pronounced fah-ME-see-oos fahn-tahs-TEE-coos, which roughly translates into "Fantastically Famished" or "Fantastically Hungry." Famishius Fantasticus is not an attempt to rewrite the Looney Tunes masters, but rather to take the techniques that make these scores so exciting. It is intended to be a wild, existential cat-and-mouse (or coyote-and-roadrunner) chase. Markowski dedicated this piece to all his friends and colleagues who vehemently go after their dreams, who never give up, and who continue to try new things no matter how many crazy ideas might blow up in their faces.
Our Cast Aways
Millions of companion animals enter animal shelters every year. Yet, millions of these adoptable animals are put down. The thousands who suffer in silence are not included in these numbers. Julie Giroux wrote this piece as thanks to work of thousands of dedicated caring people who work hard in the fight to end puppy mills, to rescue suffering pets and to provide care and medical attention to all those rescued. It is dedicated to those companions who get rescued and for those whose rescue never comes. Our Cast Aways was commissioned by the Bednarcik, Plank, Murphy, Thompson, and Traughber Junior High School Bands of School District #308 (Oswego, Il, Rachel Maxwell, Coordinator).
American Big Top
Best described as an American circus march that meets Charles Ives, American Big Top has just enough Americana thrown in to give it a homegrown feel without being categorized as a full-on patriotic work. Largely based on original material, the piece weaves in small anecdotal references to The Stars and Stripes Forever, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, The Yankee Doodle Boy, Yankee Doodle, The Star-Spangled Banner, and The Entertainer. The piece was commissioned by the Arte Henry Middle School Honors Band (Cedar Park, Texas; Robert Herrings, conductor) when they were selected for the third time as the TMEA CCC Honor Band.
From the Delta
In 1945, John William Still composed From the Delta for the Goldman Band of New York City. It was meant to capture the essence of what life was like on the Mississippi Delta. Work Song illustrates a chain gang singing their way through days of hard labor. Dance paints a portrait of friends coming together to celebrate one another despite their daily hardships. William Grant Still was responsible for achieving many firsts as a black classical musician. In 1936, his renowned Afro-American Symphony was played by a major orchestra. He was the first African-American to conduct a major orchestra, and to have an opera (Troubled Island, 1937) premiered by a major opera company.
Jitterbug!
Commemorating the height of the Jazz Age, this swinging composition puts together signature sounds that fans recognized immediately. These styles and rhythms are in homage to a vibrant and innovative time in American music. Jitterbug! was written as a tribute to Dal Richards, Canada’s King of Swing. It was commissioned by the West Vancouver (BC) Youth Band (Douglas Macaulay, director).