“The Music Of …”
Music in times of war: 1885 and 1943
A concert by the
Webster University Wind Ensemble
James A. Martin, director
Monday December 1, 2014
7:00 p.m., Community Music School
The Webster University Wind Ensemble, directed by James A. Martin, will perform a concert on December 1, 2014 at the Community Music School.
Petite Symphonie by Charles Gounod was composed in 1885 during the Sino (Tonkin)-French War. His main body of work is for voice, having written numerous operas, oratorios and songs. Gounod did write two symphonies for full orchestra in the 1850s. Returning to the genre thirty years layer, he composed this four-movement masterpiece using just nine instruments.
The last two compositions were both written in 1943 by two prominent American composers. In a substantive arrangement by Frank Bencriscutto, Profanation, the second movement of Leonard Bernstein’s “Jeremiah, Symphony No. 1” is arranged for wind ensemble. The composition is Bernstein’s reflection on the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah and his great suffering. Jeremiah’s Lamentations express the prophet’s deep sorrow over the resulting desolation of the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, as well as hope for the people of God. It is the centerpiece of the three-movement symphony by Bernstein.
American Salute is a patriotic showcase for the ensemble and is Morton Gould’s most popular work. It is a set of variations based on the Civil War tune When Johnny Comes Marching Home. Gould was a composer who wrote for Broadway, film, television, symphony orchestra and numerous instrumental compositions and this piece is a virtuosic tribute to the American military. During World War II, Gould composed music that was patriotic and inspirational, band music, marches, and orchestral celebrations of American life.
Program to include:
Charles Gounod Petite Symphonie (1885)
Adagio et Allegretto
Andante cantabile
Scherzo. Allegro moderato
Finale. Allegretto
Leonard Bernstein Profanation from “Jeremiah, Symphony No. 1” (1943)
arranged by Frank Bencriscutto
Morton Gould American Salute (1943)
transcribed by Philip J. Lang
Monday, December 1, 2014 at 7:00pm
Community Music School
535 Garden Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63119
Art & Performances, Webster Presents, Sargent Conservatory, Concerts, Music, Concert Series
$3 general. All Webster University faculty & staff and all students of any age are admitted free to departmental performances with valid student ID.