Ceremonies and Carols with University Singers & Humboldt Chorale

 HSU University Singers capture the holiday spirit with Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and the Humboldt Chorale sings a liturgical work in their shared concert on Sunday December 15 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall. 

 Besides being appropriate for the holidays, performing the seven movements of Ceremony of Carols has two other occasions. “Britten was born in 1913, the same year that HSU was founded,” director Harley Muilenberg points out. “We perform it to celebrate HSU’s 100 years.” 

 That also means that this is Britten’s centennial, so “choirs all over the world are performing Britten’s choral works,” Muilenberg noted. 

 The University Singers also perform two movements from Randall Thompson’s The Testament of Freedom, which was written for another university-related birthday: Thomas Jefferson’s bicentennial in 1943.

 Thompson was teaching at the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson, so the text was taken from Jefferson’s writings. The piece proved so popular that it was transmitted over short wave radio to Allied soldiers in Europe during World War II. It premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1945 on a memorial program for the recently deceased President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

 

Fiona Ryder

The concert also features the Humboldt Chorale, a community choir directed by Carol Ryder. The Chorale performs Magnficat by contemporary composer Imant Raminsh, who was born in Latvia and resides in Canada. This piece won the 1990 Canadian National Choral Award for outstanding choral work.

 The Magnificat or “Song of Mary” is a canticle sung in several Christian church services, related to the Virgin Mary. Various composers have written music to accompany the text, including Monteverdi, Bach and modern composers such as Ralph Vaughn Williams, Arvo Parte as well as Raminsh.

James Gadd

 Soloists for the Humboldt Chorale performance are Fiona Ryder and James Gadd.

 Humboldt State University Singers and Humboldt Chorale perform on Sunday December 15 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. $8/$5 seniors and children. HSU students with ID admitted free. Produced by HSU Music Department.

                          December 2013 University Singers (click photo to enlarge)

 Humboldt Symphony Plays The Nutcracker Suite   

 In its only concert this December, the Humboldt Symphony performs a holiday favorite, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite on Sunday December 15 at 3 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.

 Leading the program is Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture that conductor Paul Cummings calls “a masterwork—one of the great overtures in the symphonic repertoire. It’s perhaps the hardest piece the Humboldt Symphony has played in the last 5 years or so. But it’s also very rewarding music to play and to hear.” 

 In its fall concert the Humboldt Symphony played four movements of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances. In this concert, the orchestra plays all seven dances. “What’s interesting about hearing the whole piece is that as these brief movements progress, Bartok gradually adds more wind instruments to what begins as mostly a string orchestra piece,” Cumming said. “This is fun music, lively and usually with quick tempos. They have nothing of the complexity of Bartok’s more famous works.”

 The Symphony also performs a portion of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Building around a Shaker melody called “Simple Gifts,” Copland’s Pulitzer Prize-winning music was originally intended to accompany a ballet by Martha Graham in 1944. It has since become best known in this form, as an orchestral suite. In this version, Humboldt Symphony returns to the original 13 instruments.

 Performing on Appalachian Spring are two HSU Music faculty members: Cindy Moyer plays violin, and Karen Davy plays viola. “We’re excited about doing this piece,” Cummings said. “It’s a great work, very challenging, and even to do just a portion of it is an ambitious undertaking." 

 At first, Tchaikovsky’s music for The Nutcracker ballet was more highly praised than the ballet itself when it premiered in 1892. This 20 minute suite he created for concerts was also a great success. In more recent decades however the ballet has become wildly popular at Christmastime. 

 Now, said Cummings, part of the appeal of the orchestral suite is imagining the images from the well-known ballet. “The magical qualities of toys coming alive after dark—it appeals to the imagination of children and adults.” But the suite itself is also appreciated for its “wonderful orchestration” of this familiar music.

 The Humboldt Symphony performs on Sunday December 15 at 3 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. $8/$5 seniors and children. HSU students with ID admitted free. Conducted by Paul Cummings, produced by the HSU Music Department.

Humboldt Symphony Concert Notes

Notes edited from interviews with conductor Paul Cummings:

Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms

 This is one of the great overtures in the symphonic repertoire—a definite masterwork by one of our greatest German composers of the 19th century.

 Brahms was a recluse if not a hermit, and he eschewed any sort of ceremony. He did not enjoy attention, much less any sort of pomp and circumstance. But when the University of Breslau gave him an honorary doctorate, he very reluctantly accepted it. He wasn’t any sort of orator, so instead of making a speech, he composed a piece for the occasion to express his thanks.

 The title, which Brahms hated, came from his music publisher. The publisher thought it was a catchy title but it also reflected the content, since Brahms quotes a handful of pre-existing tunes that students sang, into the overture, which gave the overture academic and festive qualities. I’ll point out the student tunes before we play the entire piece—we’ll perform extracts for the audience.

 Right after Brahms wrote this piece, he wrote The Tragic Overture. These are the only two full symphonic overtures he wrote in his life. This a great piece of music and quite difficult to play. It’s perhaps the hardest piece the Humboldt Symphony has played in the last 5 years or so. But it’s also very rewarding music to play and to hear.

 Romanian Folk Dances by Bela Bartok 

 Last time we performed four movements of this piece. This time we’re doing all seven. They’re all short—one or two minutes. What’s interesting about hearing the whole piece is that as the movements progress, Bartok gradually adds more wind instruments to what begins as mostly a string orchestra piece. It’s a good opportunity to highlight our more advanced wind players.

 Bartok was a collector and curator of folk music from Eastern Europe. Much of the music he renders in orchestral settings was familiar to him as a child. They’re all dances so it’s fun music, lively and usually with quick tempos. They have nothing of the complexity of Bartok’s more familiar works. These are simple folk tunes he set for small orchestra.

 Appalachian Spring Suite by Aaron Copland 

 Appalachian Spring was a ballet written for Martha Graham. It was originally written for 13 instruments—a chamber orchestra. Later Copland expanded it for full orchestra, and that’s how it is usually done. However, we’re doing portions of the suite for the original 13 instruments. It’s a concert version for 4 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, bass, flute, clarinet, bassoon and piano.

 Written in 1943 and first performed in 1944, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1945. The action of the ballet involves a pioneer celebration in springtime around a newly-built farmhouse in Pennsylvania in the early part of the 19th century.

 We’re excited about doing this piece—it’s a great work, very challenging, and even to do just a portion of it is an ambitious undertaking. We also feature two faculty players: Cindy Moyer plays violin, and Karen Davy plays viola.

 The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

 This is the concert version of Tchaikovsky’s music to the well-known ballet. This is a wonderful orchestration that uses instruments such as the celeste, glockenspiel and piccolo to wonderful effect. It’s one of the best examples of program music because almost everyone who hears the piece associates it with images from the ballet—the magical qualities of toys coming alive after dark and taking on a life of their own.

 It appeals to the imagination not only of children who are always stirred by the images of the toys, but also of adults who can picture what’s happening in the ballet as they listen to the music—in the dance of the flowers, for instance.

 I’ve played this piece but this is my first time conducting it, so it’s exciting. The students are familiar with it, so it’s fun to play something you’ve heard your entire life, even if only on the p.a. system in Toys R Us.

Blurring Boundaries with HSU Jazz Orchestra

 HSU Jazz Orchestra blurs musical boundaries from country to Cuban pop, plus big band jazz classics on Saturday December 14 at Fulkerson Recital Hall.

 “I didn’t set out to do this,” said director Dan Aldag, “but I realized that the theme of this concert is ‘Blurring Boundaries.’ We’re playing arrangements of a ‘60s pop tune, a country song from the ‘50s, an obscure funk tune first recorded by James Brown, a Cuban pop song from 1912, an ‘80s French pop song and a couple of Tin Pan Alley standards.”

 Jazz purists also get a taste with classics from the Duke Ellington and Count Basie bands, including music meant to be heard by just one person: the Queen of England. A contemporary touch is added with a brand new piece by young jazz composer Omar Thomas.

 The Jazz Orchestra concert features vocals by Jo Kuzelka, and solos by pianist Alex Espe, clarinetist Nick Durant, trombonist Josh Foster and guitarist Kris Lang. Recent HSU grad Dan Fair contributes two arrangements, including a version of “They All Laughed,” a tune the Gershwins wrote for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. 

 The HSU Jazz Orchestra performs on Saturday December 14 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. $8/$5 seniors & children. HSU students admitted free. Concert produced by HSU Music Department.

Jazz Orchestra Concert Notes

by Jazz Orchestra director Dan Aldag:

I didn't set out to do this, but I realized that the theme of the Jazz Orchestra concert is "Blurring Boundaries." We're playing arrangements of a '60s pop tune, a country song from the '50s, an obscure funk tune first recorded by James Brown, a Cuban pop song from 1912, an '80s French pop song and a couple of Tin Pan Alley standards.

 "Wichita Lineman" was composed by the great pop songwriter Jimmy Webb and made famous by Glen Campbell. The arrangement we're playing was written by John Hollenbeck for his recent album Songs I Like A Lot, and shows the influence of minimalism. Our performance will feature vocals by Jo Kuzelka and the band's guitarist, Kris Lang.

 "I Can't Stop Loving You" was written and recorded by country singer Don Gibson in the late '50s, and then became an even bigger hit for Ray Charles when he recorded it on his album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music in 1962. The version we're playing was arranged by Quincy Jones for the Count Basie album This Time By Basie.

 "The Chicken" was written by Pee Wee Ellis, saxophonist and music director for James Brown in the mid-1960s. It was recorded as an instrumental by Brown's band and released as the B-side of a single. It was rescued from obscurity by the groundbreaking electric bassist Jaco Pastorius. Our version further blurs the boundaries by incorporating Afro-Cuban percussion.

 "La Comparsa" was written by the great Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona when he was only 17. Lecuona is sometimes compared to George Gershwin, because both had success in both pop and classical music and both successfully incorporated elements of their native land's music in their classical compositions. Our arrangement was written by Oded Lev-Ari for clarinetist Anat Cohen's album Noir. We will feature Jo Kuzelka and clarinetist Nick Durant.

 "Le Cimitiere Des Elephants" was a French pop hit in the 1980s. The gypsy jazz guitarist Reinhardt adapted it for that idiom, and his version inspired recent HSU grad Dan Fair to arrange it for the Jazz Orchestra.

 Dan also arranged "They All Laughed", a George and Ira Gershwin tune, for our vocalist Jo Kuzelka.

The other Tin Pan Alley song we're playing is Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke's "Polka Dots and Moonbeams". Bill Holman arranged it for trombonist Carl Fontana to play it with the Stan Kenton band. We'll be featuring Josh Foster on it.
 The only "pure" jazz we're playing are classics from the libraries of the two greatest big bands, Duke Ellington's and Count Basie's, and a brand new piece by the young jazz composer Omar Thomas.

 After meeting Queen Elizabeth II during a European tour in the late '50s, Ellington and his partner Billy Strayhorn wrote The Queen's Suite. The Ellington band recorded it, Ellington had a single copy pressed, sent it to the queen, and ordered that it never be released to the public. After Ellington's death, his son Mercer thankfully had it released, because it's fantastic. We're playing the first movement of the suite, "Sunset and the Mockingbird", and will feature pianist Alex Espe and clarinetist Nick Durant.

 Benny Carter was one of the great musicians of the 20th century, excelling as an alto saxophonist, trumpeter and composer and arranger. He wrote several albums for Count Basie, and "The Swizzle" comes from The Legend.

 Omar Thomas is a young Boston-based composer who has just recently released his first album, and we'll play the title track, "I Am."

HSU Large Ensembles in Centennial Concert 

 The first of two concerts celebrating Humboldt State’s centennial presents the large ensembles of the HSU Music Department performing new and historic works on Friday December 13 in the Van Duzer Theatre.

 Ensembles performing include Humboldt Symphony, Symphonic Band, Humboldt Bay Brass Band, Jazz Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, University Singers, Humboldt Chorale and Guitar Ensemble. They celebrate and reference not only HSU’s 100 years, but a century of music performed by HSU ensembles.

 Highlights of the concert include a combined performance of Randall Thompson’s The Testament of Freedom by the Humboldt Symphony, the University Singers and Humboldt Chorale.  The 1943 work incorporates Thomas Jefferson’s words, and became a patriotic favorite during and after World War II. The Symphony will also play excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite.

 The Humboldt Bay Brass plays Centennial Flourish, "Sempre Pro Veritas" (Always for Truth),” a new piece by its director Gilbert Cline, and a work combining two marches from the early 20th century by local musicians Bert Pasco and Frank Flowers.

 The program ends with the HSU Alma Mater, newly arranged by HSU music composition professor Brian Post. It is performed by the Symphonic Band and the two vocal ensembles, and conducted by music professor Kenneth Ayoob, currently Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

 A second Centennial Concert is planned for the spring semester, featuring small ensembles.

 The Centennial Concert featuring HSU large ensembles is performed on Friday December 13 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre at HSU. Tickets from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. $8/$5 seniors and children. HSU students with ID admitted free. Concert is produced by HSU Music Department.

Killer Joe on Green Dolphin Street: AM Jazz Band 

 The AM Jazz Band plays a Miles Davis hit, and tunes by Lester Young, Cannonball Adderley and Freddie Hubbard on Thursday December 12 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

 Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. $8/$5 seniors & children. HSU students with ID admitted free. AM Jazz Band directed by Dan Aldag, concert produced by HSU Music Department.

 Here’s the concert program:

 “Sack Of Woe” by Cannonball Adderley, arranged by Mike Kamuf: hard bop, written for Adderley's quintet.

 “Lester Leaps In” by Lester Young, arranged by Rich Sigler: swing tune written for a small group from Count Basie's band.

 “Tiny Capers” by Clifford Brown, arranged by Carl Strommen: written for the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet.

 “On Green Dolphin Street” by Bronislaw Kaper, arranged by Victor Lopez: theme song from a late '40s film that became a jazz standard after being recorded by Miles Davis.

 “Killer Joe” by Benny Golson, arranged by Lisa DeSpain: written for the Jazztet.

 ”Little Sunflower” by Freddie Hubbard, arranged by Mike Kamuf: a modal tune first recorded on the Hubbard album of the same name.

Madrigal Singers & MRT Give Voice to Winter Holidays

 HSU’s 22-member Madrigal Singers perform their annual winter holiday concert in period costume, with the Mad River Transit jazz singers on Sunday December 8 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

It’s a North Coast musical tradition to welcome the season with old English madrigals by classic composers like John Dowland and Henry Purcell. The Madrigal Singers also perform Martin Shaw’s “Fanfare For Christmas Day,” Thomas Campion’s “Now Winter Nights Enlarge” and provide instructions on “Which is the Properest Day to Drink,” plus news of the day from the year 1600.

 Mad River Transit takes over for the second half with jazz singing in a variety of tempos, including swing, be-bop and blues. With a rhythm section backing, the 18 singers in various combinations perform songs by composers ranging from Neil Young to Muddy Waters. Staff accompanist John Chernoff doffs his Renaissance robes to play some solo jazz piano.

 Directed by Harley Muilenburg, Madrigal and MRT singers perform on Sunday December 8 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets are $8/$5, free to HSU students with ID from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Mad River Union, Humboldt State Now

Madrigal Singers: The Program

The Madrigal Singers will present madrigals, part songs, solos, and duets along with the news of the day, the day being the time of Shakespeare in merry old England. Madrigals by Weelkes, Morley, Vecchi, Campion Lawes, Dowland, Henry Purcell, and Eric Whitacre will be sung, and News of 1600 England will compliment the Madrigal performance.  Directed by Harley Muilenberg.

  Madrigal Singers Fanfare For Christmas Day by Martin Shaw
 In These Delightful Pleasant Groves by  Henry Purcell
 Since Robin Hood by Thomas Weelkes
 Fa Una Canzona Orazio by Vecchi
 Toss the Pot by Thomas Ravenscroft
 Which is the Properest Day to Drink
 Shepherd, Shepherd by Henry Purcell
 Mary Now Winter Nights Enlarge by Thomas Campion
 Beauty and Love by Henry Lawes
 Nymphs and Shepherds by Henry Purcell
 The Peaceful Western Wind by Thomas Campion
 Flow my Tears by John Dowland
The Willow Song- Time of Elisabeth I
Can She Excuse my Wrongs arr. Harley Muilenburg
 A Secret Love or Two by Thomas Campion
 Come Again Sweet Love by John Dowland
Change Then for Lo She Changeth by William Holborne Abbey
What If a Day--Time of Elizabeth
 Florian’s Song by Benjamin Godard
And Would You See my Mistress Face by  Philip Rosseter
 Strike The Viol by Henry Purcell
Me, Me, and None But Me by John Dowland
 If Music Be the Food of Love by Henry Purcell
 Kala Kalla (from 5 Hebrew Songs) by  Eric Whitacre
 Sir Christmas by William Mathias

December 2013 Madrigal Singers (not in order pictured): Ana Ceja,  Erin Corrigan,  Jessica Golden,  Tiffany Casparis,  Robyn Strong,  Erika Luna, Stevy Marquez,   Kristin Mack,  Rosemary Torres,  Abbey Teitelbaum, Elisabeth Gent, Ray Alvarez, Dylan Kinser, John Pettlon, Edrees Nassir,  Kenneth Bridges,     Clint Rebik, Victor Guerrero,  Jeremy Rodda, Kyle McInnis, Christian Rosales, Aubrey Ross. Click photo to enlarge.

Mad River Transit: The Program

MRT’s December concert will feature solo singers and solo piano by our staff accompanist John Chernoff. MRT will feature music of a number of well known vocal jazz arrangers, including Paris Rutherford, Michele Weir and Greg Jasperse. There will be up-tempo jazz, slow tempo jazz, and medium swing jazz for variety of style in the program. Bee bop and Blues will reign.

 MRT’s rhythm section includes: John Chernoff, piano; Ian Taylor, bass and Tyler Burkhart, drums.

 Favorite Things arr. Harley Muilenburg

 After the Goldrush by Neil Young, arr. Elliott Shay

 Anthropology arr. Paris Rutherford

 Boplicity by  Miles Davis, arr. Clinton Day

 New York Voice Dance by  Greg Jasperse

 Muddy Water arr. Michele Weir

 Birdland arr. Paris Rutherford

December 2013 Mad River Transit (not in order pictured): Ana Cruz,   Hannah Fels, Jillian Gibson, Trina Garrett, Jo Kuzelka, Jessie Rawson,  Molly Harvis, Sandy Lindop, Danielle Murray,  Kenneth Bridges,      Dolan Leckliter, Steven Eitzen, Edrees Nassier, Christian Lesko, Christopher Parreira, Maxime Tanti,  Vance Uhphrey, Kobe Thompson.  Directed by Harley Muilenberg. Click photo to enlarge.

Oops! Can’t Miss Percussion & Calypso Band Concert

 HSU Percussion Ensemble presents the North Coast premiere of Oops, the World Percussion Group pounds out exciting rhythms of the Brazilian Samba and the HSU Calypso Band does their Caribbean thing on Saturday December 7 in the Van Duzer Theatre.

Oops, made famous by composer Mike Manieri and his jazz fusion group Step Ahead, features a vibraphone solo by HSU percussionist and graduating senior Nev Mattinson. 

 The Percussion Ensemble also presents a composition by Christopher Rouse based on Haitian ritual rhythms, Mark Ford’s Head Talk and a percussion trio, Intentions, by the group’s director Eugene Novotney.

 Mandeng drumming from West Africa and the World Percussion Group (directed by Howard Kaufman) performing Brazilian samba sounds completes the concert’s first half. 

 Then comes the HSU Calypso Band, now in its 28th year. Among its high energy dance rhythms are two modern classics from Trinidad: Fire Down Below by Len “Bogsie” Sharpe and Pan in A Minor by Lord Kitchener and Jit Samaroo. 

 HSU Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and Calypso Band perform on Saturday December 7 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $10 general, $5 seniors and children, $3 HSU students from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.

Media: North Coast Journal, Mad River Union, Humboldt State Now

Notes: Percussion Ensemble & Calypso Band Concert

“Presenting contemporary music for Percussion Ensemble; the folkloric percussion music of the of West Africa; the exciting rhythms of the Brazilian Samba; and the festive steel drum sounds of the Calypso tradition of the Caribbean.”

 The Percussion Ensemble will open the show by presenting a wide variety of contemporary music for percussion, including the Northcoast premier of Oops, made famous by jazz vibraphonist, Mike Manieri, and the seminal jazz-fusion group, Steps Ahead. Oops features an infectious groove and a phenomenal arrangement orchestrated for Marimbas, Vibraphones, Bells, Chimes, Steelpans, Bass, and Drumset, and will feature a vibraphone solo by HSU percussionist and graduating senior, Nev Mattinson.

 Also featured will be Christopher Rouse’s engaging composition, Ogoun Badagris, which is based on Haitian ritual rhythms to the deity, Ogoun. Here’s the composer’s description: “Ogoun Badagris derives its inspiration from Haitian drumming patterns, particularly those of the Juba Dance. Hence, it seemed logical to tie in the work with various aspects of Voodoo ritual. Ogoun Badagris is one of the most terrible and violent of all Voodoo loas (deities) and he can be appeased only by human blood sacrifice. This work may thus be interpreted as a dance of appeasement. The four conga drums often act as the focal point in the work and can be compared with the role of the four most basic drums in the Voodoo religion — the be-be, the seconde, the maman, and the asator. The metal plates and sleighbells are to a certain extent parallels of the Haitian ogan. The work begins with a brief action de grace, a ceremonial call-to-action in which the high priest shakes the giant rattle known as the asson, here replaced by cabasa. Then the principle dance begins, a grouillère: this is a highly erotic and even brutally sexual ceremonial dance which in turn is succeeded by the Danse Vaudou at the point at which demonic possession occurs. The word "reler," which the performers must shriekat the conclusion of the work, is the Voodoo equivalent of the Judaeo-Christian amen.”

 Additional works on the concert include Mark Ford’s, Head Talk, composed for REMO pre-tuned drumheads, and the percussion trio, Intentions, composed by the groups’ director, Eugene Novotney.

The first half of the show will end with a suite of traditional Mandeng Drumming from West Africa, and a special presentation by the HSU World Percussion Group of the the exciting rhythms of the Brazilian Samba, all performed on traditional folkloric instruments.

 The second half of the show will feature the festive dance music of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. It is significant to note that while HSU is celebrating its 100th year anniversary this year, the Calypso Band celebrating its 28th year of existence, all under the direction of its founder, Dr. Eugene Novotney. For over a quarter-century, the Calypso Band has been performing and entertaining local audiences, and has proven to be one of Humboldt County’s favorite musical ensembles.

 The Calypso Band will feature several high-energy dance compositions from the Caribbean in their set, including two modern Panorama classics from the island of Trinidad – Fire Down Below by Len “Bogsie” Sharpe, and Pan in ‘A’ Minor by Lord Kitchener & Jit Samaroo. The Humboldt State Calypso Band prides itself in maintaining an accurate and authentic connection to the roots of the steel band movement and the innovative musicians of Trinidad, the island on which this unique percussion phenomenon was born. The band is dedicated to the performance of traditional and contemporary music from the Caribbean, Africa, Brazil, Cuba and the United States.

Symphonic Band Features Guest Conductor 

 A guest conductor for a wind band masterwork highlights the HSU Symphonic Band concert on Friday December 6 in Fulkerson Recital Hall. 

 The guest conductor is Dr. Brian Cardany from the University of Rhode Island. He will conduct Prelude, Siciliano & Rondo by 20th century British composer Malcolm Arnold, who won an Oscar for his Bridge on the River Kwai soundtrack. 

 “This piece is on many lists of core works for wind band,” Symphonic Band conductor Paul Cummings said. “It’s very melodic and economical, with short movements and no excess. Arnold is known for light, witty writing but this work also has real substance.”

 “We’re very excited to have Dr. Cardany here,” Cummings said. “In addition to conducting this piece, he will also conduct a master class, talk to our music education majors and do a clinic with our Symphonic Band.” Cardany was recently appointed principal conductor of The American Band. Established in New England in 1837, it is one of the oldest continuously active bands in the United States.

 Cummings will conduct the rest of the program, which includes Sanctuary by Frank Ticheli. “He’s one of the most prominent living band composers,” Cummings said. “This is a slow, reflective piece but again, very tuneful. These melodies are presented in very contemporary harmonies.” 

 The Band also plays Vadres, a European march by Norwegian composer Johannes Hanssen, and the third movement of Culloden by Julie Giroux, based on her painstaking research into the oldest British folk songs. Giroux had a career in film, television and popular music (she was the first woman and youngest person ever to win an Emmy for music direction) before turning to symphonic and wind band compositions. “Now her music is played all over the country and the world,” Cummings said. 

 The HSU Symphonic Band performs on Friday Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets are $8/$5 seniors and children, free to HSU students with ID, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.  Produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Mad River Union, Tri-City Weekly, Humboldt State Now.

Director's Notes: Symphonic Band concert December 6

from interviews with HSU Symphonic Band director Paul Cummings

Prelude, Siciliano & Rondo by Malcolm Arnold

Dr. Brian Cardany

"Dr. Brian Cardany from the University of Rhode Island is conducting this piece. We’re very excited to have him here. He’s the newly appointed conductor of a group called The American Band, which has a long history of performing great wind band music in New England. He’ll only be here long enough to prepare one piece, but he will also conduct a master class, talk to our music education majors and do a clinic with our Symphonic Band.

 This prelude is a classic in the wind band repertoire—it’s on many lists of pieces that are considered masterworks. It was written in 1979 by Malcolm Arnold, a British composer known for his lighter style. Donald Mitchell in the London Musical Times wrote that “there’s often a tongue-in-cheek quality to his music,” and that it’s impossible to write about it without using adjectives “like vital, breezy, humorous, witty...” I have to say however that this is one of his more serious pieces.

 “Siciliano” in the title refers to a dance form from the Baroque period. This is a slow tempo piece in 6/8 time—that’s one of the characteristics of Siciliano. Like most British music for band, it’s very tuneful. As an orchestrator, Arnold was a great craftsman. He wrote this piece originally for brass band, and John Paynter—long-time band director at Northwestern University—arranged this for wind band.

 Another characteristic of Arnold’s music is that it’s very economical. So these movements are quite short—only two minutes or so each—yet there is real substance there. They’re almost like miniature symphonic works. It’s really nice for both listeners and performers because you never have the feeling that things are just dragging on, or that there is filler, as one might feel about some composers."

 Sanctuary by Frank Ticheli 

Frank Ticheli

"This is a slow, reflective piece that starts with an extremely difficult French horn solo. I think it’s fair to say that this is one of the longer French horn solos at the beginning of any band piece. There are also solos for flute and clarinet later on.

 Ticheli is professor of composition at the University of Southern California, and one of the most prominent living composers for wind band in America. This is a fairly typical example of his writing: there’s a very strong melodic sense with several very tuneful passages, but these melodies are presented in very contemporary harmonies with extended chord structures and quite a bit of dissonance. So this is not simple music harmonically—it’s very challenging for the musicians.

 Ticheli wrote this for conductor H. Robert Reynolds, “as a symbol of our enduring friendship.” It was commissioned by the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association."

 Valdres by Johannes Hanssen 

 Perhaps the most famous Norwegian march. We’re doing European marches this year, and as with all European marches this takes a rather leisurely tempo, and features several trumpet solo passages and some very technically difficult woodwind playing.

 Culloden (third movement) by Julie Giroux 

Julie Giroux (with Emmy)

We’re playing the third of a three-movement work celebrating Scottish folk music and ancient Scottish culture. Julie Giroux is a prominent American composer who gained a lot of acclaim in the area of wind band composition. Her music is played all over the country and the world.

 Julie Giroux did a lot of research before she set pen to paper to write this piece. Her research centered on Scottish and Irish folk music—she really dug through a lot of manuscript sources to uncover some of the early songbooks for British folk music of all kinds. Then she culled from these primary sources just a handful of tunes that she uses in this third movement.

 Much of the piece has a military or warfare context because once you go back hundreds of years, Scotland was basically consumed by military battles—clan disputes over territory and battles with England. So you hear military fanfares, even simulated cannon fire. But interspersed with these calls to battle are some very beautiful lyrical passages, from these folk songs.

 She mentions in the program notes that some of our familiar folk songs have roots in these Scottish song sketches, including “London Bridge” and “Yankee Doodle” and several Stephen Foster tunes, like “Oh! Susannah.”

A Full Night of HSU Jazz Combos

 It’s a full night of small group classic jazz and originals as two different sets of HSU Jazz Combos perform in separate shows on Saturday November 16 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall. 

The 8 p.m. show features three combos. Among the tunes played by the Wednesday Quintet are the theme song to the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” with vocalist Sandy Lindop, and “Remember,” an original by the group’s guitarist, Alex Diaz. Other players are Lauren Strella (sax), Craig Hull (trombone), Bret Johnson (bass) and Steve Eitzen (drums.) 

 The Friday Sextet has the unusual lineup of trumpet (Monica Dekat), flute and steel pan (Ahtziri Ramirez), piano (Sandy Lindop), vibes (Nev Mattinson), bass (Matt Engleman) and drums (Jake Hauk.) Among their offerings are “Two for One” by the Skatalites and the New Orleans favorite “St. James Infirmary.” 

 Also in the early show is the Monday Quintet: Ari Davie on trumpet, Nick Durant on tenor sax and clarinet, Alex Espe on piano, Ian Taylor on bass and Kevin Amos on drums. They will play Chick Corea’s “Captain Marvel” and Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo a la Turk.” 

 Two combos will perform the 10 p.m. show: the Friday Quintet and Bossa Continuo. The quintet of Kyle McInnis (alto sax), Josh Foster (trombone), Kris Lang (guitar), Ryan Woempner (bass) and Forrest Smith (drums) will play “Nica’s Dream” by Horace Silver and “Schnell!” by band member Kyle McInnis, among other tunes.

 Bossa Continuo (Erin Laetz on flute and sax, Tyler Burkhart on vibes, Matt Engleman on bass and Thatcher Holvick-Norton on percussion) plays an all-Latin jazz set. Vocalist Jo Kuzelka and guitarist Kris Lang join them for one number, and the group leads the evening’s grand finale: a Tito Puente tune that features all the horn players from all five combos.

 Tickets are $8/5 and free to HSU students with ID, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. More information at HSUMusic.blogspot.com. Jazz Combos are directed by Dan Aldag, the shows produced by the HSU Music Department.

HSU Jazz Combos Program for Nov. 16

The Monday Quintet: Alex Espe, piano; Ari Davie, trumpet; Nick Durant,
tenor sax; Kevin Amos, drums; Ian Taylor, bass.

Five HSU Jazz Combos will present two concerts in Fulkerson Recital Hall on Saturday, November 16 at 8 and 10 p.m. One concert will feature two groups and the other the other three.

8:00

 The Wednesday Quintet is Lauren Strella, bari sax; Craig Hull, trombone; Alex Diaz, guitar; Bret Johnson, bass; and Steve Eitzen, drums.

Carla Bley

 They will perform "Drinking Music" by Carla Bley, "Another Way To Die" by Jack White (the theme song to the James Bond film Quantum of Solace) with vocalist Sandy Lindop, "Funk For Your Ass" by Fred Wesley and "Remember" by the group's guitarist, Alex Diaz.

 The Friday Sextet is Monica Dekat, trumpet; Ahtziri Ramirez, flute and steel pan; Sandy Lindop, piano; Nev Mattinson, vibes; Matt Engleman, bass; and Jake Hauk, drums.

They will perform the Skatalites' "Two For One," "Cold Duck Time" by Eddie Harris; the traditional New Orleans tune "St. James Infirmary" and "Paco and Dave" by Paquito D'Rivera and Dave Samuels.

 The Monday Quintet is Ari Davie, trumpet; Nick Durant, tenor sax and clarinet; Alex Espe, piano; Ian Taylor, bass; and Kevin Amos, drums. They will perform "Captain Marvel" by Chick Corea, "Angel Eyes" by Matt Dennis and Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo A La Turk."

 10:00

Chick Corea

The Friday Quintet is Kyle McInnis, alto sax; Josh Foster, trombone; Kris Lang, guitar; Ryan Woempner, bass; and Forrest Smith, drums. Tunes they will perform include "Nica's Dream" by Horace Silver and "Schnell!" by the band's alto saxist, Kyle McInnis.

 The group Bossa Continuo is playing an all-Latin jazz set of "Armando's Rhumba" by Chick Corea, "Agua De Beber" by Antonio Carlos Jobim (with guest performers Jo Kuzelka on vocals and Kris Lang on guitar), "Little Sunflower" by Freddie Hubbard, "Astrud" by Basia Trzetrzelewska and a grand finale of Tito Puente's "El Rey Del Timbal" featuring all of the horn players from the other combos and Jake Hauk & Kevin Amos on percussion.

The members of Bossa Continuo are Erin Laetz, flute, alto flute, and tenor sax; Tyler Burkhart, vibes; Matt Engleman, bass and Thatcher Holvick-Norton, timbales and congas.

--Dan Aldag

A Musical Century with the Humboldt Bay Brass Band

 Many events celebrate the HSU centennial but few will have this authentic touch: a locally created tune from the era of the school’s founding, played on the actual instrument of one of its founders. That’s part of the Humboldt Bay Brass Band concert on Saturday November 9 that features a signature tune from every decade of the past hundred years.

 The first is Eureka March, composed in 1914. The Band will use several vintage instruments of the time, including a tuba once owned by Leonard Yocum, whose name is enshrined as a Humboldt Founder in Founders Hall.

 Humboldt Bay Brass Band director Dr. Gil Cline, who arranged the band’s version of “Eureka March,” recently found some film from 1914 which he believes shows this very tuba being played in Sequoia Park.

 Yocum gave the tuba to Arcata High School musician Margaret Monroe, who graduated in 1938. A few years ago she sent it to Cline. “We will use this tuba in our concert,” he said, “as well as a cornet dating to 1914 and a local bass drum dating to the early 1920s.”

 In addition to Cline’s arrangement of the “Eureka March,” the Band plays “Ja-Da” from the 1920s from actual music sheets used in Humboldt for dances of that decade.

 Other tunes representing subsequent decades—mostly on the light and popular side--include Glenn Miller’s “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man, “South Pacific,” “Day Tripper,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Thriller.”

 The Humboldt Bay Brass Band performs its only local concert of the year on Saturday November 9 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8/$5, free to HSU students with ID, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Gilbert Cline. An HSU Music Department production.

Media: Tri-City Weekly, Mad River Union, HSU Now

Humboldt Bay Brass Band Nov. 9 Concert Notes

   HBBB joins the planking craze, indicating perhaps that this is a particularly light-hearted program!

"I am extremely proud of what this band has been able to accomplish in the past ten years. We made a CD. We traveled to Seattle for a big festival.  And much more.

 But the very name "Brass Band" is very much misunderstood in the U.S. including here in Humboldt County. In our HSU concerts we've played music ranging from ancient Greek times to the most recent compositions, including some daring ones. In between has been all manner of  Renaissance works that few other groups tackle, and in playing Baroque music we've often used historically accurate instruments. Then there have been all the overtures, marches, true UK brass band music and so on. The "range" of HBBB is incredible. The interest of the musicians has been keen. I hope audiences get a chance to hear this 'band.'"
--Gil Cline

Notes on Two Historical Tunes

 Ja-Da (1920s) The sheet music we will play from was donated to us by Charlotte Nisky in 1984, who for decades taught piano lessons to many, many young local musicians. As young Charlotte Barkdull, she played piano for dances all over Humboldt County ( including the town of Falk!) along with her Barkdull brothers. We're playing directly from the early 1920s publication, without any sort of modern arrangement, using the very pages used by this group.

Eureka March  (1914)  This piece, found in the HSU Library, was originally for piano.  G. Cline arranged it for HBBB. The Intro we have, bars 1-4, were not in the original. All bass lines, countermelodies, percussion parts, and dynamics (and all interior part-writing) is by GC … in the same manner as anyone scoring such music.

Here's more on the history (from an article by G. Cline published in Humboldt Historian 2006):

"The first dozen years of the new century had incredible advances of technology affecting the lives of Americans. There was an explosion of recordings issued for gramophone, and an explosion of railroad lines. The automobile was well on the way; Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 and manufactured 300,000 in 1914. Local high schools were established.

The single year 1914 saw the founding of what would become Humboldt State University, then the beginning in Europe of a world war, then the completion of a railroad south over what was termed “the gap” in rail service.

Local newspapers provide specifics of the cost and availability of recorded music. In January 1914 there were advertisements for “Victors $10 to $100, Victor-Victrolas, $15-$200 at the Pioneer Piano House, 433 F.” In the same month is an ad for Pierce Piano House, for “Columbia “Double-Disc [platter-type] Records -- 65 cents. Still in the same year is the indication of the “talkies” to later arrive, in an advertisement for “Edison Talking Pictures, at Margarita Theater, One week, 10 to 50 cents.

 Local festivities were important. And the clue to the purpose of “Eureka March” is provided in The Humboldt Standard on July 1, 1914. The news reads: “SPEND THE FOURTH IN EUREKA. Grand Fourth of July Celebration. Three Days -- July 3, 4, 5 -- Under the Auspices of the Hupa Tribe of Redmen. Hose Races, Day and Night Fireworks, Tug of War, Music by Columbia Park Boys’ and Professor Flowers’ Military Bands, Monster Parades, Patriotic Exercises, Barbecue, Races, Ball Games and Dozens of Other Features.” The dedication page of “Eureka March” is dedicated to this fraternal organization.

On July 3rd we read on page 1 “GREAT CELEBRATION OF JULY THE FOURTH IS OPENED IN EUREKA. BAND CONCERT IS FOLLOWED BY BABY CARRIAGE PARADE. “During these races the band concert from the stand at Third and F streets by Flowers’ military band will be in progress. In fact the band concert will continue during the day until 5 o’clock p.m.”

About Bert Pasco, composer of Eureka March:

 "The name Bert Pasco exists in enough local written records to provide some glimpses of a musician making his way in life. At the Clarke Museum there exists a simple business rate card, with his address as Box 506, Eureka. Dated Jan. 1st, 1923 there is information about rates ($1 - $2 per hour) and conditions for payment for his music lessons, including piano and harmony. He also offered lessons on pipe organ, so these lessons most likely were held at a nearby church, unless he was one of the rare people to have a pipe organ (not a reed organ, or electronic organ) in his residence

 Pasco was indeed an organist (and also choir director) at Christ Episcopal Church, then located at Fourth & E streets. There is no mention of Pasco [in newspaper accounts], so it is likely he was not commissioned for writing the music. Perhaps he wrote it as volunteer service to IORM or to Eureka; certainly he depended on its sale in order to pay printing expenses. There is no indication that it was performed in any format other than the original piano version.

 “ The last big news of 1914 for Humboldt County residents was the completion of the long-awaited railroad “across the gap.” A Humboldt Times article of July 12, 1894 had predicted that trains over such a line would travel at an incredible 50 mph.

 It was the author’s guess that “Eureka March” may have been written for and played for that occasion. At the Humboldt County Historical Society Barnum House in collections there is a printed “programme” for Friday October 23, 1914 with information and credits. At last, there is mention of a band. On October 23rd there was a “... a crowd of 350 people ...” and “The ceremony of driving the gold spike and speech making lasted two hours and a moving picture operator and an official photographer were on hand ...” All this was part of a three-day celebration. Our “programme” lists for the next day, Saturday October 24, 1914, an automobile parade to Sequoia Park; again, a band is mentioned as beginning the event.

   Guitar Ensemble Explores the World

 HSU Guitar Ensemble explores the world in concert on Friday November 8 at Fulkerson Recital Hall.

 Balkan, Asian and African styles are included in “World Music Primer” by Dusan Bogdanovic. “It clearly displays Bogdanovic’s connection with world music,” said Guitar Ensemble director Nicholas Lambson, “though the Balkan and Macedonian works in this collection are the most particular to him, since he is from that region. These pieces feature odd rhythms and syncopations that are often found in Eastern European folk music.”

 Other selections include “Irish Dance,” a traditional melody arranged by England’s Jeremy Sparks, and pieces by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla and contemporary Brazilian composer Egberto Amin Gismonti. The United States is represented by a piece by William Kanengiser that includes prepared guitar techniques, and by Scott Joplin’s “Easy Winners.”

 Performers in this Guitar Ensemble concert include Alex Diaz, Jason Hall, Nick Hart, Jake Masterson, Nick Lambson, Kris Lang, Justin Santos, Charlie Sleep, Leonardo Simmons, Rory Urquhart and Greg Willis.

 The HSU Guitar Ensemble performs on Friday November 8 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8/$5, free to HSU students with ID, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Nicholas Lambson.  An HSU Music Department production.

Guitar Ensemble Nov. 8 Program and Notes

Gongan by Bill Kanengiser
Performers: Charlie Sleep, Justin Santos, Jason Hall, and Kris Lang.

 World Music Primer by Dusan Bogdanovic
 1. Balkanska Petica (Balkan Five)
 2. Sakura
 Justin Santos and Rory Urquhart

 3. Auld Lang Syne
 4. Makedonsko Devojce (Macedonian Lass)
 Rory Urquhart, Jake Masterson, Nick Hart

5. Hsiao Pai Ts'ai (Little Cabbage)
6. An African Puzzle
 Justin Santos, Kris Lang, Rory Urquhart

Irish Dance--  Traditional Arr. by Jeremy Sparks
 Kris Lang, Rory Urquhart, Greg Willis, Jake Masterson

 Agua y Vinho by Egberto Gismonti  Alex Diaz and Jake Masterson

 Easy Winners by Scott Joplin
Greg Willis, Alex Diaz, Leonardo Simmons

 Danza del Corregidor by Manuel de Falla
 Jason Hall, Justin Santos, Charlie Sleep

Miller’s Dance
Kris Lang and Jason Hall
 Danza del Juego de Amor
 Justin Santos, Charlie Sleep, and Nick Lambson

Program Notes
by Nicholas Lambson

This year, the HSU Guitar Ensemble will perform music from around the world. The guitar is a main element in so many musical styles and cultures, and our concerts will reflect that diversity.

There are also a few “non-Western” pieces arranged for guitar, including some short works based on music from Africa, China, and Japan. We are also doing another prepared guitar piece where we place various objects on the strings to change the sound of the instrument. Last year we performed a piece that imitated an African thumb piano, or mbira, and our new piece imitates Indonesian Gamelan orchestras.

William Kanengiser is an extraordinary guitar soloist, member of the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, pedagogue, and professor at the Thornton School of Music at USC. While he is not known for his compositions, these works are sophisticated, highly effective, and exciting pieces.

 Gongan utilizes prepared guitar techniques, requiring us to alter the sound of the instrument by placing foreign objects on the strings. We are using screws, bolts, washers, foam, and alligator clips for this one, and the effect is truly amazing! Musically, the pentatonic pitch collection is a clear representation of gamelan, and the rhythmic organization does this as well. Different “instruments” will be playing rhythmic cycles of various lengths, and gongs mark important moments where everything aligns. Kanengiser’s work is extremely unique, and a major contribution to the guitar repertoire.

Dusan Bogdanovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1955. He completed his studies in composition and orchestration at the Geneva Conservatory with Pierre Wissmer and Alberto Ginastera, and in guitar performance with Maria Livia São Marcos. Early in his career, he received the only First Prize at the Geneva Competition, and gave a highly acclaimed debut recital in Carnegie Hall in 1977. He has taught at the University of Southern California, San Francisco Conservatory and is currently at the Geneva Conservatory.

 His performing and recording activities include work with chamber ensembles of diverse stylistic orientations: the De Falla Guitar Trio; a harpsichord and guitar duo with Elaine Comparone; and jazz collaborations with Anthony Cox, Charlie Haden, Milcho Leviev, James Newton, Arto Tuncbayaci, and others.

 Dusan Bogdanovic has recorded nearly 20 albums, and over 70 works have been published. His theoretical work includes polyrhythmic and polymetric studies, as well as a bilingual publication covering three-voice counterpoint and Renaissance improvisation for guitar and Ex Ovo: a guide for perplexed composers and improvisers. He has also collaborated on multi-disciplinary projects involving music, psychology, philosophy and fine arts.

 World Music Primer clearly displays Bogdanovic’s connection with world music in general, though the Balkan and Macedonian works in this collection are the most unique to him, being from that region. Those pieces feature odd rhythms (5/8 and 7/8), syncopations, and ornaments, traits were are often found in folk traditions of Eastern Europe.

 Jeremy Sparks was born in London, England. He began his guitar studies under Oswald Rantucci at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Upon receiving his performance degree in 1976 he formed the Buffalo Guitar Quartet, and composed music for four guitars, which was virtually non-existent at that time..

Sparks was also mentor to several highly successful guitarists including Jason Vieaux who heads the Cleveland Institute of Music.  He has toured the world, recorded multiple albums, and won the Guitar Foundation of America Competition, among others.

 Irish Medley is perhaps his most performed work, which is popular due to the very colorful and effective arrangement. Sparks employs harmonics and percussive effects along with thoughtful placement of voices in terms of range and color; and he does so in service to the music and not for its own sake which makes it all the more effective.

 Egberto Amin Gismonti began his formal music studies at the age of six on piano. After studying classical music for 15 years, he went to Paris to study orchestration and analysis with Nadia Boulanger and the composer Jean Barraqué, a disciple of Schoenberg and Webern. After his return to Brazil, Gismonti began to explore other musical genres. He was attracted by Ravel's approach to orchestration and chord voicings, as well as by "choro", a Brazilian instrumental popular music featuring various types of guitars. In order to play this music he learned to play guitar, beginning on the 6-string classical instrument and switching to a ten-stringed guitar in 1973. He spent two years experimenting with different tunings and searching for new sounds. This exploration of timbre is further reflected in his use of kalimbas, Shō, voice, bells, etc. By the early '70s, he had laid the groundwork for his current style which incorporated elements drawn from musicians as wide-ranging as Django Reinhardt and Jimi Hendrix.

 Agua y Vinho translates to “Water and Wine.” It features some very interesting harmonies with an extremely expressive melody, which also ends in an unorthodox whole-tone scale. The arrangement of this work was done for two guitars by Spanish guitar professor, Jesus Saiz-Huedo.

Scott Joplin was born in the late 1860s in Texarkana, on the border between Texas and Arkansas. He played the guitar while very young, took up the piano a little later on, and eventually became a travelling musician as a teen. He immersed himself in the emerging musical form known as ragtime and became the genre’s foremost composer. The genre is named for its “ragged” rhythms, referring to heavily syncopated melodies against a constant harmonic pattern. Many of his works are famous even today with tunes like The Entertainer, Solace and The Maple Leaf Rag being common knowledge. Maple Leaf Rag was the biggest-selling ragtime song in history, and Joplin collected one cent for every copy of the sheet music sold.

 Joplin also penned the operas Guest of Honor and Treemonisha, the latter of which was given a full production treatment in the 1970s film, The Sting, which brought The Entertainer back to public awareness. Joplin was awarded a special posthumous Pulitzer Prize for “contributions to American music” in 1976.

 Regarded as the greatest Spanish composer of the twentieth century, Manuel de Falla developed an interest in native Spanish music - in particular Andalusian flamenco - while studying with Felipe Pedrell in Madrid in the late 1890s. From 1907 to 1914 he lived in Paris where he met, and was influenced by, Ravel, Debussy and Dukas.

 Works such as the ballet El amor brujo and the one-act opera La vida breve are notably nationalistic in character, though a Stravinskian neo-classicism can be heard in works such as the Harpsichord Concerto, composed when he lived in Granada from 1921 to 1939. Homenaje is his only original guitar work and it is a landmark of 20th century guitar repertoire. However, his works are very frequently performed as arrangements on the guitar. The music is so inspired by the instrument, and by the flamenco tradition, that even his orchestral works suggest strumming, and the voicings of chords are similar to how they would be playing on guitar. In fact, Falla later arranged Homenaje for orchestra and he needed to change very little. The transference or these ballets to the guitar is so easily done, and so convincing, that it is hard to imagine the originals.

 All of Falla’s works on our program are from ballets. Danza del Corregidor and the Miller’s Dance are both from The Three Cornered Hat, and Danza del Juego de Amor is from El Amor Brujo. Each work features typical Spanish traits such as hemiola, the use of Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant modes, and a heavy emphasis on rhythm. However, Falla blends these traditional traits with contemporary harmonies. Danza del Juego de Amor is an excellent example of this. Danza del Corregidor is perhaps more in line with the folk tradition, and the Miller’s Dance is notable for its clear references to flamenco guitar, and the use of rasgueado strumming techniques.

A Fiery Start for the Humboldt Symphony

 Humboldt Symphony performs the climactic movements of Stravinsky’s famous Firebird Suite and other selections in its first concert of the school year on Saturday November 2 in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU.

 Stravinsky was only 28 when his music for a Russian ballet called The Firebird made him instantly famous and launched his composing career. Humboldt Symphony plays the “lullaby” movement followed by the fiery finale of this familiar signature suite. “It has massive chords for the brass and the whole orchestra,” said conductor Paul Cummings. “ It’s clearly meant to be played loud.” 

 The symphony will also play the overture to an opera, Iphigenia in Aulis by a predecessor of Mozart, Christoph von Gluck. Richard Wagner called it “a glorious work” and Gluck’s “most perfect masterpiece” as an overture. The opera is based on a tragedy by Racine that in turn adapts ancient Greek stories concerning King Agamemnon’s sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia to the gods to secure victory in the Trojan War.

 Two works derived from folk music are also on the program. The ingenuous John Henry by Aaron Copland is based on the tale of a man who battles a machine to the death. The lively Romanian Folk Dances are orchestral settings of folk music that Bela Bartok collected from his native eastern Europe.

 In a nod to Boston pop concerts, the symphony plays the Latin-inflected Blue Tango by Leroy Anderson. 

 Humboldt Symphony performs on Saturday November 2 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8/$5, free to HSU students with ID, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Humboldt Symphony conducted by Paul Cummings; an HSU Music Department production.