UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SYMPHONIC BAND

WINTER CONCERT

Friday, February 21, 2020 at 8:00PM

Saint Paul Cathedral Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Dr. Brad Townsend, Director of Bands

Matthew Alosi, Associate Director of Bands John Ronald Daniels, Organist

PROGRAM

Eternal Father Strong to Save (1974) Claude T. Smith

Sleep (2010) Eric Whitacre

O Mensch, Bewein Dein Sünde Gross (BWV 622) J.S. Bach

Finale From Symphony No. 3 (1886) Camille Saint-Saëns arr. James Cunrow

Irish Tune From County Derry (1918) Percy Grainger

Commando March (1943) Samuel Barber

Suite from Band of Brothers (2001) Michael Kamen arr. Jerry Brubaker

Trumpet Tune in F (1962) David N. Johnson

Crowned with Youth Eternal (2014) arr. Travis J. Weller

PROGRAM NOTES

Eternal Father Strong to Save (1974) Claude T. Smith

The "Navy Hymn" is Eternal Father, Strong to Save. The original words were written as a poem in 1860 by William Whiting of Winchester, England, for a student who was about to sail for the United States. The melody, published in 1861, was composed by fellow Englishman, Rev. John Bacchus Dykes, an Episcopalian clergyman. The hymn, found in most hymnals, is known as the "Navy hymn" because it is sung at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is also sung on ships of the Royal Navy (U.K.) and has been translated into French.

Eternal Father was the favorite hymn of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was sung at his funeral in Hyde Park, New York, in April 1945. It was also played by the Navy Band in 1963 as President John F. Kennedy's body was carried up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to lie in state. Roosevelt had served as Secretary of the Navy and Kennedy was a PT boat commander in World War II.

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

Sleep (2010) Eric Whitacre

Sleep began its life as an a cappella choral setting, with a magnificent original poem by Charles Anthony Silvestri. The chorale-like nature and warm harmonies seemed to call out for the simple and plaintive sound of winds, and I thought that it might make a gorgeous addition to the wind symphony repertoire. Sleep can be performed as a work for band, or band and mixed chorus.

Charles Anthony Silvestri’s poem:

The evening hangs beneath the moon A silver thread on darkened dune With closing eyes and resting head I know that sleep is coming soon

Upon my pillow, safe in bed A thousand pictures fill my head I cannot sleep, my mind’s a-flight And yet my limbs seem made of lead If there are noises in the night A frightening shadow, flickering light Then I surrender unto sleep Where clouds of dream give second sight What dreams may come, both dark and deep Of flying wings and soaring leap As I surrender unto sleep, As I surrender unto sleep.

O Mensch, Bewein Dein Sünde Gross (BWV 622) J.S. Bach

(1685-1750) is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor, and of course, his organ works. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival he has generally been regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

"O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß" (O man, lament your great sin) is a Lutheran Passion hymn with a text written by Sebald Heyd in 1530. The lengthy text of this chorale provides an account in verse of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. This setting is from the Orgelbüchlein, Bach’s book of 46 organ chorales composed around 1714.

Finale From Symphony No. 3 (1886) Camille Saint-Saëns arr. James Cunrow

The Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, was completed by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1886 at what was probably the artistic peak of his career. It is also popularly known as the Organ Symphony, even though it is not a true symphony for organ, but simply an orchestral symphony where two sections out of four use the pipe organ. The symphony was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society in England, and the first performance was given in London on 19 May 1886, at St James's Hall, conducted by the composer. After the death of his friend Franz Liszt on 31 July 1886, Saint-Saëns dedicated the work to Liszt's memory.

Considered throughout his career as the preeminent French composer, Saint-Saens wrote music that embodies a characteristic French concern for clarity and order. Finale from Symphony No. 3 is an arrangement of the last movement scored for symphonic band and organ. In rescoring this massive orchestral work for band, that arranger maintained all essential themes and their appropriate development while capturing the essence of the orchestral colors and timbre through the medium of symphonic band.

Irish Tune From County Derry (1918) Percy Grainger

Percy Grainger (1882-1961) was a piano prodigy turned composer who was known for his strange personal habits, his colorful prose, and his equally unusual music – his many admirers today still recognize that he possessed “the supreme virtue of never being dull.” Born in Australia, he began studying piano at an early age. He came to the U. S. at the outbreak of World War I and enlisted as an Army bandsman, becoming an American citizen in 1918. He went on to explore the frontiers of music with his idiosyncratic folk song settings, his lifelong advocacy for the saxophone, and his Free Music machines which predated electronic synthesizers. His many masterworks for winds include Lincolnshire Posy, Handel in the Strand, and Molly on the Shore.

Irish Tune from County Derry is a setting of a now-famous tune from the Irish county of Derry in the north (also sometimes called Londonderry). This classic arrangement features beautiful, delicate part-writing for both woodwinds and brass, highlighting each family in turn.

Commando March (1943) Samuel Barber

Samuel Barber (1910-1981), born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, was one of America’s most gifted composers. A child prodigy, he started composing at age seven and wrote his first opera

three years later. At age fourteen he entered the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In the early 1930s Barber decided to study abroad and became a fellow at the American Academy in Rome in 1935. He received numerous prizes and awards including two Pulitzer prizes, the American Prix de Rome, three Guggenheim fellowships, an honorary doctor of fine arts degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Commando March was not only Barber’s first work for wind band, but his first work subsequent to entering the Army. There is no extant documentation regarding a formal commission or a direct military order; rather it appears Barber was inspired to compose for the military bands he must have come in contact with during his basic training. In spite of its large instrumentation, Barber often referred to the work in letters as his “little march.” Barber at one time described the music as representing “a new kind of soldier, one who did not march in straight lines” but “struck in stealth with speed, disappearing as quickly as he came.”

Band of Brothers (2001) Michael Kamen arr. Jerry Brubaker

This series, originally broadcast on HBO, tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Based on interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, this 10-part series chronicles the experiences of these young men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear. Based on the book written by Stephen Ambrose.

The story followed a group of 101st Airborne regiment paratroopers from training, through the Battle of the Bulge, to their capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest.

Scoring ten hours of music was a mammoth task for Michael Kamen, best known for Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Rather than going for traditional, military-style war film score he opted for a more sombre, reflective tone to depict the human tragedy.

Trumpet Tune in F (1962) David N. Johnson

David N. Johnson 1922-1987 was an American organist, composer, educator, choral clinician, and lecturer. He taught at Syracuse University, St Olaf College, and at Arizona State University. Johnson published well over 300 compositions, most of them for church use, and was author of an Instruction Book for Beginning Organists and an Organ Teacher's Guide. He is best known for his myriad of trumpet tunes and his vocal/choral work "The Lone, Wild Bird."

Crowned with Youth Eternal (2014) arr. Travis J. Weller

University of Pittsburgh Alma Mater

The alma mater of the University of Pittsburgh was adopted soon after the University changed its name in 1908 from the Western University of Pennsylvania to its current moniker. Lyrics were written by George M. P. Baird, class of 1909 and were set to the tune of what was then the Austrian National Anthem. The music is the hymn "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser", written in 1797 by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn.

Alma Mater, wise and glorious, Child of Light and Bride of Truth, Over fate and foe victorious, Dowered with eternal youth, Crowned with love of son and daughter, Thou shalt conquer as of yore, Dear old Pittsburgh, Alma Mater, God preserve Thee evermore!

First beyond the mountains founded, Where the West-road opens free, When twin rivers forest bounded, Merge and journey toward the sea, In the dawning of the nation Ere the clouds of strife had cleared, 'Rose Thy rough-hewn habitation, By our prophet fathers reared.

Close Thy mother-love embraces All who gather at Thy knee, Castes and classes, creeds and races, Mother, are as one to Thee; Thou who unto knowledge bore us, In the good old days long gone, Raise Thy Gold and Blue high o'er us, Land and we will follow on

SYMPHONIC BAND PERSONNEL

Hannah Rothberg Piccolo/Flute I Lauren Sarro Flute I Mica Azzati Flute I

Cassidy Krofchik Flute I Sam Whelpley Flute I

Kayleigh Matthews Flute I Raeanne Rumbaugh Flute II

Alli Heyler Flute II Emily Hensley Flute II Ronnie Bober Flute II Nicole Schnee Flute II Aimee Everett Flute II Jenai MacArthur Oboe I

Rachel Hines Oboe II Mark Farino Clarinet I Meyer Jeffers Clarinet I Nick Zullo Clarinet I Riley Bean Clarinet II Lucia Giordano Clarinet II Emily Donahue Clarinet II Maddy Thompson Clarinet III

Francessca Caccamo Clarinet III Sarah Sass Clarinet III

Lynnette Tibbott Clarinet III Libby Peterson Bass Clarinet Tim Iroudayassamy Alto Sax I Tyler Comisky Alto Sax I Kate Heuer Alto Sax II

Danny Donaghy Alto Sax II Glenn Ferry Alto Sax II Sam Kulp Tenor Sax

Logan Hellinger Tenor Sax Will La Torre Bari. Sax

Alexander Meek Cornet I Jeff Boothe Cornet I

Liam Hodgson Cornet II

Jordyn Newing Cornet II Frances Russo Cornet II

Julie O'Brien Cornet III Jayden Serenari Cornet III Sean

Linton Trumpet III

Matt Mason Trumpet I/Cornet I Rob Ehrenfeld Trumpet II/Cornet II

Michael Manchini Trumpet II/Cornet II Ryan Krug Horn I

Robbie Morris Horn I Gabby Finan Horn II Adam Stout Horn II Elise Thyrum Horn III

Carissa Root Horn III Michelle Pfahles Horn IV

Seth Schall Horn. IV John Crone Trombone I Mike Gidaro Trombone I Tom Martz Trombone II Cade Neal Trombone II Davis Herchko Trombone III Ezra Saywitz Trombone III

Matthew Tarasovich Trombone III Kyle McDougall Euphonium Josh Friedman Euphonium Lily Turner Euphonium

Hailey Baxton Euphonium Chase Bootel Euphonium Leah Thomas Bass

Maykelin Saterlee Bass Phillip Johnson Bass Matt Liberatore Percussion Bryce Hambach Percussion Emilie Paciotta Percussion

Waverly Chen Percussion Lindsay Kirschner Percussion

Edward Dunlap, Percussion Instructor

JOHN RONALD DANIELS is the organist and director of music at St. Raphael and Sacred Heart Parishes in Pittsburgh, where he directs the choir and plays the organ for these two churches. Since 2000, he has been the assistant organist at St. Paul Cathedral, home of the famous 1962 Rudolph von Beckerath Tracker Organ. He earned his degrees from Grove City College and Duquesne University. J.R. has passed the prescribed tests in service playing and holds the prestigious certificate from the American Guild of Organists.

A native of Cortland, New York, J.R. toured Europe with Marilyn Mason on the university of Michigan's Historic Organ Tour XXVII, playing the great instruments of the Northern Corridor. A former E. Power Biggs Fellow of the Organ Historical Society, he has authored several articles and was involved in saving, restoring and installing several historic instruments. J.R. is recognized as the authority of the life and works of Théodore Salomé. Much of his dissertation can be found on Wikipedia.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Symphonic Band Spring Concert, Sunday, April 5 at 2:00PM at Bellefield Hall