Music Discovery Day. Part of the: Sound Discovery Community Engagement Programs. Presented by:

Transcription

1 Music Discovery Day Part of the: Sound Discovery Community Engagement Programs Presented by: Lancaster Symphony Orchestra Stephen Gunzenhauser, Music Director May 20, :30 AM, 11:15 AM & 12:45 PM J.P. McCaskey High School School District of Lancaster 1. Claude-Michel Schönberg, Suite from Les Miserables 2. Franz Liszt, Les Préludes 3. Dimitri Kabalevsky, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Major, Movement I. Allegro molto 4. Arturo Márquez, Danzon No John Philip Sousa, The Stars and Stripes Forever

2 National Learning Standards Addressed: 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music 7. Evaluating music and music performances 9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture Pennsylvania Academic Standards Addressed: 9.1 D, F, Production and performance of music 9.2 A, B, C, G Historical and Cultural Contexts 9.3 F, G Critical Response 9.4 C, D Aesthetic Response

3 Concert Etiquette: After the orchestra has assembled on stage, ask your students to watch for the concert master s entrance. It is appropriate to applaud as he walks to the front of the orchestra. Remember to remain quiet as he tunes the orchestra. Following the tuning of the orchestra, when all is quiet, watch for the arrival of the Conductor. As he enters, you may also applaud. After the guest soloist is introduced, please applaud as he/she enters the stage. Please remind your students to sit quietly. There should be no talking or whispering as the music is being played. This allows the musicians to concentrate on their music and other members of the audience to enjoy the performance. If invited to clap along, please continue clapping until the conductor signals you to stop. Before leaving your seats, remind your students to check for personal items such as jackets, hats, etc. Please exit the building quietly and orderly. If your students would like to write thank you notes to the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, they may be sent to: Lancaster Symphony Orchestra Attn: Director of Community Engagement P.O. Box 1281 Lancaster, PA

4 Meet the Artists: Stephen Gunzenhauser, Music Director, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra Internationally recognized conductor, Grammy nominee and vibrant leader of one of Lancaster s foremost cultural treasures, maestro Stephen Gunzenhauser is equally at home as the revered music director of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and as a citizen of the world. For 34 years he has created magical musical synergies with the Lancaster Symphony. He also continues to circle the globe, conducting orchestras in Europe, South America, Canada, the British Isles, Korea, Hong Kong and Israel. He is one of the few conductors active in the United States, Eastern Europe and South America. The fifth most recorded American conductor, Stephen Gunzenhauser has recorded 66 albums and over 2 million compact discs were sold. In 2003, the recording of a performance he conducted of the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz of Benjamin Lees Symphony No. 5 Kalmar Nyckel received a Grammy nomination for best classical contemporary composition. The 1988 recording of Tchaikovsky s Symphony No. 5 which he conducted with the Slovak Philharmonic was the top-selling recording of Tchaikovsky in Moscow. Born in New York and a graduate of the city s High School of Music and Art, Gunzenhauser received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College and a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservancy. He also holds an honorary doctorate degree from Widener University, has been awarded three Fulbright grants and has an artist s diploma from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Gunzenhauser served both Igor Markevich in Monte Carlo and Leopold Stokowski in New York as assistant conductor before becoming executive and artistic director of the Wilmington Music School in In 1979, Gunzenhauser was named music director and conductor of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, where he served until Through his leadership of that orchestra, he were honored in 1990 by being named the state s first Cultural Ambassador. In 1999, he received Delaware s Order of the First State, the highest accolade they confer. The same year he joined the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Gunzenhauser was appointed music director and conductor of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. In his 34 years with the Lancaster Symphony, he has helped to transform the orchestra into one of the country s finest regional, professional orchestras. Its Only in Lancaster blend of beloved works of the past and groundbreaking new compositions at the hands of talented musicians and internationally acclaimed guest artists have received critical praise. In 2004, the maestro also served as artistic advisor of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra. Gunzenhauser also serves as artistic director of the international Endless Mountain Music Festival in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Gunzenhauser has two grown daughters who reside in Los Angeles, and he lives in Avondale, Pennsylvania, with his wife Shelly. Max Pan, first place winner of the Student Instrumental Solo Competition Max Pan began studying the piano at age five with his father, Dr. Xun Pan. In 2012, Max competed in the United States Open Music Competition in California and received second prize. In addition to playing piano, Max enjoys playing sports, especially baseball. He also likes videogames. Two of his favorites are MLB 2K12 and NBA 2K13. Max is a seventh-grader at Manheim Township Middle School, where math is his favorite subject. In March 2013, Max won first prize at the Women s Symphony Association Junior Competition and earned the opportunity to compete with finalists at the Senior Competition. Once again he won first prize. Max feels so honored to play with the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra today. It marks his first time performing with an orchestra.

5 Meet The Program: Francis Scott Key, The Star-Spangled Banner The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States of America. Francis Scott Key wrote the words to our national anthem after seeing the battle of Fort McHenry. This battle took place during the War of Fort McHenry is in the harbor of the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore, and the battle was between the United States and the Royal Navy of England. Mr. Key watched the battle from a British ship four miles away. He was sent there to free an American prisoner that was onboard. The Royal Navy kept firing their cannons all night. Mr. Key couldn t tell if we were winning the battle until the very next day when he saw a great big American flag waving in the dawn s early light! Mr. Key loved to write poetry, so he wrote a poem about the battle. He titled it Defense of Fort McHenry. Mr. Key was later inspired to turn the poem into a song. He paired the words with a popular British melody of the time. The catchy tune and words became well known. Before the War of 1812, the flag was used mostly to identify ships and forts. However, Mr. Key s song transformed the flag into a national symbol of American values. The United States Navy started using the patriotic song in ceremonies in In 1931, the Congress and President Herbert Hoover declared it our national anthem. There are four verses, but we only sing the first verse. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Franz Liszt, Les Préludes Franz Liszt was born in Hungary in His father was very musical and taught him to play the piano. By the age of six, Liszt was known as a musical wonder. He began composing when he was eight and performing concerts when he was nine. Unlike many musicians that came before him, Liszt became wealthy and famous during his lifetime. Liszt invented a new type of music called the symphonic poem. A symphonic poem is a piece for orchestra that draws inspiration from a book, poem, painting, historical event, legend, or place. Liszt based his symphonic poem Les Preludes on a poem by Alphonse de Lamartine, a French writer. This piece is made up of different sections. Each section represents a different time in a person s life including times of love, war, peace, and finally, death.

6 Dmitri Kabalevsky, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D major, Op st movement: Allegro molto Max Pan, piano soloist In addition to being a famous Russian Soviet composer, Dmitri Kabalevsky ( ) is remembered as being a great music teacher. Kabalevsky wrote music for adult performers and young students alike. He began a special music program in twenty-five Soviet schools where he helped students understand how to listen to music and how describe it with words. Kabalevsky dedicated his Piano Concerto No. 3 to Soviet Youth. This piano concerto has 3 parts, or movements. You will hear the 1st movement. The tempo, or speed, of this movement is marked Allegro molto. This means very fast and bright in Italian. After listening to the piece, would you agree with this tempo marking? Claude-Michel Schönberg, Les Misérables Les Misérables, often shortened to Les Mis, was originally a book written by French author Victor Hugo. It was published in The story follows the life of a peasant, Valjean, who spends 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. When freed from prison, he decides to become an honest man. He creates a new life for himself and becomes the mayor of a town. He becomes very compassionate and helps many people. Valjean s story unfolds while the country of France is torn apart by a revolution. It is a story that teaches kindness and hope during difficult times. After a few stage versions, the musical Les Mis opened on Broadway in 1987 and has been a huge success. It has been performed all over the world. In December 2012, a popular movie version starring Hugh Jackman was released. Arturo Márquez, Danzón No. 2 Arturo Márquez was born in 1950 in Alamos, in the state of Sonora, Mexico. He is one of nine brothers and sisters. His father was a mariachi musician, and his grandfather was a Mexican folk musician in the northern states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Márquez heard many different kinds of music growing up; now he uses those styles in the music he writes. Just before his teen years, Márquez and his family moved to Southern California. He played the trombone and violin when he was in high school and later started studying the piano. He wrote his first composition when he was 16 and then attended the Mexican Music Conservatory. Danzón No. 2 was inspired by dancing in the Veracrúz region of Mexico. Márquez says This music is a tribute to all that gives birth to the danzón (a dance of Cuban origin which has enjoyed great popularity in Mexico). [I] approach the dance rhythms in the closest possible way to express my respect... towards genuine popular music." Listen how the main theme, or melody, is first played on the clarinet, then the strings. Can you hear which instruments have the melody as the danzón continues?

7 John Philip Sousa, The Stars and Stripes Forever John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C. in He had a wide musical career as a performer, conductor, and composer. From , he was the conductor of the Marine Band and became an American icon as The March King. Sousa composed 136 marches. One of his most popular, The Stars and Stripes Forever, became our nation s official march. It was composed on Christmas day Sousa also started the Sousa Band in The popular band enjoyed tours across the U.S. and Canada. While on vacation in Europe, Sousa needed to return home early to help with managing the Sousa Band. It was during his voyage home that he created this famous melody. Sousa died in Reading, Pa. on March 6, He was 77 years old. He was in Reading leading rehearsals of the Ringgold Band. The last piece he conducted was The Stars and Stripes Forever. Closing Thoughts: Francis Scott Key watched a battle and was moved to write a poem that would become our national anthem. Franz Liszt read a poem and was moved to write his most famous symphonic poem, Les Preludes. Victor Hugo wrote a book about a difficult time in France s history. Over 100 years later, Claude-Michel Schönberg set that story to music and Les Misérables became a famous musical play. Later, others were inspired to turn this musical into a movie. Arturo Márquez watched dancers perform in his native Mexico and was moved to compose his energetic Danzon No. 2. Inspiration can come from many places. We hope you discover music that inspires you to do great things!