Celebrate America

Program Notes

Fanfare for the Common Man
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Aaron Copland has been described by critic Colin Wilson as "the most typically American composer his country has produced so far." Fans of George Gershwin may have reason to dispute that, but it is certainly true that Copland was a master of the "American Sound." His impetus for writing this particular work came from Eugene Goossens, conductor of the Cincinnati Symphonic Orchestra. For its 1942-43 season, Maestro Goossens commissioned fanfares from mostly American composers, in an attempt to lift the spirits of the American people as they suffered through World War II. Copland's idea was to "ride the wave of patriotism," and honor the heroism of the common man, those who were fighting on the battlefields of the war. The composer wrote, "It seemed to me that if the fighting French got a fanfare, so should the common man, since, after all, it was he who was doing the dirty work in the war." He was referring to Walter Piston's A Fanfare for the Fighting French.

Copland was reportedly inspired by a speech given by then vice president Henry Wallace upon hearing of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In his speech he referred to the upcoming "century of the common man" and Copland borrowed those words for his title. While many fanfares have a quick marching tempo and a military rhythm, Copland wanted his to be played "very deliberately" with "nobility of tone." It is scored for brass and percussion, and the distinctive wide intervals and majestic percussion mark it as distinctively American.

Copland was pleased with his fanfare, and used it later as the intro to the finale of his Third Symphony, in which he said he was "reaching for the grandest gesture." Of the 18 patriotic American fanfares requested by Goossens, only Copland's remained popular beyond the premier performance of the fanfares. The Fanfare for the Common Man has since become a national treasure.

Beryl McHenry

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Symphony No. 6
Howard Hanson (1896 - 1981)

Howard Hanson was born to Swedish immigrant parents and given a typical education in Wahoo, Nebraska, attending Luther College in Wahoo. His first music teacher was his mother, Following his graduation in 1911 he enrolled at the Institute of Musical Art (later to become the Juilliard School) in New York City. There he studied composition and music theory. He then attended Northwestern University, continuing his studies in composition, along with learning to play piano, cello and trombone. He graduated with a BA in music in 1916 and his first job was as a teaching assistant. From these humble beginnings Hanson went on to win numerous awards for his work, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his Fourth Symphony, and the George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Entertainment in Music in 1946.

Hanson's Sixth Symphony was commissioned by Leonard Bernstein on the occasion of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's 125th year. It was premiered in 1968 and conducted by the composer. He dedicated the work to Leonard Bernstein, whom he had long admired. It is a one movement work structured to include six distinct sections which flow into one another, creating one smooth musical narrative. Hanson skillfully changes moods with each new section. The Sixth Symphony showcases Hanson's tremendous knowledge of musical composition, and his complete mastery of orchestration across styles and genre.

The work begins with a slow sustained chord for strings, with an arpeggiated harp figure as the themes are initially presented by the organ. The themes make their way around the orchestra, and the strings and woodwinds dialogue throughout. It has been described as mysterious and sad. Each subsequent movement embraces a different mood, including a fast and rhythmic allegro, described by some as almost "playful." A lush and romantic adagio follows, quite emotional in character, and ending quietly. The allegro assai is again fast-paced, whirling and dashing toward the next section, again an adagio. This third adagio uses pulsating winds to create a march-like feel, a very different mood from the other adagios. The finale movement, another allegro, rivals the earlier movements for sheer energy. It is intense and thrilling, with the brass playing in an almost demonic rhythm. The mood is intensified by the percussion and ends with a powerful blast of the original themes.

Beryl McHenry

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Variations on America
Charles Ives (1874 - 1954)

At the age of 18, Charles Ives took a familiar tune that was over 400 years old, adopted by the UK as a tribute to their king, then most recently as the patriotic anthem "America," and composed five variations of it, with interludes. He first performed the unfinished work in 1892 at the Danberry Methodist Church in Brewster, New York under the scrutiny of his father. The interludes were not composed until 1909-1910, demonstrating the originality he was denied at his father's insistence. He continued, however, to make revisions and often improvised parts as he played. "Variations on America" was not published until 1949, along with other pieces from early in his writing career, and it quickly became well known and often played. Variations on America was originally composed for the organ, at which Ives was a master, and later orchestrated by William Schuman. According to one biographer, Ives had been accused of "poking fun" at what was almost America's national anthem, but he insisted he was mocking the "stodgy" music of his time.

Ives had a successful career as an insurance actuary, and upon graduating from Yale University in 1898 he worked for various insurance companies until starting his own company, Ives & Merrick, where he worked until he retired. He had considerable status in the insurance industry, and many of his sports and business colleagues were surprised to learn that he also wrote music. His football coach at Yale remarked that if he hadn't spent so much time at music he could have been a champion sprinter.

Throughout his college and business careers he composed continuously, but most of it was ignored and unperformed until years, and sometimes decades, later, much of it after his death. Ives was devoted to his music above all, and he continued to grow and experiment. His exploration into the use of dissonance and complex rhythmic arrangements caused some discomfort among his musical contemporaries. Even decades after his death modern orchestras struggle with his later works.

When asked by a New York newspaper in 1902 to speak on the purpose of music, he said, "The primary purpose of music is neither instruction nor culture, but pleasure; and this is an all-sufficient purpose".

Beryl McHenry

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Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra
George Gershwin (1898 - 1937)

When George Gershwin died at the age of 38 he left behind a legacy recognized as groundbreaking in the American classical music tradition. Beginning in 1919 with "Swanee," Gershwin presented the American public with a steady stream of distinctively American works, fusing older symphonic traditions with the newer, American style known as jazz. Music was everything to Gershwin, and he loved the jazz rhythms, the blues harmonies, and the huge collections of song that came from Broadway. He also loved the traditional European styles that he had grown up with. For the Concerto in F, Gershwin drew inspiration from such as Mozart and Beethoven and composed his most classical work.

The Concerto in F was a commissioned work, requested by conductor Walter Damrosch. He was so impressed by the originality of Rhapsody in Blue that he asked Gershwin if he could compose a "proper" concerto. He happily accepted the commission although, as the story goes, he did not know exactly what a concerto was. He studied works by experts on the subject in between his Broadway obligations and apparently learned enough to compose the orchestrations for Concerto in F on his own, with only minor suggestions from colleagues. Happily, he had studied harmony and orchestration for several years and had a natural gift for melody and pacing. He also had an innate sense of what audiences would like. It was slow going, however, and working around other obligations, it took him several months to complete the work during the summer of 1925.

In his own words, the Concerto in F unfolds in this way:

"The first movement employs the Charleston rhythm. It is quick and pulsating, representing the young enthusiastic spirit of American life. It begins with a rhythmic motif given out by the kettledrums, supported by other percussion instruments, and with a Charleston motif introduced by horns, clarinets and violas. The principal theme is announced by the bassoon. Later, a second theme is introduced by the piano.

The second movement has a poetic nocturnal atmosphere which has come to be referred to as the American blues, but in a purer form than that in which they are usually treated.

The final movement reverts to the style of the first. It is an orgy of rhythms, starting violently and keeping in the same pace throughout."

We can only imagine what George Gershwin could have produced had he not died so young. He did, however, live long enough to make a huge impact on the progression of music that is distinctively and uniquely American.

Beryl McHenry

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Washington Post March

John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1932)

John Philip Sousa grew up during the American Civil War and was exposed to a lot of military band music. In 1868, at the age of 14, he joined the United States Marine Band as an apprentice. He went on to become its director, serving from 1880 to 1892 while composing several classic marches. In 1892 he left to form his own band, the John Philip Sousa Band, and recruited some of the most talented musicians from America and Europe. The highly respected band toured from 1892 until 1931, just a year before Sousa's death. According to one source, upon his death his personal musical collection, consisting of "39 trunks and 2 boxes of music," was donated to the University of Illinois Band Department for the establishment of the Sousa Archives. There is also a John Philip Sousa Community Room in the present day Washington Post building in Washington, with a life-sized painting of Sousa in his band uniform.

The Washington Post March was named after the Washington Post newspaper, which sponsored an essay contest for school children. The owners of the newspaper commissioned Sousa to compose a march for the awards ceremony. That ceremony, on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution, took place June 5, 1889, and was attended by President Harrison and other dignitaries. Following that debut, the march became extremely popular in Washington. Next to The Stars and Stripes, The Washington Post was his most popular work. It was an expected piece at every Sousa Band performance. If it was not on the program, the audience demanded that it be played anyway. The story is told that Sousa received only $35 for the commissioned work - $25 for the original piano arrangement, $5 for a band arrangement, and $5 for an orchestra arrangement.

The Washington Post March is composed in standard march form, with an introduction, exposition, development and recapitulation. It is full of energy and vitality, meant to celebrate America's pioneering spirit. It is interesting to note that a dancemasters' organization recognized that the march happened to fit nicely the form of a two-step dance, recently introduced to the public. They promoted it as such, and the two-step became more popular than the waltz. It remained the most popular dance through the 1890s and into the twentieth century, not only in America but also across Europe. The Washington Post March became so closely identified with the two-step that in some countries, all two-step dances were actually called "Washington Posts." It is rightly claimed as uniquely American, however. The Washington Post March has become a staple of American culture and can often be heard at patriotic events, celebrating America's diversity and strength.

Beryl McHenry