Program Notes

Still Middle School 8th Grade Band

The Hundred Pipers by Lady Nairne, arr. James D. Ployar

"The Hundred Pipers" is a traditional Scottish song written by Lady Carolina Oliphant, also known as Lady Nairne (1766-1845). Lady Nairne was a prominent Scottish songwriter and poet who is best known for her contributions to Scottish culture and the preservation of traditional Scottish music. "The Hundred Pipers" is one of her most celebrated works, and it has become a cherished part of Scotland's musical heritage.

The lyrics of "The Hundred Pipers" capture the courage and determination of the Scottish soldiers who would rally to the call of the bagpipes. The chorus is particularly catchy and serves as a rousing call to action:

"Wi' a hundred pipers, an' a', an' a', 

Wi' a hundred pipers, an' a', an' a', 

We'll up an' gie them a blaw, a blaw, 

Wi' a hundred pipers, an' a', an' a'."

Dominion by Randall D. Standridge

"Dominion" is a dynamic and evocative composition by Randall D. Standridge, an accomplished American composer known for his engaging and imaginative works for concert band. Premiered in 2012, "Dominion" is a piece that explores themes of power, authority, and the grandeur of a ruling entity.  

Scullen Middle School 8th Grade Band

Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe, arr. Douglas E. Wagner

The Grand Canyon Suite was composed for symphony orchestra by Ferde Grofe in 1931.  Its five movements depict scenes that would be typical of the Grand Canyon, including “Sunrise,” “Painted Desert,” “On the Trail,” “Sunset,” and “Cloudburst.” 

It has challenged our students to perform music in multiple keys and styles, and to be aware of the conductor through several tempo changes.

Joy by Frank Ticheli

Joy by Frank Ticheli was written for his daughter, Hannah. Joy allowed the 8th grade band students to perform in 4/4 and 2/4 time, allowed the students to explore a variety of dynamics, while reinforcing the dotted eighth sixteenth note rhythm. The students also had to learn how to make sudden changes in tempo as a band. Please enjoy our performance of Joy!

Fischer Middle School 8th Grade Band

Bazaar by Randall Standridge

Bazaar takes the listener on an imaginary trip to the exotic markets of the Middle East.  Spices, beautiful fabrics and priceless treasures litter the carts while noise, aromas, and laughter fill the air.  The use of an altered scale and colorful percussion add to the flavor of this piece.  This piece has challenged us to play with a specific style and intense energy. 

Creed by William Himes

A creed is a statement of belief.  This piece, while not literally programmatic, seeks to convey a sense of affirmation and trust - those ideals considered to be the basis of humanity.  The result is music which is descriptive and atmospheric, conjuring a variety of moods resulting from reflection to exultation.   This piece has challenged us to play independently in a wide variety of ranges while changing tempos various times throughout the piece. 

Concert Band

In the Forest of the King by Pierre LaPlante

In the Forest of the King (originally titled Trois Chansons Populaires) is a contrasting work of three movements based on French folk songs:

Le Furet (The Ferret)

The Laurel Grove  

King Dagobert

The three movements are playful, sometimes majestic, and even introspective at times. The compositional style of LaPlante is beautifully symphonic in nature.  This allows a band to explore rich and full sounds while encouraging younger musicians to be more musically independent and courageous in their playing. 

Tectonic Plates by Adrian B. Sims

Filled with energy and excitement, this piece takes the listener on a journey through the inner workings of the planet!  From musical depictions of seismic activity, characterized by brass & percussion, to the sounds of an earthquake, this work not only depicts the destruction, but also the beauty of the planet's landscapes that result from these powerful forces of nature.

Symphonic Band

Of Wizards and Warriors by Roland Barrett

This rousing concert overture begins with a stately and noble theme heralded by the sound of a solo trumpet voice. The opening gradually develops in texture and harmony as more voices enter. As the tempo picks up, the entire ensemble drives forward as layer upon layer is added. A beautiful lyrical section builds to a powerful impact before the piece moves to a final section beginning with a trumpet ostinato that alternates between 4/4 and 2/4. As layers are added at different speeds, the piece builds to a dramatic conclusion!

The Magic of Harry Potter by John Williams, arranged by Michael Story

Relive the magic of all eight films with this medley from each of the exciting film scores. The themes included are Hedwig's Theme and Nimbus 2000 from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Fawkes the Phoenix from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Double Trouble from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hogwarts' Hymn from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore's Army This medley will ensure that Harry's conjuring enchantment lives on for generations to come.

- program note from publisher

Symphonic Winds

Sun Dance by Frank Ticheli

While composing Sun Dance, I was consciously attempting to evoke a feeling: bright joy. After completing the work, I found that the music began to suggest a more concrete image -- a town festival on a warm, sun-washed day. I imagined townspeople gathered in the park, some in small groups, some walking hand in hand, others dancing to the music played by a small band under a red gazebo. Throughout the composition process, I carefully balanced the songlike and dancelike components of “bright joy.” The oboe’s gentle statement of the main melody establishes the work’s song-like characteristics, while in the work’s middle section, a lyrical theme of even greater passion appears. Several recurring themes are indeed more vocal than instrumental in nature.

The work’s dancelike qualities are enhanced by a syncopated rhythmic figure... The figure is used not only in the main melody, but also as a structural building block for virtually everything in the piece, including other melodies, accompaniment figures, and episodes.”

- notes from the composer

Sure on this Shining Night by Samuel Barber, arr. Richard Saucedo

Barber’s Sure on This Shining Night was originally written for low voice and piano and utilized a poem by James Agee. Using Samuel Barber's interweaving melodies and distinctive harmonies, Richard Saucedo has created this beautifully scored setting for concert band. Opening with solos for trumpet, flute and oboe, the arrangement builds to a dramatic full ensemble peak then tapers to a sensitive and quiet ending.

The Wolves of Alaska by Rossano Galante

Opening with brass fanfares moving through mixed meters, this work seeks to paint a portrait of the wolves in the beautiful scenery of Alaska. The work’s main theme is stated by clarinet and trumpet over a rhythmic ostinato. I feel this material captures the freedom of he wolves as they navigate the Alaskan terrain. This music is repeated with fuller orchestration followed by a brief B section. This passage is light and playful, depicting the joy and frivolity of these wondrous creatures. After a reprise of the main thematic material with full ensemble, the composition transitions to a more lyrical section incorporating solo flute. This faction of the work depicts the wolves at rest, taking in the night air. As morning ensues, the wolves are energized and ready for new experiences. This section is a variation of the main theme, boldly performed by horns. A lush and grand recapitulation of the main theme leads  to the ending of the work, with brass fanfares culminating in an epic conclusion.

-notes by the composer

Wind Symphony

Pageant by Vincent Persichetti

Pageant, commissioned by the American Bandmasters Association, was completed in 1953 and was Persichetti’s third work for band. Pageant’s two sections use different compositional techniques, which result in remarkably different textures.  The initial reflective choral-like section begins with a three note motif from a solo French horn which is the basis upon which the entire work is derived from. In this reflective opening section, the motif is developed into longer phrases that are passed around to small chamber-like segments of the ensemble changing tonal centers as often as the instrumentation groupings change.  Then in the transition into the ‘parade’ like second section, it opens with a snare drum solo motif. That rhythmic motif is then developed throughout the entire ensemble for the remainder of the work. This faster parade-like section is a study in polytonality - in other words playing in more than one key center at the same time.  The work even ends with a bold chord (for the 1950s) that is in both Bb and Eb with an Ab in the bass and an A natural and E natural perfect fifth at the top of the polytonal structure.  A truly revolutionary work at the time of its premiere!

Variations On A Korean Folk Song by John Barnes Chance

While serving in Seoul, Korea as a member of the Eighth United States Army Band, Chance encountered “Arirang,” a traditional folk song sung by native Koreans when experiencing circumstances of national crisis. The Korean word “arirang” means literally rolling hills, and the song relates the story of a man who is forced to leave his significant other, despite her persistent pleas to accompany him. Chance overheard “Arirang” while riding a public bus in Korea and later incorporated it into his work, Variations on a Korean Folk Song.

Variations on a Korean Folk Song consists of a theme and five distinct variations. Though the theme is of Eastern origin, Chance maintains a traditional Western tonal function based on triadic harmony and a pentatonic melody. Formal techniques used in the piece are canon, inversion, imitation, augmentation, ostinato, and polymeter. Chance maintains the theme’s Eastern influence by featuring distinct percussive instruments like gong, temple blocks, cymbals, timpani, vibraphone, and triangle. In 1966, Variations on a Korean Folk Song was awarded the American Bandmaster’s Association’s Ostwald Composition Award and the piece remains a standard of band repertoire today.

Wind Ensemble

The Liberty Bell by John Philip Sousa

This march was composed in 1893 and within one year was published for piano solo, piano duet, orchestra, band, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and zither. The title resulted from (1) Sousa and his manager seeing a huge painting of the liberty bell during a show in Chicago, (2) a letter from Sousa's wife the next morning telling how their son had marched in a Philadelphia parade honoring the liberty bell, and (3) Sousa's unashamed patriotism, which predisposed him toward any title with a nationalistic ring -- he was sometimes called the Pied Piper of Patriotism. As his first march published on a royalty basis, The Liberty Bell march netted Sousa $40,000 in less than seven years. Later in his life he told Herbert L. Clarke that he had spent some $15 million on band transportation and $13 million on salaries. And yet he died a very wealthy man.

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band

For $500 more, this march probably would have been named The Devil's Deputy. Sousa was composing music for an operetta of that name at the request of the famous comedian Francis Wilson. Sousa asked $1500 for the work, but Wilson offered $1000. When they could not come to an agreement, Sousa withdrew his partially completed manuscript, which included a lively march.

Sousa and George Frederick Hinton, one of the band's managers, were in Chicago witnessing a spectacle called America when a backdrop, with a huge painting of the liberty bell, was lowered. Hinton suggested the The Liberty Bell would be a good title for Sousa's new march. By coincidence, the next morning Sousa received a letter from his wife in which she told him that their son had marched in his first parade in Philadelphia -- a parade honoring the return of the lberty bell, which had been on tour. The new march was then christened The Liberty Bell. It was one of the first marches Sousa sold to the John Church Company and was the first composition to bring Sousa a substantial financial reward.

According to a story told by the Sousa Band's first soprano, Marcella Lindh, she contributed one of the themes of the march. Sousa had heard her whistling a catchy tune of her own and had asked her permission to incorporate it into one of his marches. Several years later she heard The Liberty Bell march being performed by a band in Europe and recognized her own melody in the march.

- Program Note from John Philip Sousa: An Annotated Catalog of His Works

This march is better known in the public mind than most other Sousa marches because of its use as theme music by the British comedy troupe Monty Python.

Vulnerable Joy by Jodie Blackshaw

'Vulnerable Joy' is inspired by the self-sacrifice, commitment and humility of the mother Humpback whale. As a mammal, baleen whale, she grows to approximately 52ft. and lives at the ocean's surface in order to breathe. She travels up to 4000 miles from her feeding ground to birth her calf in warmer tropical waters. Once she leaves the feeding grounds of Antarctica or the cooler oceans of the Northern Hemisphere, she will not feed again until she returns some 8-9 months later. All the while, nursing her newborn calf with up to 132 gallons of milk per day.

In realizing the enormity of this feat, my mind turned to the whales who are closest to me, those who migrate along the East coast of Australia from Tonga to Antarctica. I imagined the sheer relief she must feel in that moment when the cool waters of the Southern Ocean rub her skin for the first time. She is tired and hungry but in that moment (in my imagination), I feel her joy, her intense, overwhelming joy.

During the opening and closing of the performance, you may hear the instrumentalists murmuring some words. This 'chant' is made up of word fragments from eight different languages. The fragments used come from translations of the following words/phrases: "Welcome", "Peace be with you", "Live long and prosper" and "Love". The color and beauty of these translated words has been used not to create a direct translation of these English phrases, but to provide a link between the humpback whales' intelligent communication capability and our inability to understand them. For if we could, I feel sure they would be sending us a very clear message: please allow us to live our lives in peace, love, prosperity, and beautiful, awe-inspiring, vulnerable joy.

-note from Jodie Blackshaw

Khan by Julie Giroux

This is a programmatic work depicting Genghis Khan and his army on the move. The opening theme, "Warlord", represents Genghis Khan, which is followed by the "Horseback" theme comprised of two distinct sections. These 3 musical representations are used throughout the piece, creating a musical "campaign" complete with a serene village scene just before its decimation. Most of the work is at a brisk tempo combined with energetic rhythms and driving percussion which continuously propel the music urgently forward. Extreme dynamic contasts throughout the piece contribute to the emotional turbulence. Genghis Khan and his army ended the lives of thousands of people and his "Warlord" theme, with great force, ends this work.

-note from Julie Giroux

Congratulations to the following WVHS Band students on being 

selected as ILMEA District 9 festival participants.

ILMEA Band - Risha Bansal, Bill Bolor, Adam Brown, Skanda Iyer*, Jackie Li, Andrew Linerode, Victoria Lokshin, Ryan Mitchell*, Patrick Ramer, Allie Scheurenberg, Jackie Sienicki, Christian Swineford

ILMEA Jazz - Adam Brown

ILMEA Orchestra - Neha Nadgauda, Sai Peddainti, Daphne Smith, Jason Yap

*Denotes First Chair

WAUBONSIE VALLEY MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES

for WINDS and PERCUSSION

Thank you for attending the Waubonsie Valley Fall Band Concert Series.  In addition to our excellent curricular concert bands, WVHS is proud to offer a wide variety of co-curricular activities, such as:

Marching Warriors – the precision marching band that performs at home football games, area festivals and competitions, as well as local parades. The Marching Warriors season is from June through October.

Warrior Pep Band – the band that performs at home basketball games to cheer the teams on to victory. The season for pep band is December through February.

Jazz – a truly American art form! WVHS is proud to offer a wide array of jazz experiences, including the Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Jazz Combo. Jazz runs yearlong, performing at home jazz concerts, local festivals, and the annual District 204 Fine Arts Festival.

Percussion – WVHS offers two different co-curricular percussion ensembles: Percussion Ensemble and World Beat. Percussion Ensemble is an auditioned ensemble focusing on contemporary advanced percussion ensembles. World Beat is a non-auditioned percussion group that is open to music students interested in learning the music of various cultures from around the world.

Solo and Ensemble is one of the largest and most important co-curricular music programs at WVHS.  Solo and Ensemble is when students take the initiative to learn how to perform as a soloist and/or run small group ensembles.

Musical Pit Orchestra is the small orchestra that performs the background and interlude music for the annual spring musical.  Auditions and instrumentation are announced second semester once the musical has been chosen.

Summer Music is a fantastic experience for students to continue playing over the summer and developing their musicianship.  WV band students have the opportunity to mentor younger students and encourage them to pursue all that participation in the Fine Arts offers them throughout their life!  Registration material will be made available in April at www.wvhsmusic.org