Variations on a Shaker Hymn Copland

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1 Variations on a Shaker Hymn Copland Drawing on American folklore, Aaron Copland ( ) composed accessible works that have become synonymous with American music. Because of their simpler style, Copland s music appealed to an audience just emerging from the challenging years of the Great Depression and World War II. The Shaker Hymn, also known as the Shaker Melody or Shaker Song, is one of Copland s most recognized works. Variations on a Shaker Hymn is an excerpt from the interlude of his 1944 Pulitzer Prize winning ballet, Appalachian Spring. The ballet tells the story of the life of a newlywed couple living in Pennsylvania during the early 1800 s. Copland created Shaker Hymn from an obscure 1848 Shaker song, Simple Gifts. 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free 'tis the gift to come down where we ought to be And when we find ourselves in the place just right 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gained To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed To turn, turn will be our delight 'Till by turning, turning we come round right. The melody appropriately depicts the Shaker culture and helped establish a period atmosphere of simple wonder, humility and faith that is the essence of this work. Variations on a Shaker Hymn is in theme and variation form. This means that after the tune or theme is first stated it is then followed by a series of five variations. In the variations, the musical material is explored by the composer using techniques such as changing the instrumentation and the rhythm, adding additional layers of accompaniment and countermelody, and changing the character of the tune. Bella siccome un angelo (Beautiful like an angel) - Donizetti Bella siccome un angelo is an aria from Gaetano Donizetti s opera buffa, or comic opera, Don Pasquale. Donizetti ( ) was a prolific composer but is best known for his operatic works. Don Pasquale is the sixty fourth of his sixty six operas. Along with Vincenzo Bellini and Gioachino Rossini, he was a leading composer of bel canto (beautiful song) opera. The term bel canto refers to the Italian originated vocal style that was highly popular throughout most of Europe during the 18th and first half of the 19 th century. This style was characterized by beautiful melodies and gave solo singers plenty of opportunity to display their technical skill. As a result, the arias of bel canto operas are filled with difficult runs and frequent ornamentations. In the opera, Don Pasquale, an aging, wealthy bachelor, is unable to convince his nephew and heir, Ernesto, to marry for money rather than love. However Ernesto desires to marry Norina, a beautiful but penniless woman. As a result, Don Pasquale disinherits Ernesto and decides to marry and produce his own heir. He enlists the aid of his physician, Dr. Malatesta, in finding a suitable wife. Dr. Malatesta, recognizing the unhappy fate that would befall any woman in the clutches of this old fool, concocts a plan to dupe the wealthy bachelor. He returns to Don Pasquale singing this aria describing a bride he has found that is "beautiful like an angel." Beautiful as an angel like a pilgrim on earth. Fresh as a lily which opens in the morning. Eyes that speak and laugh, looks that can conquer the heart. Hair blacker than ebony enchanting smile. Enchanting smile. A soul so innocent and candid,

2 that ignores itself; unparalleled modesty, sweetness that with which one falls in love compassionate to the poor, gentle, good, loving. Heaven gave her birth to make happy hearts. to make happy hearts. Heaven gave her birth A series of highly comic encounters follow as Dr. Malatesta s plot exposes the greed and foolishness of the increasingly bewildered Don Pasquale. The old man ultimately resigns himself to life as a bachelor, does not disinherit Ernesto and gives his blessing for the marriage to Norina. An instant success across Europe following its Paris premiere in January, 1843, Don Pasquale earned Donizetti the title comic genius. Applauded for its lyrical characterization and witty commentary on greed and matrimony, it remains one of the composer s most popular works. Cello Concerto No. 1, Op Saint-Saens Camille Saint-Saens ( ) was one of the most prolific and successful French composers of his time writing in virtually all genres, including opera, symphonies, concertos, songs, sacred and secular choral music, solo piano, and chamber music. A child prodigy, by the age of four he was composing pieces for the piano. At the age of 10 he gave a remarkable debut recital in which as an encore he offered to play any of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas from memory. Saint-Saens was the only 19th century French composer to successfully write in the traditional concerto form, producing ten concertos and some twenty additional pieces for solo instrument and orchestra. The first of two concertos for cello, the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 33 was written in 1872 when Saint-Saens was at the height of his compositional success. Breaking with convention in writing the first concerto, he structured the piece in one continuous movement instead of using the normal three movement concerto form. The concerto also starts in an unusual way. Instead of the traditional long introduction, the piece begins with one brief strident chord from the orchestra. The cello then bursts forth articulating the main motif of the concerto. Counter melodies erupt back and forth between the orchestra and soloist with the turbulent opening section finally giving way to a delicate minuet accompanied by muted strings. The minuet is punctuated by a brief cello cadenza and while what follows begins with a recapitulation of material from the first section, Saint-Saens ushers in his final flourish with a new idea first stated by the solo cello and then taken up by the rest of the orchestra. This concerto is tremendously demanding for soloists, especially in the fast third movement. Many composers, including Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff, considered it to be the greatest of all cello concertos. The Musical Sleigh Ride Leopold Mozart Leopold Mozart ( ) was a distinguished violin teacher, composer and author of a highly popular textbook on contemporary violin performance. As a young man, he had been sent to university to study for the priesthood.

3 However, in 1743, he left school to take an appointment as fourth violinist on the musical staff of the Prince- Archbishop of Salzburg. He rose to become court composer and deputy Kapellmeister, a position he held until his death in Most of Leopold s music was written early in his career. After 1762, his work on composition lessened as he devoted more of his attention to the development and exploitation of his youngest child Wolfgang's talents. Many of his works reflect his fondness for humor in their performance. He would use bells, rattles, whips, whistles, dogs, bag pipes and even pistol shots in order to achieve a natural sound in his pieces. The Musical Sleigh Ride from 1755 is an example of his musical wit. It portrays a group of friends setting out by sleigh for a night of dancing at a country inn. The bustle of the trip preparations, the crack of the whip, the trot of the horses, the jingling bells, the shivering of the passengers and the minuet which begins the dance and the ride home are all depicted in the music. Sleigh Ride (Winter Night) - Delius The works of English composer Frederick Delius ( ) encompass every genre. With a style that developed from diverse influences ranging from African-American folk melodies to the works of Romantic era composers such as Edvard Grieg and Richard Wagner, Delius created a unique version of the Impressionist musical expression of the early twentieth century. Delius did not come from a musical family. His father owned a wool company and expected that his son would pursue a career in business. However, Delius wanted a career in music and eventually was allowed to study the violin and the piano. When he completed school, he went to work in the family business. In 1884, he left England for Florida, where he worked on a plantation as an orange grower. While in Florida, he began studying piano with a local teacher. Delius proved to be a failure as an orange grower, and began supporting himself as a musician. In 1886, his father arranged for him to spend a year and a half studying music in Germany at the Leipzig Conservatory. It was in Leipzig that he met Grieg with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. Grieg convinced Delius' father to allow him to become a composer, and with his father s support he soon moved to Paris and began living the life of an artist. Once in Paris Delius began composing in earnest and with Grieg s help was able to achieve a modest degree of success. In 1887, Delius composed Sleigh Ride as a piano piece for a Christmas celebration with the Grieg s. He originally titled the piece Norwegian Sleigh Ride in honor of his friend. Two years later he orchestrated Sleigh Ride but then simply put it aside and forgot about it. Twelve years after Delius s death, conductor Thomas Beecham discovered the piece among the composer s papers. Beecham renamed the piece Winter Night and with two of Delius similarly forgotten pieces, Spring Morning and Summer Evening, created the work Three Small Tone Poems which he premiered at the 1946 Delius Festival in London. Sleigh Ride - Anderson Famous for his concert music with a pop quality, Leroy Anderson ( ) possessed not merely a skill in technique and a rich melodic gift, but also an engaging sense of humor. He was particularly successful in creating descriptive pieces that effectively borrowed sounds and rhythms from outside the musical world, such as the ticking of a clock, the clicking of a typewriter, and the ringing of sleigh bells. Anderson earned a B.A. degree in music at Harvard University in 1929 and an M.A. degree in foreign language there the following year. As a graduate student Leroy became Director of the Harvard University Band and wrote numerous clever arrangements for the band that brought him to the attention of Arthur Fiedler, Director of the Boston Pops Orchestra. His first arrangement for Fiedler in 1936 was a medley of Harvard songs - Harvard Fantasy. Anderson composed many pieces for the Pops and became an orchestrator and arranger for them. He composed almost all his music for orchestra, and almost all of it is very, very short: the average composition is only three minutes long. Arthur Fiedler continued to premiere Leroy's works including Sleigh Ride, Fiddle-Faddle and Trumpeter's Lullaby, until After that Leroy conducted the premieres of his works with the Boston Pops. Among

4 these pieces were Belle of the Ball, Blue Tango, Bugler's Holiday, Forgotten Dreams, Horse and Buggy, Plink, Plank, Plunk!, Serenata, The Syncopated Clock, The Typewriter and Waltzing Cat. By 1952 Leroy had established himself as the pre-eminent American composer of light concert music. One of his most popular works, Sleigh Ride was created for Fiedler in Though the idea for the piece reportedly struck him as he was working outside on a hot July day, it is the perfect picture of an old-fashioned winter journey. In a later interview, Anderson said: "The point of a number like Sleigh Ride, that you can call a descriptive piece, or pictorial, is that you have to start with the idea of the rhythm, and whatever it is first. And in this case, it s the rhythm of the sleigh bells, and these sleigh bells go chink-chink-chink " The journey ends with a horse whinny from the trumpet. It was not written as a Christmas piece, but ended up becoming a Christmas classic when Mitchell Paris added lyrics in Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, Ring ting tingling too For a sleigh ride together with you, Outside the snow is falling And friends are calling "Yoo hoo," Let's go, Let's look at the show, We're riding in a wonderland of snow. It's grand, Just holding your hand, We're gliding along with a song Of a wintry fairy land. Our cheeks are nice and rosy And comfy cozy are we We're snuggled up together Like two birds of a feather would be Let's take that road before us And sing a chorus or two There's a birthday party At the home of Farmer Gray It'll be the perfect ending a perfect day We'll be singing the songs We love to sing without a single stop, At the fireplace while we watch The chestnuts pop. Pop! pop! pop! There's a happy feeling Nothing in the world can buy, When they pass around the chocolate And the pumpkin pie

5 It'll nearly be like a picture print By Currier and Ives These wonderful things are the things We remember all through our lives! Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, Ring ting tingling too For a sleigh ride together with you, Outside the snow is falling And friends are calling "Yoo hoo," Let's go, Let's look at the show, We're riding in a wonderland of snow. It's grand, Just holding your hand, We're gliding along with a song Of a wintry fairy land Our cheeks are nice and rosy And comfy cozy are we We're snuggled up together Like two birds of a feather would be Let's take that road before us And sing a chorus or two Christmas Singalong Finnegan This arrangement by John Finnegan of eight Christmas carols is designed for audience participation. Carols include: Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Deck the Halls, O Come All Ye Faithful.