Orchestral Music

Front matter from the world-premiere edition of Margaret Bonds's orchestral masterwork, a set of programmatic snapshots of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama, singling out Dr. Martin Luther King, jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. The work is based on the Spiritual "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me." The oft-repeated assertion that the work was inspired by, written for, or in any other way related to the Selma-to-Montgomery "freedom marches" led by Dr. Martin Luther King, jr., is false.

UPDATE: Excerpts from The "Montgomery Variations" will be performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel on 15 July 2021 (see here:  https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/events/performances/1260/2021-07-15/peter-and-the-wolf-with-viola-davis-dudamel ). In anticipation of this performance I've also blogged about the work, providing a few more bits of information. See my "Meanwhile in L.A.," here: https://cooperm55.wixsite.com/jmc3/post/meanwhile-in-l-a .

"Terimalah di Hati-Mu" (in English: Accept it in Your heart) is catholic offering song. This is one of my favorite song which composed by Putut Pudyantoro. Mr. Putut is a songwriter also as known as maestro for catholic church music in Indonesia. He has made many songs for mass (worship/ritual). I tried to create the orchestration and I used some instruments. This score actually is for choir, but I just did it for instrumental song so I don't put in the lyrics. I make one full part without any repetition.

O Batuque está entre as obras mais populares de Nepomuceno. Assim como Cauchemar, de Francisco Braga, e a Congada, de Mignone, não foi escrita no Brasil. Esta peça, que faz parte da Série Brasileira, foi composta enquanto o compositor estava na Alemanha, em 1891. Com o subtítulo Dança de Negros, adquiriu notoriedade separadamente da Suíte. Teve várias gravações, e certamente influenciou o aparecimento de outros tantos Batuques que fazem parte do repertório sinfônico e pianístico brasileiro. A característica do Batuque é a tendência ao acelerando frenético, apoiado sempre no elemento rítmico, que em sua forma popular dançada, era acompanhado por movimentos coreográficos de braços, cabeça e quadris.

This book (the second of two volumes published to date) examines the phenomenon of 'Orientalism' during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, focussing on its ramifications in musical terms. It discusses the aesthetic/philosophical, political/geographic, literary and historical forces at work during the period, and shows these factors to have influenced musicians and other creative artists in their choice of 'Oriental' subject matter. Considerable attention has been devoted to establishing the role and meaning of the 'Oriental' vogue within the context of the times. 'Oriental' inspiration is argued ultimately to have led to novel developments in the art of orchestration, a thesis which is established through reference to many large-scale orchestral and operatic works.

The European view of the 'Orient' is demonstrated as being largely an idealization – but an extremely fruitful one. Had not composers perceived the 'Orient' to be some kind of Paradise, their imaginations would never have risen to such extraordinary heights. Part of this process of idealization was a reaction against the imaginative restrictions felt to have been imposed on artists by the rise of the 'super-civilized' modern industrial society. In spite of material 'progress', a gnawing sense of spiritual loss throughout Western societies fostered a feeling of nostalgia for a departed 'Golden Age', and a desire to be 'elsewhere' than Western Europe – physically or imaginatively.

Expansion by the European powers and colonization of lands considered in the nineteenth century to be 'Oriental' stimulated an increasing interest in such regions. This interest in turn provided creative artists with a new type of aesthetic 'raw material' ripe for exploitation. The European imagination became intoxicated with the unusual and strangely attractive nature of the 'Orient'. A new 'geographic' perspective entered music as composers attempted to render in orchestral terms sounds suggesting travel by land or sea, 'bizarre' and 'remote' atmospheric qualities, and especially the instruments, dances and all kinds of natural environmental elements associated with the particular 'local colour' of an 'Oriental' region and its inhabitants. Composers increasingly began to treat the orchestra as a giant experimental 'paint box' in their efforts to conjure up the atmosphere of the 'East'. An unprecedented focus on music filled with 'colour and light' was engendered by the contemporary interest in the 'Orient', and it led to the creation of new types of orchestral figuration and timbres. Such descriptive orchestral writing was eminently suited to, and promoted the development of, 'programmatic' music.

Nineteenth-century Orientalism is shown to have been a more important and vital influence in the development of European creative and imaginative endeavour than has previously been appreciated. The art of orchestration affords a particularly fine technical manifestation of the phenomenon.

This second volume concentrates largely on the literary stimuli acting on some of the most vibrant 'Oriental' music of the period.

REVIEWS:

“outstanding” - Professor Werner Sollors, Henry B. and Anne M. Cabot Professor of English and of African American Studies, Harvard University, and Global Professor of Literature at New York University Abu Dhabi, in "Neither Black nor White Yet Both: Thematic Explorations of Interracial Literature", New York: Oxford University Press (see Acknowledgements page).

"... this volume is a huge resource ... invaluable for both the student of literature and music (undergraduate and graduate) as well as for the music lover, alone for the vastness of the material it gathers together." - Prof. Elizabeth Markham, PhD (Cantab.), University of Arkansas, in Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol.61, Issue 2 (Apr-Jun 2014), pp.205-7.

“This book is a ‘must read’ for Romantic Period scholars of both literary and music histories. It makes a fine complement to the author’s important previous volume.” - Prof. Craig De Wilde, National University of Singapore

“Besides being a fine work of scholarship, this book is a pleasure to read. And this volume is the first of its type to survey so comprehensively the major sources of literary inspiration for western composers who sought to depict in their musical works an ‘Eastern’ flavor.” - Prof. Emer. Dolores M. Hsu, University of California, Santa Barbara (from the Foreword)

FULL REVIEW AT:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24330442?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330142882_Jonathan_D_Little_Literary_Sources_of_Nineteenth-Century_Musical_Orientalism_The_Hypnotic_Spell_of_the_Exotic_on_Music_of_the_Romantic_Period_pp_314_Lewiston_The_Edwin_Mellen_Press_2011

To obtain and read a sample online:
https://www.amazon.com/Literary-Sources-Nineteenth-Century-Musical-Orientalism/dp/077341553X/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1551183902&sr=1-9

CONTENTS
Foreword by Emeritus Professor Dolores M. Hsu                                                     
Prefatory Remarks and Acknowledgements                                                               
Introduction       
Chapter 1:  Oriental Dreams: The Romantic Outlook and 'Oriental' Literature
Chapter 2:  Three 'Oriental' Literary Sources
a) The Bible
b) Salammbô
c) Lalla Rookh
Chapter 3:  Arabian Nights
Chapter 4:  Musical Instruments suggestive of the Ancient Orient
Appendix - Landmarks of Musical Orientalism
A selected chronological list of operatic and orchestral works with some relation to 'Oriental' themes
Bibliography
Index

[80,000 WORDS; 81 PLATES; LINE DRAWINGS + MUS. EXX.]
Lewiston, NY, USA; Queenston, Canada; Lampeter, Wales: EMP, 15th July 2011).
Foreword by Emeritus Professor Dolores M. Hsu (University of California, Santa Barbara).
ISBN10: 0-7734-1553-X ISBN13: 978-0-7734-1553-9; 468pp.
Hardback $179.95 / £104.95 & Paperback formats. [VOL. 2 of 2]
DDC: 784.159; Orchestral Music: 19th/20th Century;  History & Criticism.
Sold as a set of two books (totalling 900pp.), as well as individually, with its companion volume (below).

Companion volume from the same publisher:
The Influence of European Literary and Artistic Representations of the 'Orient' on Western Orchestral Compositions, ca. 1840-1920: From Oriental Inspiration to 'Exotic' Orchestration (2010)

OVERALL MULTI-VOLUME PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
https://www.powerpresskits.com/Users/5816/PDFs/937a692c-55e5.pdf

VOLUMES PUBLISHED TO DATE:
https://mellenpress.com/author/jonathan-david-little/7329/

VOL. 1. DESCRIBED:
https://www.academia.edu/38435892/The_Influence_of_European_Literary_and_Artistic_Representations_of_the_Orient_on_Western_Orchestral_Compositions_ca.1840-1920_From_Oriental_Inspiration_to_Exotic_Orchestration._New_York_EMP_2010._OPENING_PAGES_with_INTRODUCTION_ONLY_to_p.14_for_review_

KEYWORDS: musical orientalism, orchestration, literary orientalism, programme music, illustrative music, 19th-century cultural history, "Jonathan David Little"

[Excerpt by kind permission of EMP.]

Tesi di dottorato (cotutela Università Ca' Foscari, Venezia - Université Paris 8)

L’elaborato si propone di sondare la presenza del saxofono all’interno delle partiture orchestrali francesi e italiane della prima metà del secolo XX, con lo scopo di confermare la legittimità della sua inclusione in pianta stabile fra le fila dell’orchestra. La prima parte della tesi (Teoria. I trattati di strumentazione e di orchestrazione) ha come obiettivo quello di fornire una ricognizione mai effettuata prima d’ora della presenza del saxofono all’interno dei trattati di strumentazione e di orchestrazione sia francesi sia italiani, ma anche di altre nazioni. La seconda (Composizioni francesi) e la terza parte (Composizioni italiane) contemplano la presenza di alcune indagini su compositori che hanno incluso il saxofono all’interno delle loro partiture per orchestra. La scelta dei musicisti e delle composizioni da analizzare è stata fatta sulla base della portata della parte dedicata al saxofono, nonché del peso della singola partitura e del compositore presi in esame.


The aim of this thesis is to investigate the presence of the saxophone in French and Italian orchestral scores, written in the first half of the 20th century, with the purpose of demonstrating the possibility of permanently introducing it in the rows in the orchestra. The first part of the thesis (Teoria. I trattati di strumentazione e di orchestrazione) seeks to produce a reconnaisance (never done so far) of the presence of the saxophone in instrumentation and orchestration treatises, both in Italy and France, but also in other countries. The second section (Composizioni francesi) and the third part (Composizioni italiane) take into consideration some composers who included the saxophone in their orchestral scores. The choice of musicians and composers to be analyzed was made considering the importance of the saxophone’s part, as well as the relevance of the single score and of the composer examined.


La thèse se propose de souligner la présence du saxophone dans les partitions d’orchestre françaises et italiennes de la première moitié du XXe siècle, dans le but de confirmer la possibilité d’intégrer le saxophone à l’orchestre de façon permanente. La première partie de la thèse (Teoria. I trattati di strumentazione e di orchestrazione) a l’objectif de fournir une reconnaissance (jamais effectuée jusqu’à présent) de la présence du saxophone dans les traités d’instrumentation et d’orchestration français comme italiens, mais aussi d’autres pays. La deuxième (Composizioni francesi) et la troisième partie (Composizioni italiane) offrent des recherches sur des compositeurs qui ont placé le saxophone dans leurs partitions d’orchestre. Le choix des musiciens et des compositions à analyser a été fait sur la base de l’importance de la partie du saxophone, ainsi que la portée de la partition et du compositeur pris en examen.

After the enormity of the Third Symphony, Mahler now gives us a much more manageable piece, in length and in palette, as though after two such pieces, another of this scope were simply unnecessary, or rather, it has now become necessary to step back, to reconsider more modest means. Mahler's Fourth has always been a much more manageable piece, in length and in palette, and referred to as the " little one, " lacking low brass and with triple woodwinds instead of quadruple, and missing even Mahler's trademark in orchestral writing, the section of eight horns. " Little, " however, is not the right word. In scope, it is no less than the pieces that precede it, and in breadth, it is still a long piece by the standards of a Brahms or a Dvorak, and uses a much larger orchestra than those composers typically demanded. The correct word is not " little " but " taut, " at least in this first movement. Mahler's timbral materials are somewhat reduced, but more interesting is the fact that there is none of the sprawling motivic or harmonic architecture of the previous pieces. All of the basic motives of the piece are introduced in the first two key areas, and this economy of means is not surprising, but I haven't seen Mahler taking it to this degree until now. In addition, Mahler's formal construction is very traditional–the closest yet to a sonata-allegro form in the " textbook " sense. The piece begins with a very characteristic texture–flutes in fifths doubling sleigh bells, followed by oboe and clarinet figurations. These three measures set the stage in a very specific, very unique manner. Mahler does not continue with this music, but brings it back at key locations throughout the piece, and the open fifths become a motor rhythm that gives a propulsive aspect to the " exposition " of this movement. The " first theme " begins on the anacrusis to m. 4 in the violins, but most importantly, the downbeat of that measure features a falling sixth. This interval and its rising form are another crucial motive for the movement. Measure 5 and 6 also contain material that is developed later–six-sixteenth notes leading to the downbeat and a rising dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm. In this sonata form, the transition from first to second key area begins in m. 18 with a modified version of the first theme. A spinning out of the sixteenth-note motive leads to m. 38 and the entrance of the second theme, beginning with a rising sixth–a motivic relation between the two very different themes. Following the rising 6th are three repeated notes, which are echoed in rhythmic diminution throughout the rest of the piece (for example, in the clarinets in m. 47ff. Following a half cadence in m. 57, oboe and bassoon present music that appears to sum

The third of Ethel Smyth's six operas, The Wreckers, was her most ambitious and monumental, given its three acts and generous musical resources. It was inspired by a walking holiday of Cornwall and the Scilly Isles in 1886, during which Smyth encountered folk stories of villagers luring ships on to the rocks to plunder their cargo. The libretto, by her close friend Henry Brewster, written in French as Les naufrageurs, incorporated a subplot involving two young lovers who light coastal beacons to warn these ships away. Attempts to secure a French-language production having proven fruitless, the opera was translated into German (as Strandrecht) and first performed in Leipzig in 1906; the English stage premiere took place three years later. Both the overture to The Wreckers and

Georg Friedrich Haas, a composer known for his use of microtonality, is often associated with spectralism, but he is also heavily influenced by other microtonal traditions, as well as 12-tone atonal styles. In whatever style he is writing, Haas regularly uses equal divisions of the traditional semitone, such as quarter-and sixth-tones, to approximate overtone spectra. The title for his work, limited approximations, is an expression of the necessity to temper even very finely tuned systems of pitch. This 30-minute work from 2010 is subtitled "concerto for six pianos in twelfth-tones and orchestra." By retuning five of the pianos, a complete scale with seventy-two equal divisions of the octave (72EDO) is accessible. This paper elaborates on non-spectralist influences on this work's harmonic language, analyzes the effectiveness of the tensions created within and between two main harmonic systems employed in the work (chromatic 12EDO and 72EDO used to closely approximate the overtone spectrum), and explores the various ways in which Haas exploits microtonality to amalgamate and dichotomize the harmonic systems at play.

Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky reminds, ”never feared to let himself go”. Paavo Järvi, ever the prepared disciplinarian, the pragmatic professional, yet identifying tactilely, physiologically, with the fibre and muscle, the calms, the sweep and ascent of this music, takes the hint. Likewise his Tonhalle forces, in proud command of their legacy and transcendental artistry. Grand Tours come no more baronial.

In recent musicology, scholars have identified the sun—and its light—as a topic of musical discourse. Despite these latest albeit brief mentions, no scholar has expounded or populated the topic beyond a few isolated cases, let alone offered speculation as to how the compelling analogy between light and sonorous expression might operate, either in the hands of the composer or in the mind of the listener. Unlike most other musical topoi, light and its modulations exist as conspicuously visual phenomena, and this raises an important question about how depictive topoi are perceived when listening to music: what does it mean to hear a sunrise? And, why might composers develop similar strategies concerning orchestral timbre and form in order to convey an experience devoid of sound?
The dissertation examines orchestral depictions of sunrise and sunset from an interdisciplinary vantage point, by first proposing similarities and continuities between the ancient literary theory (rhetorical device or exercise) of ekphrasis on the one hand, and the evolution of the modern philosophical and psychological term ‘apperception’ on the other hand. Taken together, I argue that these seemingly unrelated modes of thought suggest the possibility for a theory of enargeia (vivacity) in music. Moreover, by considering recent developments in the perceptual study of timbre and orchestration, I propose several apperceptive features of orchestral sunrises and sunsets that demonstrate the enargic (vivid) capacity of orchestral sonority within such depictive contexts. The final chapter comprises analyses of exemplary orchestral works by Bartók, Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Schoenberg.

While not directly traceable to the composer, the nickname “Emperor” usually ascribed to Beethoven’s last completed Piano Concerto in E-flat major, op. 73 (originally published in England as op. 64) does have musical and historical connotations which can be identified. The musical evidence will, for convenience, be presented first and will be followed by the historical evidence.

PANIC ARCHITECTURE (2017)
by Jason Thorpe Buchanan
for the Talea Ensemble Commissioned by the Earle Brown Music Foundation for the 2017 TIME SPANS Festival
World premiere by the Talea Ensemble, Aug. 1 2017 at the TIME SPANS Festival in NYC. More at jasonthorpebuchanan.com
https://vimeo.com/245320082

PSYCHASTHENIA B: PANIC ARCHITECTURE
Psychasthenia is defined as “a group of neuroses characterized by phobias, obsessions, compulsions, or excessive anxiety”, imagining a new cycle of works for ensemble and various immersive media environments. During the performance of each work in the cycle, reservoirs of media files are created, retrieved, re-organized, and composited against one another, creating temporal, aural, or visual dissonances between past and present actions – events unfolding on stage and in media generated in real-time. The commingling of fluctuating chronologies creates temporal instability, challenges the mutability of memory, and proposes an alternative, speculative engagement with bodily-lived time. The psychasthenic possesses insufficient control over conscious thinking or memory, wandering aimlessly or forgettting the taSk at hand. Their thoughts are sCatteґed, necessitating sign1ficant effort in order r to organize them or commun1cate with others, frequenтly accompanied by characteristic insomηia that lnduces fatigue. Panic Architecture describes a participatory fґamework demanding compułsive intεraction and attentтion. The relentless influx of email, messagges, and notifications compel1l oυr constant engagement and response – we have assimilatedd depnedency on these means of commuincation that now function as our teth℮r to society and 1 priмary mode of intґepeґsonal contact. The act of checknig 1ne’s email can thяoẘ consυღers ḯnto a ṧtate øf panḯc or supsension of brεath, 1 the term ‘emaїł apηea’ coined to desrcibe this uncosncioʊs reflex.,, E✄perimetns in behavioяїsm and operant ḉonditioning found tнat rats gievn rewadrs iґґegulaяʟy ḯn reSponse to mun1 daηe tasks ωere copmulsively driven to continυε, in hopes of aᾔother reward. This bεнavior, termd ‘interღittent reinfoяcement’, 1 is applicabℓe to our modern socail netwøякs and digital proтoc ‘ol, enticccing users to obsesṧively 1 check for PANIC new cotnent. Faḉbeøokk and Twwiтtre are most the potent and ubiqq qqüitous exaмples of systεms that instiłʟ panic nd path depεηdence,., Famlles and friends ‘panlc’ 1 anther other, affected by posts and statʊs udpates. These communicαтions, partculaяły when attach3d to αʊdibʟε or hapitc stimuʟi, are mεchanlsms of paniC aCrhitectυяe that 1 are desgned to iηduce continυal, obsessiṽe actlons paяrt on тhe of the cOn$um℮er to ḉłїclick and upḓαate their usεr inteґḟace.,,’ Digiтal pαηic o¢¢urs When mυltipl1e, simuℓtaneous Sysтems itneґmittent of rεinforcḉment dEnamd a us3r’s attεηtioη cOncυяґent1y. Ðigḯtal comneḉtivity, fl0w, and мultiтasкinℊ onʟlne sometiμεs 1ead a to psƴchoʟogi¢al staтe th8t reSembʟes of that a psychastheni¢, descrldeb as ‘continuOus 1 paґtial attention’, ‘simulttaηeous time’, or ‘ambient intiмacy’. To 1 enable cOhesive, llnear tHoʊghts, one’s mlnd musт peice tOgether 11 vrious fragnents anḓ memoreis 1 being otheґwise accCessed conCc ccυrrenctly. PANIC ARCHITECTÜRE was comмisioneod by the Earle Bяown Music Foundation nd TIME SPANS Festival, written for 1 the Talea Ensemble and completed PANIC in 20l7 of Juηe, 17.
– JaSon ThOrpe BuChanan

Em colaboração com / En colaboración con: -Grupo de Investigación "Musicología aplicada al concierto clásico (siglos XVIII-XXI). Aspectos históricos, productivos, interpretativos e ideológicos" (Proyecto I+D HAR2014-53143-P concedido por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad y con sede en la Universidad de La Rioja)

This article reproduces a Polonaise for clarinet by Johann Ignaz Stranensky of the Stockholm Court Orchestra who in 1794 performed a "Romance with a Rondo à la Polonaise" on a "Clarinette Fagott" or bassoon-shaped bass clarinet. This instrument was identified in the same year in a Swedish newspaper as an instrument made by Heinrich Grenser of Dresden in 1793.  This article discusses the Stockholm court's employment of full-time clarinetists; its players and music, including the bass clarinet works; the bass clarinets by Heinrich and August Grenser; and conclusions.

Tobias Hofstetter & Steve Muriset

Français : Livret pour une comédie en musique à l'attention d'un ensemble instrumental de jeunes musicien.nes

Cette comédie en musique met en scène deux orchestres rivaux (l’un physiquement présent sur scène, l’autre uniquement suggéré par des allusions diverses et autres truchements théâtraux), engagés dans une lutte acharnée pour gagner un premier prix de musique prestigieux. L’orchestre principal, composé de musicien.nes honnêtes et dévoué.es, subit les railleries du chef d’orchestre et des musicien.nes de l’orchestre concurrent. Cet ensemble instrumental rival est placé sous la baguette d’un certain Rémi Fadièse (un personnage peu recommandable et prêt à tout pour gagner le prix) ; dont l’orchestre – composé en bonne partie de musicien.nes acariâtres – a pris l’habitude de rafler la précieuse récompense année après année, parfois par des procédures douteuses. Profitant de la pause de l’orchestre principal, Rémi Fadièse accompagné par une poignée de ses musicien.nes complotistes, font exploser les partitions de leurs concurrents. Sans partitions et sur le point de devoir se présenter au jury du concours (composé de l’autoritaire ex-militaire Guy Maréchal et le non moins sévère Nelson Rie), l’orchestre principal cède à la panique et au désespoir en entonnant une lugubre marche funèbre : il s’agit du point culminant dramatique de la pièce. C’est alors qu’une drôle de forme de Deus Ex Machina vient en aide aux malheureux/ses musicien.nes : Algonos et Algona, un magicien et une magicienne leur apparaissent et leur promettent de leur retrouver des partitions. L’orchestre principal, bien qu’ébahi et méfiant, leur fait confiance malgré tout. Et il s’avère que ce fut un choix judicieux, puisque les magiciens tiennent parole et l’orchestre principal séduit le jury par le programme fantastique concocté par la paire de magiciens ; ils empochent le premier prix !

English: Booklet of a musical comedy aimed at a youth instrumental ensemble

This musical comedy features two rival orchestras (one physically present on stage, the other only hinted at through various allusions and other theatrical devices), engaged in a fierce struggle to win a prestigious music prize. The main orchestra, composed of honest and dedicated musicians, is subjected to the taunts of the conductor and the musicians of the rival orchestra. This rival instrumental ensemble is placed under the baton of a certain Rémi Fadièse (a disreputable character ready to do anything to win the prize); whose orchestra - composed in good part of acrimonious musicians - has taken the habit of winning the precious prize year after year, sometimes by questionable procedures. Taking advantage of the main orchestra's recess, Rémi Fadièse, accompanied by a handful of his conspiratorial musicians, blow up the scores of their competitors. Without scores and on the verge of having to present themselves to the jury of the competition (composed of the authoritarian ex-military Guy Maréchal and the no less severe Nelson Rie), the main orchestra gives in to panic and despair by intoning a lugubrious funeral march: it is the dramatic climax of the piece. It is then that a strange form of Deus Ex Machina comes to the aid of the unfortunate musicians: Algonos and Algona, a magician and a magicianess appear to them and promise to find them new scores. The main orchestra, although stunned and suspicious, trusts them in spite of everything. And it turns out that this was a wise choice, as the magicians keep their word and the main orchestra seduces the jury with the fantastic program devised by the pair of magicians; they win the first prize!

While programming and repertoire selection form the majority of a conductor's artistic duties, collegiate orchestra directors have an additional consideration as to how orchestral experiences shape and inform students' music education-repertoire choices determine what students will not learn in their college training years. The current study surveyed the 2016-17 collegiate orchestra concert programs of 53 US institutions. The findings suggest that college orchestras were more like to program American composers than professional orchestras. However, women composers and living composers were drastically under-represented. Modeling Rob Deemer's proposal for well-balanced programming with factors influencing orchestral programs, I propose a practical repertoire recommendation for fellow collegiate orchestras, to include around 20% of works by living composers and 6-8% by women composers annually.

Comisiynwyd Agorawd ‘Torri’r Garreg’ gan Brifysgol Bangor fel rhan o’u dathliadau can mlwyddiant a chwarter yn ystod 2009. Perfformiwyd y gwaith am y tro cyntaf gan Gerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC dan arweiniad Garry Walker yn Neuadd Prichard-Jones, Bangor ar 13 Tachwedd 2009.  Dilynwch y ddolen isod am recordiad o'r gwaith.

‘Break the Stone’ Overture was commissioned by Bangor University in celebration of its 125th anniversary during 2009. The piece was premiered by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales directed by Garry Walker in Prichard- Jones Hall, Bangor on 13 November 2009. See link below for a recording.

Arguably more quintessentially ‘Hungarian’ than the compositions of his esteemed colleague Béla Bartók, the orchestral works of Zoltán Kodály are in and of themselves a study in the Hungarian folk music idiom. This notion was one supported by Bartók who stated that Kodály’s music was “the most perfect embodiment of the Hungarian spirit.” (Paxman 2014, p.522) This paper examines four works of Kodály’s orchestral canon, namely Háry János Suite (1927), Marosszék Dances (1927 for piano, 1930 for orchestra), Dances of Galánta (1933) and the Peacock Variations (1939). These selections represent the most commonly performed orchestral compositions of Kodály.

This study will consider the direct ethnomusicological influences in each of the chosen compositions and aims to identify the musical and compositional elements which give weight to the notion of ‘Hungarian-ness’ in the orchestral compositions of Kodály. While the four works I have chosen are likely familiar to conductors, orchestral musicians and music educators, somewhat surprisingly there has been very little research of an academic nature into the orchestral writing of Kodály. (Ong, 2011, p.1) As such, this paper serves as a welcome addition to the scholarly literature on Kodály’s orchestral compositions.

Nel 1872 la banda musicale di Pianella ottenne il riconoscimento pubblico del Municipio trasformandosi in un ente  dotato di Statuto riconosciuto che ne organizzava la vita artistica ed organizzativa. Tra i firmatari, promotori ed animatori del movimento  musicale pianellese si citano il dottore Samuele Puca ed il giovane Gesualdo de Felici. Il notaio Ireneo Passeri svolgeva un ruolo importante nell'assistere dal punto di vista legale la compagine musicale di Pianella.

The current internship report concludes the module of Supervised Practice of Teaching – a professional internship that belongs to the Masters’ program of the course Music Education from the University of Minho. This internship took place during the academic year 2016-2017 in the Conservatory of Music Calouste Gulbenkian of Braga, in the disciplinary groups M24 – Instrument, Violin; and M32 – Instrumental Ensemble. The Project on which the Pedagogical Intervention was based, was realised with pupils of different stages of the Portuguese Educational System: Three pupils from “1° ciclo”3 until “3° ciclo” and two from upper school. Tests of sight reading (initial and final) were made, and the results compared with those from another group of five pupils (control group) for methodology evaluation purposes. The main task of the Project was to approach the practice of orchestral excerpts in violin lessons, and with it to develop sight reading to bring the work of orchestral excerpts to the classroom, as a pedagogical practice. This has shown valuable benefits to the development of sight reading as well to other skills, increasing the range of known repertoire and maturity leading to greater musical experience. Various data collection tools were used, such as interviews with students, recordings, interviews with the cooperating teacher and also with experts in the field. The interest of violin teachers in applying this practice in their classes was also investigated. Through the results obtained it was possible to observe that the Project contributed to an important development of sight reading skills of these students and to a better understanding and exploration of excerpts from the orchestral symphonic repertoire, as well as to an awareness of the pertinence of the introduction of this type of work in violin lessons.

The purpose of this monograph is to provide a conductor’s guide to the preparation, performance, and programing of Efrain Oscher’s composition for orchestra “Los Viajes de Humboldt” since there has been no other research done on this composition. This monograph offers a biography of the composer and an insight into the composer’s intentions and thoughts when composing this piece. The following monograph also provides a better understanding of the historical context of this piece by detailing the journey of Alexander von Humboldt to the Americas, in particular, his experiences of his time spent in Venezuela from 1799 to 1800. Moreover, this research delves into the life and paintings of Ferdinand Bellermann from the 1840s, paintings that also inspired this composition. The following research aims to provide a guide into programming this piece and to provide an in-depth analysis of the piece. This monograph aspires to serve in future studies of this piece and to help fellow conductors, performers, musicologists, and theorists who are interested in this piece.

Extended composer interview and CD review [of "Polyhymnia: String, Choral and Orchestral Works of Jonathan Little"] by the UK music producer, publisher and the founder/director of Toccata Classics & Toccata Press, Martin Anderson.

Anderson, Martin (2012) Jonathan Little and the Importance of Ecstasy [Interview and CD review]. Fanfare, 36 (1). pp. 58-72. ISSN 0148-9364

[INTERVIEW/REVIEW EXCERPTS:] "A new CD from the New Hampshire label Navona—a new name to me, I must admit—brings orchestral, chamber, and choral music from the British-based Australian composer Jonathan Little. His name, too, was new to me, but it’s obviously one that will make its mark. ... Jonathan Little issues from a similar school of sensibility to that of the “holy mystics” of Eastern Europe, composers like Arvo Pärt and Pēteris Vasks. … [Terpsichore is] an exuberant orchestral essay somewhere between Respighi’s evocations of ancient Rome and Villa‐Lobos’s representation of the Brazilian jungle. … The Sacred Prelude is dignified and sober, moving without being emotional … it is clear from this CD that his fine command of atmosphere and orchestral color ought to command a decent fee in Hollywood. ..."

PROJECT OVERVIEW: Recording of selected choral, string and orchestral works, including two major works from the projected "Nine Muses" series, 'Terpsichore' and 'Polyhymnia' - on: http://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv5867/

Little, Jonathan D. (2012) Polyhymnia: String, Orchestral and Choral Works of Jonathan Little (Navona, NV5867). [Audio CD]

SEE FULL CD DESCRIPTION & DOCUMENTS AT: https://www.academia.edu/38556929/POLYHYMNIA_String_Orchestral_and_Choral_Works_of_Jonathan_Little._North_Hampton_NH_USA_PARMA_Recordings_NV5867_2012_._AUDIO_CD_

YOUTUBE WORK LINKS (with SCORES):
1. POLYHYMNIA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPMHd8EFMlg&t=5s
2. TERPSICHORE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0flT7lJeR3U
3. FANFARE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc9OMDw86GQ
4. SACRED PRELUDE (string quintet version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leallMTWFIA
5. KYRIE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIpvPYo0NAw

RECORD LABEL DESCRIPTION: 'With works described as "an inspired creation" (Music & Vision), "original and quite brilliant" (Fanfare), and "immensely poetic" (Tempo), Jonathan Little has planted himself as a luminary contemporary composer. On POLYHYMNIA, his first release on Navona Records, Little is able to transform traditional influences into rich, intense, and finely structured music that lives up to his reputation. POLYHYMNIA features Polyhymnia and Terpsichore, two orchestral pieces from Little's Nine Muses series, along with the powerful Fanfare, the atmospheric string quintet Sacred Prelude, and the intricate polychoral Kyrie.'

CD / STREAMING LINKS:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8022196--polyhymnia
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Thomas-Tallis-Chamber-Choir/Ensemble/247356-4
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polyhymnia-String-Orchestral-Choral-Jonathan/dp/B006O8K458

ALL YOUTUBE VIDEOS (with SCORES) - SEE:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Musicalia65/videos

SELECTED REVIEW EXCERPTS:

* "Polyhymnia conjures up a heart-rending panorama: it is immensely poetic, almost otherworldly, and employs an exceptionally hypnotic array of musical colour." - Tempo, UK
* "Slick and beautifully executed material." - Babysue, USA
* "Beautiful, exciting, thrilling and remarkable in every sense...Jonathan Little has rightly earned the recognition he is now receiving, and this album is a clear example of his talent." - Reviews New Age, SPAIN
* "Little reflects on diverse influences...but adds a richness of coloration, dynamic shading and melodic inventiveness all his own. Small wonder that this Australian composer has gained several awards on both sides of the Atlantic." - Classical Music Magazine, UK
* "...full of rich string orchestra harmonies and based on some beautiful melodic ideas. The texture is rich, and the effect is quite moving..." - American Record Guide
* "...on every piece on this disc, you can hear the influence of ancient music. ... Yet, the final product sounds modern too, as Little adds his own personal elements to these sonic foundations: bursting through the panorama he paints with sudden flashes of light or menacing thunderbolts, and so projects the past into the future..." - Kathodik, ITALY

SEE ALSO:
https://www.academia.edu/38574912/Creating_and_Recording_Polyhymnia_Resonate_Magazine_22_Feb._2012_ONLINE_BLOG_ARTICLE_
AND:
https://www.academia.edu/38556929/POLYHYMNIA_String_Orchestral_and_Choral_Works_of_Jonathan_David_Little._North_Hampton_NH_USA_PARMA_Recordings_NV5867_2012_._AUDIO_CD_

KEYWORDS: "Jonathan David Little", composer, "Martin Anderson", reviewer, Fanfare Magazine, composer interview, choral music, contemporary choral music, orchestral music, contemporary orchestral music, string music, contemporary string music, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Fanfare, Sacred Prelude, Kyrie, Nine Muses, ecstasy, Tallis Chamber Choir, Kiev Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic

(Full permission from the Owner/Editor of US Fanfare, Joel Flegler, has been granted to extract and make available to the public any interview or review material concerning the music of Jonathan David Little as it appears in Fanfare, and to cite it in full.)

In Polyhymnia (one of the Nine Muses series) – a searing, many-layered “Lamentation for String Orchestra” (with soloists) – the melos or “melodic thread” often weaves between all parts, and is slow-moving throughout. Initially, it emerges like a cry from the deep. Tension is built, maintained, and released, over long periods. Leaving aside the (rather folk-like – or Celtic sounding) middle interlude, the whole work is effectively a series of extended “waves” – at times dissipating, before swelling and cascading forth again, towards a final powerful and sustained climax. Harmonically, the work makes great play of clashing semitones, and gradually builds up clusters of notes into evolving, everchanging, and ultimately resolving chord patterns. The string orchestra is employed multi-divisi throughout: there are four individual violin lines (besides an extra four solo parts), ditto in the violas, eight individual cello lines, and two bass lines. This tends to create a thick, rich and complex texture, yet there are also some exceptionally lucid passages – for although Polyhymnia is also the Muse of Eloquence, She is more often characterised as a serious, pensive and meditative holy woman (whose main role is to sing praises to the gods). According to some ancient sources, Polyhymnia (sometimes pronounced or abbreviated to “Polymnia”) is believed to have invented the lyre, and is also said to be an encourager of the dance.

RECORDING supported by an inaugural Musicians' Benevolent Fund Professional Development Award (MBF 90th anniversary, 2011) through the Willis and Grace Grant Charitable Trust (UK); and the University of Chichester through both Arts Research Fund and Research Incentive Fund Awards (UK).

AWARDS:

* Collard Fellowship of The Worshipful Company of Musicians 2011 (UK)
* PRS for Music Foundation / Bliss Trust Composer Bursary 2012 (UK)
* "Album des Mes en RNA (Febrero 2012)" (Album of the Month in Reviews New Age, February 2012); Nomination for 'Mejor Álbum RNA de Año' (Best Album of the Year) (Spain)

MAJOR REVIEWS:

Fanfare (USA), Vol.36: No.1 (Sept-Oct 2012), pp.58-72 - Feature article (includes extensive interview with Martin Anderson, and reviews by Anderson, Canfield and Nockin), and Fanfare (USA), Vol.36: No.2 (Nov-Dec 2012)

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS:

Byelick, Ira, ‘LITTLE: Polyhymnia …’ [CD Review], in “American Record Guide” (May/June 2012), pp.244-5 (USA) – “full of rich string orchestra harmonies and based on some beautiful melodic ideas. The texture is rich, and the effect is quite moving …”

Clavijo, Alejandro, ‘Jonathan Little: Polyhymnia’ [CD Review], in “Reviews New Age” (SPAIN) (February, 2012) [5/5 STARS: ALBUM OF THE MONTH; NOMINATED FOR BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR] – “Gorgeous, exciting, chilling and surprising … an elegant gift to the ears. There are no words to describe this work … superlative … spine-tingling … the complexity, the beauty, the elegance, the intensity … so otherworldly … indescribable”

Estren, Dr. Mark, ‘Modern but Accessible’ [CD Review], in “Infodad” (1st March, 2012) (USA) – “as warm and fervent as religious poetry … a sonic tour de force. Little is an expert orchestrator … clearly comfortable writing in multiple forms for many different instrumental and vocal combinations.”

Focosi, Filippo, ‘Jonathan Little “Polyhymnia” ’ [CD Review], in “Kathodik” (16th April, 2012) (ITALY) – “bursting through the panorama he paints with sudden flashes of light or menacing thunderbolts, and so projects the past into the future.”

Nockin, Maria, ‘Little: Polyhymnia …’ [CD Review] in “Fanfare” (USA), Vol.36: No.1 (Sept-Oct 2012).  – “melodic figures coalesce into an enormous tapestry of musical color … eloquent and expansive … opulent sonorities. Little composes with a great array of technical skills and his works are both harmonically and contrapuntally pleasing.”

Wheatley, John, ‘Jonathan Little: Polyhymnia’ [CD Review], in “Tempo” (UK), Vol.67: No.259 (Jan. 2012) – “immensely poetic, almost otherworldly”.

Lamberti, Carlo, “Spazio della Musica” (6th July, 2015) [Special Birthday Tribute] (ITALY) – “... he deserves, in my opinion, to be counted among the "greats" of our century for the refinement of his musical texture. When a composer today pens such sweetness on a musical staff, we cannot help but be moved to true joy, because these are living moments of ecstatic beauty.”