Ensembles Combine for Holiday Concert

 Schubert’s Magnificat, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and sacred music of the season highlight a combined holiday concert by the Humboldt Symphony, University Singers and Humboldt Chorale on Friday December 12 and Sunday December 14 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

 The concert’s climax is Franz Schubert’s “Magnificat,” performed by all three ensembles. Also known as the song of Mary and taken from the Gospel of Luke, the Magnificat has been set to music by many composers, from Bach and Vivaldi to Rachmaninoff and John Rutter.  One version or another is often performed in the Christmas season.

 “The string section carries the orchestral part,” said Humboldt Symphony conductor Paul Cummings. “The piece is almost all full ensemble choral singing, though there’s a lovely passage for solo voices that’s very melodic, typical of Schubert.”

 On its own the Symphony performs the Christmas Concerto by Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli. It is Corelli’s best-known work for strings, which he requested be played on Christmas Eve. “Parts of the melody may be familiar,” Cummings said, “since it is heard at this time of year. Besides strings, it is scored for harpsichord, and we’re using a real one, not a synthesizer.”

 The orchestra also performs the fast-changing “Four Little Pieces” by contemporary composer Karel Husa, and the melodic Holberg Suite by Edvard Grieg.

 The Humboldt Chorale begins the concert with sacred music by 20th century French composer Gabriel Faure and contemporary American composer James Kantor, as well as a traditional American Christmas spiritual. The Chorale is a community group directed for the first time by Elisabeth Harrington.

 The University Singers, directed by Harley Muilenburg, perform contemporary British composer John Rutter’s “Gloria,” a celebratory section of the Mass based on Gregorian chant.

 The three ensembles also collaborate on two carols to end the concert: “How far is it to Bethlehem?” and “Still, still, still,” both originally arranged for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The combined holiday concert by Humboldt Symphony, University Singers and Humboldt Chorale is performed on Friday December 12 and Sunday December 14 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $5 seniors and children, and free to HSU students, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door.  Concert produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Mad River Union, Humboldt State Now

Holiday Concert Notes

Humboldt Chorale director Elisabeth Harrington:

James Kantor

Beati in domo Domini" by James G. Kantor, arranged for 3-part choir (SAB) and flute, and also featuring percussive sounds from the singers.

 "Sanctus" from Requiem in D minor by Gabriel Faure, arranged for 3-part choir (SAB) by Jill Gallina.

 "Rise Up , Shepherd, and Follow," a traditional American Negro Spiritual Christmas Carol, arranged for 4-part choir and tenor and soprano soloists by Nathaniel Berle Garris.

The Humboldt Chorale will be collaborating with the University Singers and the Humboldt Symphony to perform the Schubert Magnificat and two additional holiday carols arranged by Mack Wilberg: "Still, still, still" (traditional Austrian; sung in English) "How far is it to Bethlehem?" (English carol) Both of these carols were composed for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.


University Singers director Harley Muilenburg:

John Rutter

John Rutter's “Gloria” was commissioned by the Voices of Mel Olson, Omaha, Nebraska. The [British] composer directed the first performance on the occasion of his first visit to the United States in May, 1974. Rutter writes that “Gloria” is “based mainly on one of the Gregorian chants associated with the text.” The music is festive and celebratory.

The practice of subdividing sections of the mass, such as the Gloria and the Credo, into separate movements as stand-alone compositions dates from the time of JS Bach. John Rutter based his setting of the “Gloria” on one of many Gregorian chants which utilized the Gloria text. Rutter says, "The accompaniment makes quite a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Rutter’s “Gloria” has become a favorite for its “freshness, dramatic impact, and its sheer beauty.”

Humboldt Symphony conductor Paul Cummings:

Franz Schubert

This is our traditional every-other-year concert with combined orchestra and choruses.  Our combined piece at the end of the concert is Schubert's Magnificat for orchestra, choir and four soloists.

In terms of the orchestra part, most of the heavy lifting is done by the strings.  The piece has the typical fast-slow-fast series of movements: the first movement is allegro Maestoso, the second is andante, the third is allegro vivace. There's very little counterpoint, especially for a German composer.

 For the voices, the piece is almost all ensemble choral singing, though in the second movement there's a lovely passage for soloists--a typical Schubert passage that's very melodic.  We have four wonderful students who auditioned for those parts--soprano, alto, tenor, bass--and they're doing a great job.

Schubert wrote this in 1816, a fairly early work.  It tells the Magnificat story as derived from the Gospel of Luke.  It's in Latin, as is most sacred music of this period.

Arcangelo Corelli

The orchestra on its own performs three works.  We did parts of these three in our last concert.  For this concert we perform the complete work.

Corelli's Christmas Concerto, the Concerto Grosso #8, is probably his best-known work for strings.  Parts of it are familiar from the holiday season.  Corelli was one of the great mid-Baroque composers at the end of the 17th century, active mostly in Rome.  He wrote quite a few pieces in this form of the concerto grosso, which features two main groups: the concertino group, which is a group of soloists, and the ripeno, which is everybody else.  We have three student soloists as part of the concertino group--there will be three different soloists each night.  There's also a nice harpsichord part, which we perform on a real harpsichord, not a synthesizer.

Karel Husa: Four Little Pieces (Vier kleine Stucke) 1955

Karel Husa

This is a very nice contemporary piece, atonal  but rather accessible.  It has a lot of material that's repeated and a lot of variety.  In some parts you can hear a melody, while other parts have no melodic material whatsoever.  We did the outer two of the four movements last time.  This time we perform the inner two movements as well.

 Karel Husa was born in 1921 in Czechoslovakia. He emigrated to the United States and began teaching at Cornell University in 1954. He published this work the next year.

Edvard Grieg

Edvard Grieg: From Holberg’s Time, Suite for Strings op. 40 #168

This is one of the classic pieces for string orchestra, so it's always nice to have our students doing core repertoire.  We did the first three movements last time--now we're doing all five.

 In the same vein as Franz Schubert, melody really drives Grieg's music. That’s very apparent in this piece, where there’s always melodic material that’s the basis of the development of the music.

 Grieg is considered Norway’s greatest composer. He wrote this in 1884 to honor Ludvig Holberg, a writer of the early 18th century who is considered the founder of modern Norwegian and Danish literature. He was called “the Moliere of Scandanavia.” So Grieg is capturing the spirit embodied in his literature and that earlier time.

Jazz Orchestra: From Grunge to Big Band 

The HSU Jazz Orchestra turns grunge and steel pan sounds into jazz, then gets back to early 60s big band basics in its December 13 concert at Fulkerson Recital Hall.

 “’Black Hole Sun’ was a hit for the seminal grunge band Soundgarden in 1994,” said director Dan Aldag, “but arranger James Miley radically reworked it into a contemporary jazz piece.”

 A transformation closer to home comes from HSU alum Dan Fair, who turned “Summer Song” by Trinidad composer and steel pan player Cliff Alexis into a tune especially for the Jazz Orchestra. 

Current band members Kyle McInnis (alto sax) and Ryan Woempner (bass) contribute originals, called “Schnell!” and “Fire Crayon Drawing.” 

Get frustrated with endless menus instead of a human on the other end of the phone? So did jazz composer Bill Holman, whose “Press One” is on the Jazz Orchestra playlist.

 Big band roots also get explored with early 60s arrangements from Charles Mingus, Count Basie and the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band. Lauren Strella and Tyler Martin solo on the Mulligan tunes, each on baritone saxophone.

 HSU Jazz Orchestra performs on Saturday December 13 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $5 seniors and children, and free to HSU students, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Dan Aldag, produced by HSU Music Department.

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

Jazz Orchestra Concert: Director's Notes

Notes by Jazz Orchestra Director Dan Aldag:

The Jazz Orchestra is playing original works by two student composers: "Schnell!", by alto saxophonist Kyle McInnis and "Fire Crayon Drawing" by bassist Ryan Woempner.

Recent HSU grad Dan Fair wrote for us an arrangement of "Summer Song" by the Trinidadian composer and steel pan player Cliff Alexis, who composed the piece for steelband.

"Black Hole Sun" was a hit for the seminal grunge band Soundgarden in 1994, but arranger James Miley radically reworked it into a contemporary jazz piece.

 The great jazz composer Bill Holman was inspired to write "Press One" by the seemingly endless phone trees too often encountered when calling a business. It's not strictly programmatic, but the basic elements of the piece were clearly inspired by various facets of the phone tree experience.

Because we're lucky enough to have two baritone saxophonists in the band this semester, we're able to perform two charts from Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band of the early 1960s. "Sweet and Slow" is an Al Cohn arrangement and will feature Lauren Strella. "Little Rock Getaway" was first arranged by Cohn, and then Mulligan revised it. Our performance will feature Tyler Martin.

"Song With Orange" is a Charles Mingus tune. We're playing the arrangement that John Stubblefield wrote for the Mingus Big Band. "Nice 'n' Easy" comes from the Count Basie library of the early 1960s.

Sky Diving with the AM Jazz Band

On Thursday December 11,The AM Jazz Band plays arrangements of the jazz classics "Scrapple From The Apple" by Charlie Parker, "Sticks" by Nat Adderley, Freddie Hubbard's "Sky Dive", and Duke Ellington's "Across The Track Blues" in the same version his band recorded in 1940, plus the standards "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise" and "My Funny Valentine."

AM Jazz Band performs on Thursday December 11 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $5 seniors and children, and free to HSU students, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Dan Aldag, produced by the HSU Music Department.

The Holidays Start with Madrigals and MRT 

 HSU Madrigal Singers in costume jump-start the holiday season with their traditional program of madrigals and English folk songs, plus the Mad River Transit Singers perform jazz, be-bop and blues with a four piece backing band on Sunday December 7. 

 The Madrigal Singers feature songs of young love by Robert Jones and Orlando di Lasso, composers of the Elizabethan age in England. But the best-known writer of that era will also make an appearance, with the final three madrigals set to the words of William Shakespeare.

 “Lord” Clint Rebik and “Lady” Kristen Mack will present news of the day (the 1500s), another traditional part of the program. 

 Then the Mad River Transit Singers take over with their program of ballads and up-tempo numbers that include arrangements ranging from “God Bless the Child” and “O Mary, Don’t You Weep” to “Ray’s Rockhouse” and “Route 66.” MRT is backed by John Chernoff on piano, Ryan Woempner on bass, Thatcher Holvik-Norton on drums and Kyle McInnis on alto saxophone.

HSU Madrigal and MRT Singers perform on Sunday December 7 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets are $8, $5 seniors & children, HSU students free with ID, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Harley Muilenburg, produced by HSU Music department.

 This year’s MRT Singers (not in order pictured; click photo to enlarge): Ian Alexander, Laura Doughty, Hannah Fels, Trina Garrett, Melody Gonzalez, Christian Lesko, Kyle McInnis, Danielle Murray, Christopher Parreira, Corey Tamondong, Rilo Wade, and Alberto Zamora.

 Madrigal Singers (not in order pictured; click photo to enlarge) Tiffany Casparis, Ana Ceja, Erin Corrigan, Victor Guerrero, Jessica Golden, David Howard, Charles Hollowell, Jordan Kramlich, Rich Macey, Kristen Mack, Megan McCaffrey, Edrees Nassir, Matthew Nelson, Nicholas Notthoff, John Pettlon, Linh Phom, Rosemary Torres, Rebeca Ramos, Clint Rebik, Catherine Rippetoe, Shay Singh and Kellie Ventura.

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

Calypso Band Dance Rhythms, Percussion Ensemble’s Metallic Rainforest 

 HSU Calypso Band plays high-energy dance music from Trinidad, the World Percussion Group explores dance drumming from Ghana and the Percussion Ensemble performs two percussive classics, all on Saturday December 6 in the Van Duzer Theatre. 

 “The First Construction in Metal” is a 1939 John Cage composition that Percussion Ensemble director Eugene Novotney calls “brash, creative and a vital example of the American avant-garde style.” It employs 58 metal instruments to produce what New Music writer Alexandra Gardner calls “a metallic rainforest.”

 “Many consider it to be Cage’s finest early work,” Novotney said, “and this is an excellent opportunity to hear and experience this classic piece.” 

 The Percussion Ensemble also plays “Concertino for 12 Percussionists and 2 Pianos” by Czech composer Vaclev Nelhybel.

 “Nehlybel uses different combinations of membranes, woods, and metals to create fascinating textures and soundscapes that surround the listener with pulsating rhythmic variety,” Novotney said. The result is “an immense piece” that is “highly rhythmic and extremely exciting.” 

 Then the World Percussion Group explores dance drumming from the Ewe people of Ghana, aided by dancers from the HSU World Dance Expressions class performing traditional choreography. 

 The Calypso Band takes over for the second half of the concert with authentic dance rhythms from Trinidad, including two modern Panorama classics: “Misbehave” by Lennox “Boogsie” Sharpe, and “We Just Can’t Go On Like This” by Ray Holman. 

HSU Calypso Band, World Percussion Group and Percussion Ensemble perform on Saturday December 6 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus. Tickets are $10/$5 seniors & children/$3 HSU students from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by HSU Music Department.

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

Symphonic Band Rides the Range with John Williams

The HSU Symphonic Band rides the range with John Williams’ movie music for The Cowboys, plus music based on English and Korean folk melodies, and three works featuring some unusual percussion, on Friday December 5. 

The Cowboys was a 1972 film starring John Wayne. Although written early in Williams' film career and overshadowed by his better-known scores such as Star Wars, the American Film Institute considers it one of his ten best.

 This arrangement by Jim Curnow preserves the variety of the film score that accompanied scenes of riding and roping, of cowboys around the campfire and the vastness of the open range. “It’s very exciting music,” said Symphonic Band conductor Paul Cummings. “It’s very tuneful, as is all of John Williams’ film music.” 

 Earlier in the evening the Band performs the entire Second Suite for Military Band by Gustav Holst. “Holst’s First Suite is often described as being a folk music suite but it isn’t based on any actual folk songs,” Cummings commented.

 “The second suite is based on folk songs like 'Greensleeves' and others that would have been familiar to Holst’s first audiences in 1911. So we’re going to present a small group of singers performing several of those songs before we play the suite, to give the audience a sense of what inspired the composer.” 

 The band moves from English folk music to Asia with Variations on a Korean Folk Song by contemporary American composer John Barnes Chance. The composer uses unusual percussion instruments such as the temple block as well as different rhythms to explore the song “Arirang.” “This is really a masterwork,” Cummings said, "and enjoyable to listen to, because it’s got that unifying element of the folk song.” 

 Two other pieces by contemporary American composers also prominently employ unusual percussion instruments to create a variety of musical effects: Shadow Rituals by Robert Markowski and Night Dances by Bruce Yurko. In its faster section the Yurko piece also features brass instruments. “We have a terrific brass section this semester,” Cummings said, “so it’s fun for them to really show what they can do.” 

 HSU Symphonic Band performs on Friday December 5 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $5 seniors and children, free to HSU students, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Conducted by Paul Cummings, produced by HSU Music Department.

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

Symphonic Band:Conductor's Notes

Edited from interviews with conductor Paul Cummings

The Cowboys (1972) by John Williams

John Williams is a great film composer, as exemplified in this piece.  This is music for a movie called The Cowboys with John Wayne, arranged for band by Jim Curnow.  It's a very good arrangement, very challenging, probably the hardest piece we'll be playing, and the longest.

The music gives you a sense of the film's story--life on the ranch, the wide open plains, horses galloping, the cattle drive.  There are a couple of reflective passages that suggest night, with the cowboys sitting around the fire.  Mostly it's very exciting and very tuneful, as is all of John Williams' film music.

Second Suite for Military Band op 28 no. 2 by Gustav Holst 
 1. March: Morris Dance, Swansea Town, Claudy Banks
 2. Song Without Words: "I'll Love My Love"
 3. Song of the Blacksmith
4. Fantasia on the Dargason

We did part of this in our first concert this semester--now we're doing the entire suite. A unique feature of this performance is that we are going to include a small group of singers performing five or six of the folk songs that Holst used in composing the suite.  The idea is to give the audience a sense of what inspired him in writing this suite.

His First Suite for Military Band is sometimes referred to as a folk song type of suite but in fact it is not based on any real folk songs.  But in this Second Suite he used pre-existing sources: established folk songs familiar to everyone in 1911, when he wrote this piece.

This is considered one of the greatest band pieces ever. It’s also one of the earliest written expressly for wind band.

Variations on a Korean Folk Song (1965) by John Barnes Chance

This classic work is based on a very well-known Korean folk song, "Arirang."  John Barnes Chance didn't live long enough to write very much music, but he wrote several pieces that made significant contributions to the wind band repertoire: Incantations and Dance, Elegy and these variations.

This piece has several unique qualities.  Chance makes extensive use of percussion, and uses unusual percussion instruments, particularly the temple blocks.  They are prominently featured.  Even though the temple blocks do not have definite pitches, Chance treats the instrument like a melodic instrument.

These variations cast the original folk song in many different guises, sort of like a character being dressed up in several different costumes in the same play.  So we think we understand the tune when we hear the slow version of it played in the extreme low register by the clarinets at the beginning.  But we find it has a whole different character when lots of brass and percussion are involved, and the tempo gets very fast.  It's really a masterwork, and enjoyable to listen to because it has that unifying element of the folk song.

Shadow Rituals (2006) by Robert Markowski

This is a very exciting piece, and another one that uses an array of percussion.  This piece includes tam tam, suspended cymbals, slapstick, tambourines, bongos, glockenspiel, sleigh bells, cabasa, tom-tom, wind chimes, as well as snare drum and bass drum.  So he's really striving for lots of different colors and textures.

This is a prize-winning composition--it took first place in the Frank Ticheli Composition Contest.  Markowski is a very young composer, and surprisingly does not have a composition degree, does not even have a music degree, but he’s very facile writer, he understands how to write for the instruments.  He writes about this piece: "Shadow Rituals is rhythmic, energetic and challenges the performer to constantly stay engaged in the music.  This piece is a dark and mystical dance, a reflection of something primitive or ancient."

Night Dances (1995) by Bruce Yurko

This piece has a mysterious quality.  It eventually gets very fast and spirited--there's a marking used several times, con spirito, used for the fast-accented passages--but there are also some very reflective sections.  One of these is at the very beginning.  The music seems to grow out of nowhere, with only the percussion playing.  There are two tympani, tenor and bass drums and other, mostly mallet percussion that play this very mysterious kind of melody.  Then the woodwinds come in very softly, echoing the same melody initiated by the mallet instruments.

Then suddenly it's con spirito, very exciting passages featuring the brass.  We have a terrific brass section this semester, so it's fun for them to really show what they can do.