Program Notes

Food & Music from Around the World

Civic Symphony of Green Bay
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Preble High School Commons

OVERVIEW

Celebrate global culture with a vibrant fusion of music and cuisine. Students from the culinary arts program at Preble High School will prepare dishes perfectly paired with the orchestra’s musical selections. Celebrity chef Ace Champion will guide the talented student chefs and also perform with the orchestra. Dinner consists of exotic dishes from Spain, Asia, the Caribbean, and New Orleans, along with a trio of desserts.

Thank you to American Foods Group for sponsoring this concert.

REPERTOIRE

Click a title below to expand and read about the pieces on tonight’s program. We hope you learn something new and interesting about the composers and the music. If you have time in the next two weeks, please share your feedback in our concert survey.

Remember to silence your cell phone and refrain from texting, audio/video recording, or flash photography during the performance.

Festive Overture

AT A GLANCE

Title: Festive Overture, Op. 96
By: Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Composed: 1954
Length: 6 minutes

Instrumentation:
2 flutes + piccolo, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, triangle), and strings

Previous CSGB performances:
2000 March
2017 February

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer and pianist. During Joseph Stalin’s regime in Soviet Russia, musicians had to be careful to properly reflect the state’s approved aesthetic of “socialist realism.” Despite this lack of artistic freedom, Shostakovich was a prolific composer, writing 15 symphonies, string quartets, ballet and movie music, and much more. Inspired by Mahler, Shostakovich’s works are largely tonal with elements of atonality and chromaticism.

Festive Overture was composed in just three days for a concert commemorating the anniversary of the October Revolution. Shostakovich’s friend Lev Lebedinsky said, “The speed with which he wrote was truly astounding. Moreover, when he wrote light music he was able to talk, make jokes and compose simultaneously, like the legendary Mozart. He laughed and chuckled, and in the meanwhile work was under way and the music was being written down.”

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Festive Overture opens with a bold trumpet fanfare in A major, adding in horns to build the chord. The simple musical line moves upward in the first trumpet while the lower voices keep going lower.

Shostakovich takes the chord progression in a surprising way, modulating to C# major. Woodwinds and strings fill in the texture with shimmering arpeggiations of the chords, creating forward momentum. The music moves through additional unexpected chord changes which sound bright and satisfying due to the continued contrary motion in the voices. The tension builds through repetition – the entire orchestra united in rhythm.

The presto starts with the horns playing the accompaniment motif, followed by the entire clarinet section playing the first theme together. This exciting melody consists of endless scales over a repeated vamp in A major. When the flutes join, the theme briefly modulates to the relative minor, before returning to A major at the violin entrance. Brass instruments insert short fanfare fragments throughout.

Next, low brass and low woodwinds enter with their version of the melody while upper voices play the accompaniment motif. An E pedal point takes us into the soaring second theme played by the cello and horn. While this melody feels slower, the actual tempo of the piece doesn’t change. The accompaniment motif is now used in retrograde inversion (upside down and backwards) in a bass line pizzicato. High strings repeat the second theme which ends with a B pedal point while the melody fades away to nothing.

There is a brief quiet string pizzicato section in E major, with a sudden modulation to C major and the clarinets play a flurry of notes. This secondary melodic motif continues and more woodwinds join the party. Shostakovich returns to A major, with some colorful chord progressions tossed in for good measure. Then there is a dramatic simultaneous recapitulation of the two themes. Woodwinds and strings play the first melody while brass have the second theme. Listen for the lively accompaniment motif underneath.

The piece modulates back to the now familiar A major, and the upper strings play very fast notes. Woodwinds interject with fragments of that secondary melodic motif. The music slows and Shostakovich brings back the brass fanfare from the very beginning, with some flourishes added by the woodwinds and strings. The overture returns to the breakneck presto tempo and ends with a short series of closing chords.

Capriccio Espagnol

AT A GLANCE

Title: Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34
By: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Composed: 1887
Length: 15 minutes

Instrumentation:
2 flutes + piccolo, 2 oboes + English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, castanets, cymbals, side drum, tambourine, triangle), harp, and strings

Previous CSGB performances:
1998 April
2003 April
2015 February

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a member of a group of prominent 19th-century Russian composers known as The Five. They worked together to create a distinct nationalistic style of classical music using Russian folk songs along with exotic harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic elements contrary to traditional Western music.

Rimsky-Korsakov is best known for his symphonic suite Scheherazade, based on the story of the sultan’s wife who tells him a series of stories for 1,001 nights. He also wrote operas, symphonies, choral music, and songs. One of his operas contains the popular “The Flight of the Bumblebee.” He was very critical of his own work, often making revisions more than once.

The self-taught Rimsky-Korsakov became so renowned for his orchestration that he feared it would overshadow his compositional achievements. “The opinion reached by both critics and the public that the Capriccio is a magnificently orchestrated piece is wrong,” he declared. “The Capriccio is a brilliant composition for the orchestra.”

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Capriccio Espagnol is a five movement suite based on Spanish folk tunes Rimsky-Korsakov heard while traveling as a cadet in the Russian navy. He originally sketched the melodies for solo violin and orchestra, but later decided instead to make it a showpiece for the entire orchestra. The five movements of the piece are played without pause.

♫ I. Alborada
The first “morning serenade” is based on a festive dance celebrating the rising sun. This movement features two sprightly clarinet solos that keep the orchestra moving along. The movement ends with a violin solo similar to the clarinet’s, and the orchestra diminuendos to nothing.

♫ II. Variazioni
Imagine night falling as this movement begins with the beautiful horn melody. Variations of this melody are repeated by other instruments of the orchestra. Listen for the duet between the English horn and horn, where the horn plays the notes first open and then stopped (closing off the bell with the hand) creating a more nasal sound. Next, the full orchestra plays the tune, followed by woodwinds with a winding pizzicato string line, and then full orchestra again. The second movement ends with a chromatic flute line and low trill which leads right into the next movement.

♫ III. Alborada
The music of the first movement is repeated, but not quite verbatim. Rimsky-Korsakov shifts the key up a half step and adjusts the orchestration, demonstrating how the “same” music can have a different flavor. The violin and clarinet trade their first-movement solo passages. The lucky clarinetists swap from A clarinet to B-flat clarinet, and are the only players in the ensemble who don’t have to learn the music in a different key!

♫ IV. Scena e canto gitano
The “Scene and Gypsy Song” movement begins with five showy cadenza sections played over rolls by various percussion instruments. After the cadenzas, the strings have a ferocious interjection punctuated by low brass – this is the gypsy song. This leads into a dance by the full orchestra. In the middle, listen for solo lines by the cello, oboe, clarinet, and flute. Rimsky-Korsakov asks the strings to play “quasi Guitara” where they strum their instruments like a guitar. There are Spanish rhythms and syncopations throughout, especially in the percussion. This movement ends with an attacca where the orchestra plays a huge crescendo directly into the final movement.

♫ V. Fandango asturiano
The closing movement is a whirlwind of cymbals and castanets, resurrecting the Alborada theme from the previous movements. The fandango is an energetic partner dance from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter. Enjoy the sounds of the orchestra as they race to the end!

Solos by Ace Champion

AT A GLANCE

Title: Improvised Solos by Ace Champion
By: Ace Champion (b. 1976)
Composed: 2024
Length: approx. 5 minutes each

First selection
Ace will demonstrate various world flutes

Second selection
Later in tonight’s program, Ace will improvise on several instruments with orchestra accompaniment including flute + piccolo, 2 clarinets, percussion (cymbals, wind chimes), and strings

CSGB premiere performances

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ace Champion

Chef Ace Champion is a native of the great food state of Louisiana and currently resides in De Pere, Wisconsin. He specializes in Cajun/Creole cooking, the style prevalent in New Orleans. His nearly twenty years of culinary experience include positions as executive chef, event coordinator, personal chef, and cooking class instructor. He is a graduate of the Fox Valley Tech Culinary Arts program (accelerated).

Chef Champion cooks with a strong passion and makes it his priority to educate himself, so in return he can educate others who struggle with cooking. His unique style of cooking fuses cultures and ingredients to create flavors that can only be created by the hands of a Champion.

“I now understand my purpose in life, and that is to teach the world everything I can about food for the mind, body, and soul. Good food, good time, good health – the three ‘goods’ that good food brings.” – Chef Ace Champion.

Ace Champion (aka “Good Buffalo”) is a musician who performs on Native American flutes and a variety of flutes from more than 25 countries in Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. He also plays numerous meditation instruments such as the steel handpan, harmonica, Djembe, singing bowls, shakers, and many more. To learn about Ace and see a list of his upcoming events, visit chefchampion.com.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Modern meditation music in the 20th century began when composers such as John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen began to combine meditation techniques with music. Categories of meditation music include ambient music, nature music, and binaural beats (different sound frequencies used for relaxation). The music is used by listeners for yoga, massage, and reading for stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere.

Tonight, Ace Champion will demonstrate and improvise on a variety of instruments including:

♫ Japanese shakuhachi
The shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese bamboo flute considered to be the country’s most iconic wind instrument. The name shakuhachi comes from the instrument’s length, which is 21.4 inches (54.5 cm), or “1 shaku (尺), 8 sun (寸).” The shakuhachi produces a haunting sound.

♫ Chinese xiao
The xiao is an end-blown Chinese bamboo flute known for its mellow tone. It is made from the end of a bamboo root and has a longer bore than the shakuhachi, giving it a deeper, warmer sound. The instrument is often marked with an F or G, but it actually plays in C or D when all holes are closed.

♫ Chinese dizi
The dizi is a Chinese transverse flute, played horizontally and side-blown. It is widely used in many genres of Chinese folk music, Chinese opera, as well as the modern Chinese orchestra. The dizi is also a popular instrument among the Chinese people because it is easy to make and carry.

♫ Japanese kokin
The kokin is a Japanese-inspired bamboo flute that plays an ambiguous scale lacking a major or minor third. This makes it useful for playing suspended chords and improvising ethnic or modal music. Ace’s instrument is in the key of A.

♫ Asian Aeolian flute
Aeolian sounds are colored air sounds with no normal flute tone. The airstream across the embouchure produces an airy pitch resonance. The sound color can be changed by changing the shape of the inside of the mouth, distance between the teeth, or by using different vowel shapes.

♫ Egyptian clarinet
The Egyptian clarinet is known as a zummāra. In Old Kingdom orchestras, clarinets could only be played by men, alongside harps and flutes. The clarinets were made of two parallel pipes that were connected by a string and resin, with four to six holes in front of each tube.

Arirang Fantasy

AT A GLANCE

Title: Arirang Fantasy
By: Kyu-Tae Kim (b. 1954)
Composed: 2011
Length: 12 minutes

Instrumentation:
2 flutes + piccolo, 2 oboes + English horn, 2 clarinets + bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, tam-tam, tom-toms), harp, and strings

Previous CSGB performance:
2013 April

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Kyu-Tae Kim

Kyu-Tae Kim was born in Korea and studied at the school of music at Mokwon University. He went to Germany to continue his musical training, winning the International Competition of Musical Competition in 1985.

Upon returning to Korea, he taught several years at Mokwon University and obtained his PhD in Music Theory from Hanyang University in Seoul. Kyu-Tae also traveled to the United States for doctoral studies at the University of California in Los Angeles. During sabbatical years from teaching, he was a visiting research scholar at Indiana University in Bloomington and the University of Queensland in Australia.

Kyu-Tae’s compositions include works for full orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, and voice and choir. He is Professor Emeritus since 2020 and serves on the board of directors for the Methodist School Foundation at Mokwon University.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

“Arirang” is a Korean folk song thought to be more than 600 years old. It is considered Korea’s second national anthem. Kyu-Tae Kim’s Arirang Fantasy is a free-style composition based on this well-known popular folk tune.

The folk song is heard throughout the work, sometimes directly quoted and other times in modified forms. The piece opens with a solo English horn playing a virtuosic statement with lots of rubato – the expressive use of speeding up and slowing down of the tempo, stretching certain beats. The word rubato comes from the Italian rubare, meaning “to rob.” Other woodwind and string instruments join in, followed by a brass ensemble. The majority of the first portion of the piece is in 6/8 time, with interspersed rhythmic bars which feel like they’re in 3/4.

In the next section, fragments of the folk song occur in a faster tempo where the melody is passed around the ensemble starting with clarinets and moving to other woodwind instruments and muted trumpet. The melody is built up on chromatic harmonies, with the orchestra now in 3/4 time marked cantabile (songlike). This part feels almost waltz-like and ends with a huge crescendo in the full orchestra.

Next, there is an extended percussion interlude featuring traditional Korean percussion instruments. Listen for the kkwaenggwari – a small flat gong made of forged brass which produces a bright, penetrating sound rich in overtones; the janggu – an hourglass-shaped drum with two heads, played with a stick on one side and one hand on the other; and the buk – a shallow barrel-shaped drum, played by either a stick or the hand.

In the final segment of the piece, the brass state the melody in a broad, majestic manner. The woodwinds and strings have a contrasting repetition of short, partial tunes in a high register. You’ll hear a very brief slow statement marked Maestoso subito (suddenly), and then the piece ends in a dramatic flurry of notes.

Pirates of the Caribbean

AT A GLANCE

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean
By: Klaus Badelt (b. 1967)
Composed: 2003
Length: 5.5 minutes

Instrumentation:
2 flutes, oboe, 2 clarinets + bass clarinet, bassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, bells, chimes, cymbals, gong, marimba, snare drum, toms, triangle), piano, and strings

Previous CSGB performance:
2023 October

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Klaus Badelt

Klaus Badelt was already a successful music producer and film composer in his native Germany before coming to America in 1997. He has collaborated with Hans Zimmer on several blockbuster movie scores, including The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt, and Gladiator.

Zimmer hired Badelt to write the music for the first “Pirates” film. Even though Zimmer composed some of the main melodies and oversaw Badelt’s work, he wanted Badelt to receive composer credit.

Badelt claims that “Everything you need to know about scoring” is in Gustav Mahler’s second symphony (the Resurrection), and he uses that as his model for composition. Badelt is also known for writing music for The Time Machine, K-19: The Widowmaker, and the Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

This medley arranged by Ted Ricketts contains memorable themes from Walt Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Many of the main melodies were influenced by Irish sea shanties. Leitmotifs are used extensively to represent different characters and emotions from the movie. The speed (or tempo) of the music carefully matches the movement of the film. Listen for intentional ostinatos throughout which reflect the rocking motion of the ocean. The melodies in this arrangement include:

♫ Fog Bound
The piece begins with a bouncy cello jig that transforms into a suspenseful theme used to denote the Black Pearl and its cursed crew. The music is interrupted by a brief love theme before segueing directly into “The Medallion Calls.”

♫ The Medallion Calls
The horns enter with Jack Sparrow’s introductory theme, which is repeated throughout the film as the character’s leitmotif. The trombone and trumpet interject with a mournful tune before the music swells again, ending with a waltzing melody.

♫ To the Pirates Cave
This exciting music is played when Elizabeth heroically rescues the crew of the Black Pearl in the climactic battles of the film. Listen for rhythmic pulses and syncopation to match the drama of the movie.

♫ The Black Pearl
The music quickly transitions to a sinister tune followed by the horns playing the Black Pearl’s main theme. This music can be heard during Jack Sparrow’s escape from the marines in Port Royal.

♫ One Last Shot
The flute enters with a lyrical solo which builds as the full orchestra joins. This music plays in the final scenes of the film.

♫ He’s a Pirate
At last – the most recognized theme from the movie! This music plays in the beginning of the credits, reprising some of the earlier themes. “He’s a Pirate” also appears in sequels in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. (Coincidentally, this theme is very similar to the Skyrim theme which you’ll hear at our video game music concert in May, but “Pirates definitely came first!)

Satchmo! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong

AT A GLANCE

Title: Satchmo! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong
Arranged by: Ted Ricketts
Composed: 2001
Length: 8 minutes

Instrumentation:
2 flutes, oboe, 2 clarinets + bass clarinet, bassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bells, cymbals, drumset, gong, mark tree, tambourine, triangle, xylophone), piano, and strings

CSGB premiere performance

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Louis Armstrong

Trumpeter Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, and became one of the most influential personalities in American jazz with a career spanning five decades. During the 1920s, he helped shift the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance.

Also famous for his scat singing, Armstrong’s unique gravelly voice is instantly recognizable. He won Grammy Awards for Best Male Vocal Performance in 1965 for “Hello, Dolly!” and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972. He has several nicknames, including Satchmo, Satch, and Pops.

Throughout his life, Armstrong kept a strong connection to the cooking of New Orleans, always signing his letters, “Red beans and ricely yours…”

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Arranger Ted Ricketts brings us this musical tribute to an American treasure, with a medley of Louis Armstrong’s most famous songs.

♫ What a Wonderful World
“What a Wonderful World” was recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. The song was very popular in the United Kingdom, but wasn’t well known in the United States because the record company president disliked the song and refused to promote it. After appearing in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, the song was reissued in 1988 and has become an enduring pop standard. The song has been recorded by numerous artists including Willie Nelson, Roy Clark, Anne Murray, Rod Stewart, and Celeste. Armstrong’s recording was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Tonight’s arrangement has a brief statement of the melody at the very beginning, but don’t worry, you’ll hear several verses in the middle of the piece.

♫ When the Saints Go Marching In
“When the Saints Go Marching In” is a traditional black spiritual which originated as a Christian hymn. It is frequently played by jazz bands, most famously recorded by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. The song has also been performed by Fats Domino, Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Etta James, and many others! Domino’s version is played at home games when the New Orleans Saints score a touchdown. There are countless versions and arrangements of the tune. Since the first and second lines of a verse are exactly the same, and the third and fourth repeat throughout, one line in iambic tetrameter (a line of poetry with four beats of one unstressed syllable, followed by one stressed syllable) generates an entire verse.

♫ St. Louis Blues
“St. Louis Blues” is a popular American song composed by W.C. Handy in 1914. It was one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song and remains a jazz standard. The form is unusual in that the verses are the now-familiar twelve-bar blues with three lines of lyrics, the first two lines repeated, but it also has a 16-bar bridge with the habanera (or tango) rhythm.

♫ Hello, Dolly!
“Hello, Dolly!” is the title song of the popular musical of the same name. The recording by Louis Armstrong released in 1964 was a widely popular success, winning the Song of the Year and Male Vocal Performance awards at the 7th Annual Grammy Awards. Armstrong’s rendition of the song became the most successful single of his career, and was eventually inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. He also performed the song alongside Barbra Streisand for the 1969 screen adaptation of the musical.

Mississippi Suite

AT A GLANCE

Title: Old Creole Days & Mardi Gras (from Mississippi Suite)
By: Ferde Grofé (1892-1972)
Composed: 1926
Length: 7.5 minutes

Instrumentation:
2 flutes + piccolo, 2 oboes + English horn, 2 clarinets + bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, bells, chimes, cymbals, sandpaper, snare drum, triangle, woodblock), harp, and strings

CSGB premiere performance

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Ferde Grofé

Ferde Grofé was an American composer and arranger of orchestral works, best known for his five-movement symphonic poem, Grand Canyon Suite. From 1917 to 1932, he played piano with the Paul Whiteman orchestra, and also served as Whiteman’s chief arranger. Grofé’s groundbreaking arrangements divided the ensemble into separate brass and reed sections, introducing countermelodies and using different musical settings for each chorus of a piece. His innovations were an important early step in the development of big band jazz and dance music.

Early in his career, Grofé orchestrated George Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue, finishing just eight days before the 1924 premiere! He also composed a large number of his own works in a variety of styles, commonly in symphonic jazz. From 1939 through 1942, he taught orchestration at New York’s Juilliard School of Music. Throughout the 1940s, Grofé composed music for several Hollywood movies. His score for Minstrel Man received an Oscar nomination for Best Music and Scoring of a Musical Picture in 1945.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Mississippi Suite is an orchestral suite depicting scenes along a boat journey down the Mississippi River from Minnesota to New Orleans. The piece was the first of several suites Grofé dedicated to Americana. This charming tone poem brings the people, culture, and activity of the river to life. The Civic Symphony will be performing two of the four movements tonight.

♫ Old Creole Days
This is the slowest of the suite’s movements, with music reminiscent of spirituals sung by slaves on the plantations. It begins with strings playing a lower register chorale accompanied by harp. A solo English horn enters with the solemn melody in a minor key. Note the repeated hairpin crescendos and decrescendos (where the volume gets briefly louder and then softer) surrounding the melody throughout, creating a dramatic effect. Variations of the mournful theme are passed around the orchestra to the clarinet, the flute, and then back to English horn. The movement ultimately fades away and ends quietly.

♫ Mardi Gras
The final movement begins with a sudden brass fanfare, setting a fast tempo for the cakewalk dance theme played by the strings and woodwinds. The cakewalk dance was developed for dance contests with cake as a prize in the mid-19th century. The dance was usually performed with comical formality, and may have developed to mock the mannered dances of white slaveholders.

As you might have guessed, Grofé’s “Mardi Gras” movement depicts Fat Tuesday in New Orleans. The music is in 2/4 time with an “oompah” rhythm and jaunty accented motifs. The entire ensemble takes a turn playing parts of this dance theme. Listen for the strings to alternate portions of the music with pizzicato (plucked) and arco (bowed) articulations. Grofé inserts a slower, lyrical theme in the middle of the movement. Trumpets and trombones enter at the second statement of this melody, giving the piece a real Hollywood movie feel. Listen as Grofé layers in flute and violins on top with an elongated version of the cakewalk dance theme. Horns and cellos play a counterline with descending triplets every two bars.

As the music winds down, the trombone, tuba, and timpani suddenly interject with a very active line, transitioning back to the cakewalk theme played by the full brass chorale. This doesn’t last long, as Grofé brings back the lyrical theme in the trumpets along with an interesting countermelody in the low brass, which the horns takeover halfway. The entire orchestra plays the short active bit the trombones introduced earlier, before a dramatic progression of chords, ending on the tonic. The movement sounds like it could be at the conclusion of an old movie, for sure!

Fun fact – lyricist Harold Adamson wrote words to the music of the slower ballad in the middle of the last movement. The song was called “Daybreak” and was released by many artists including Frank Sinatra. Check out a recording of Frank’s rendition…after the concert, of course.

When the Saints Get to Heaven

AT A GLANCE

Title: When the Saints Get to Heaven
Arranged by: Jeff Cranfill (b. 1966)
Composed: 2020
Length: 4 minutes

Instrumentation:
flute + piccolo, oboe, 2 clarinets + bass clarinet, bassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bells, chimes, drumset, tambourine, triangle), piano, harp, and strings

CSGB premiere performance

ABOUT THE ARRANGER

Jeff Cranfill

Jeff Cranfill is a composer, conductor, arranger, and recording artist. He was born and raised in Atlanta, and received degrees in music from Georgia State University. He writes for orchestras, concert bands, choirs, instrumental solos, and ensembles.

His company is a leading publisher of music for church orchestras, and one of the longest standing publishers of new music for church orchestras. The pieces work well for use in worship services, concerts, and special programs like tonight’s event.

Cranfill currently serves as orchestra pastor at First Baptist Church in Atlanta. Prior to church instrumental ministry, he taught band, chorus, and bible classes in Christian schools for 12 years.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Inspired by the words of “When the Saints Go Marching In” and the hymn “When We All Get to Heaven,” Jeff Cranfill figured how to weave the two tunes together as When the Saints Get to Heaven. He describes the arrangement as “a joyful piece helping us to set our minds and hearts on our home in heaven.”

The Christian hymn “When We All Get to Heaven” was written by Eliza Hewitt in 1898. Hewitt praises the wondrous love of Jesus and looks to the day we will all be reunited in the kingdom of heaven.

When we all get to heaven,
what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus
we’ll sing and shout the victory.

The beginning of the piece is hymn-like with “When the Saints Go Marching In” played in a slow tempo. Trombones and trumpets enter with a more upbeat version of the tune, moving to the traditional jazz style. Cranfill layers in woodwinds and strings to fill out the sound as the piece progresses.

The middle portion contains a lively New Orleans quartet featuring trumpet, clarinet, trombone, and tuba. In Dixieland jazz, one instrument (usually trumpet) plays the melody and the other instruments improvise around that melody creating the recognizable polyphonic texture. The sound is supported by a rhythm section including piano and drums.

Cranfill then combines the two songs together, creating his own unique composition. The piece slows down momentarily before speeding up again for the ending. Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars was the band most popularly identified with Dixieland during the 1940s.

Scott Yanow, an American jazz reviewer, said: “Arguably the happiest of all music is Dixieland jazz. The sound of several horns all improvising together on fairly simple chord changes with definite roles for each instrument but a large amount of freedom, cannot help but sound consistently joyful.”

The orchestra thanks Timberly Kazmarek Marbes for researching and compiling these program notes.

PROGRAM BOOK

You can also view a copy of the printed program book online.

Click for Program Book PDF