PROGRAM NOTES
Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band
MARCH 5, 2017
"Entry of the Gladiators", Opus 68, is a military march composed in 1897 by the Czech composer
Julius Fučík. He originally titled it "Grande Marche Chromatique," reflecting the use of chromatic
scales throughout the piece, but changed the title based on his personal interest in the Roman Empire.
In 1901, American publisher Carl Fischer published a version of this march, arranged for American wind
bands by Canadian composer Louis-Philippe Laurendeau, under the title "Thunder and Blazes." It was
during this period that the song gained lasting popularity as a screamer march for circuses, often used to
introduce clowns. Today it is known mainly by this association, even though the title and composer are
relatively obscure. Laurendeau's version was also transcribed for fairground organs.
Generally, the march is divided into three parts. The first part contains the melody that is played by
the trumpets accompanied by several supporting parts. The second part of the march is the section
where the low brass (mainly the tubas) take over with the chromatic scale-like role. Finally, there is
a trio, or a slow melodic section, where there is a strong balance between woodwinds and low brass.
The trio has a part that is similar to the second section with a chromatic scale-like sound. The piece is
written in cut time and is originally written to be played at standard march tempo; however, when
played as a screamer it is usually played much faster.
Julius Fučík (July 18, 1872 – September 25, 1916) was a Czech composer and conductor of military
bands. He became a prolific composer, with over 400 marches, polkas, and waltzes to his name. As most
of his work was for military bands, he is sometimes known as the "Bohemian Sousa".
“Willow Echoes” (Solo for Cornet; Euphonium; or Trombone) was published in 1920 by Fillmore Bros.
Co. “Willow Echoes” was Frank Simon's tour-de-force, a solo he performed many times with the Sousa
Band. It is speculated that the title reflects fond memories of many rehearsals and concerts at Willow
Grove Park, home of the Sousa Band. It is one of the most elegant works in the cornet solo repertory.
The Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band would like to feature band member and Euphonium Soloist,
Eric Hruska, on our performance of “Willow Echoes”.
Frank Simon, one of the most beloved of all American bandmasters and music educators, was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio on November 26, 1889. Recognizing Frank's exceptional music talent, his parents made
many sacrifices to provide him with the best possible music education, working with the best teachers in
the area. He studied cornet under William J. Kopp and later, Herman Bellstadt, both charter members of
the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and at the age of 23 performed with the CSO. In 1914 he left the
Symphony and joined the internationally renowned John Philip Sousa Band, and in 1917 became solo
cornetist and assistant conductor of that great organization. In 1921 Simon was approached by a senior
executive of Armco Steel to begin a company band. Simon reluctantly agreed and by 1929 the Armco
Band was a household name. NBC and WLW broadcast performances every Sunday afternoon across the
nation. In addition to his work with the Armco Band, Simon joined the faculty of the Cincinnati
Conservatory of Music in 1930. He founded the band and the instrumental music program at CCM.
Simon received many awards during his lifetime, including honorary Doctor of Music degrees from the
Capital College of Oratory and Music (Columbus, Ohio) [not to be confused with Capital University, also
in Columbus] in 1930 and the University of Cincinnati in 1966. Among his other awards were the
Medallion of Merit from the University of Arizona (1960) and the Edwin Franko Goldman Award from
the American School Band Directors Association in 1965. On his 75th birthday in 1964, his sons
presented him with a bound volume of 500 testimonial letters from associates and former students.
Simon's influence on bands was also felt through his dedicated service to the American Bandmasters
Association. He died in Columbus, Ohio on January 28, 1967.
The Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band is indeed proud to trace its roots back to Frank Simon and the
Armco Band.
“L'italiana in Algeri” (English: “The Italian Girl in Algiers”) is an operatic dramma giocoso in two
acts by Gioachino Rossini. Dramma giocoso is a type of opera common in the mid-18th century. A
dramma giocoso characteristically used a grand buffo (comic or farce) scene as a dramatic climax at the
end of an act. The music is characteristic of Rossini's style, remarkable for its fusion of sustained, manic
energy with elegant, pristine melodies.
Rossini wrote “L'italiana in Algeri” when he was 21. The opera was composed in either 18 or 27 days,
depending on which source one believes (Rossini, not surprisingly, pegged it at 18). Rossini entrusted
the composition of the recitatives as well as the aria "Le femmine d'Italia" to an unknown collaborator.
The opera is notable for Rossini's mixing of opera seria style (opera in which the subject matter is
serious) with opera buffa (comic opera). The overture is widely recorded and performed today, known
for its distinct opening of slow, quiet pizzicato basses, leading to a sudden loud burst of sound from the
full orchestra. This "surprise" reflects Rossini's early admiration for Joseph Haydn, whose “Symphony
No. 94 in G major”, ("The Surprise Symphony"), is so named for the same shocking and semi-comic
effect.
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868) was an Italian composer who
wrote operas, as well as some sacred music, songs, chamber music and piano pieces.
A precocious composer of operas, he made his full debut at the age of eighteen with La cambiale di
matrimonio (The Marriage Contract). His best-known operas include the Italian comedies Il barbiere di
Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), L'italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers), and La Cerentola
(Cinderella). He also wrote a string of serious operas in Italian, including works such as Tancredi, Otello,
and Semiramide. The semi-serious opera La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) has one of Rossini's
most celebrated overtures. After moving to Paris in 1824, he eventually started to write in French. His
last opera, the epic Guillaume Tell (William Tell), replete with its iconic overture, helped usher in grand
opera in France.
After composing thirty-nine significant operas in nineteen years Rossini retired from the theatre in 1829.
Rossini had been the most popular opera composer in history, and he was one of the most renowned
public figures of his time. A rapid and prolific composer, he was quoted as joking, "Give me the
laundress' bill and I will even set that to music. A tendency for inspired, song-like melodies is evident
throughout his scores, earning him the nickname "The Italian Mozart.
“On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss” is a restful, gentle, and reflective composition based on the 1876
Philip Bliss – Horatio Spafford hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”. Written to honor the retiring Principal of
Shady Grove Christian Academy, “On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss” was presented as a gift from the SGCA
Concert Band to Rev. Steve Edel in May of 1989.
“It Is Well With My Soul” was first published in Gospel Songs No. 2 by Sankey and Bliss (1876). It is
possibly the most influential and enduring in the Bliss repertoire and is often taken as a choral model,
appearing in hymnals of a wide variety of Christian fellowships.
This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford's life. The first was the death of his son at the
age of 2 and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a successful
lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by
the great fire). His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time
he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plans, he
sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great
Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch
Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous
telegram, "Saved alone …". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was
inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. Bliss called his
tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.
Dr. David R. Holsinger (born December 26, 1945 in Hardin, Missouri) is an American composer and
conductor writing primarily for concert band. Holsinger is a graduate of Hardin-Central High School in
Hardin, Missouri; Central Methodist University; the University of Central Missouri; and the University of
Kansas. He is well known across the nation as well as the world for his differentiating time signatures
throughout his pieces.
In 1999, following 15 years of service as music minister, worship leader, and composer in residence to
Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, he joined the School of Music faculty at Lee University,
Cleveland, Tennessee, as Conductor of the Lee University Wind Ensemble. Holsinger’s duties include
teaching advanced instrumental conducting and composition.
In July 2015, Dr. Holsinger suffered two strokes while he was in New Orleans conducting the Phi Mu
Alpha International Honors Band at their convention. Upon his return to Chattanooga, he was admitted
to Memorial Hospital and was diagnosed, medicated, and treated. He was then moved to Siskin
Rehabilitation Hospital where he received physical therapy. He is now home and back to teaching at Lee
University, although on a limited schedule. Recovery is going well.
“His Honor” is one of the many famous marches composed by Henry Fillmore. Composed in 1933, it is
a brisk circus march with challenges for every instrument in the band. Fillmore dedicated “His Honor” to
Mayor Russell Wilson of Cincinnati. According to Paul Bierley, an avid fan of band music and leading
expert and author on the life and music of John Philip Sousa, it was probably played by the Fillmore
Band for the first time during their concerts at the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens during their concerts in
August, 1933. The march was copyrighted by the Fillmore Brothers Company (the family publishing
house) on January 22, 1934.
James Henry Fillmore, Jr. (December 3, 1881 – December 7, 1956) was an American musician,
composer, publisher, and bandleader, best known for his many marches and screamers. He was a native
of Cincinnati whose music and performances delighted audiences. He started his own professional band
(the Fillmore Band) in Cincinnati in the 1930s, one of the last great professional bands of its kind.
As a youth, Fillmore mastered the piano, violin, guitar, flute, and trombone. With help from his mother,
Henry kept his trombone activities a secret at first. His religious father, James Henry Fillmore, a
composer of gospel songs, considered the trombone to be an uncouth and sinful instrument.
Fillmore composed under many pseudonyms during his life, including Harold Bennett, Will Huff, Al
Hayes, Gus Beans, Henrietta Hall, Ray Hall, Harry Hartley, and others. Fillmore (and his pseudonyms)
wrote more than 250 original compositions, including 113 marches, and created more than 750
arrangements during his 50-year career. After a long career in Ohio, Henry retired to Miami, Florida
after being advised by a physician that he had only a few months to live. Fillmore proved the physician
wrong and kept an active schedule composing marches and rehearsing high school bands. He also
became involved with the bands at the University of Miami. Henry Fillmore Band Hall, the rehearsal hall
for many of the University of Miami's performing groups, was named after him as a tribute to Fillmore's
work in the band genre. He was given an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of Miami in
1956 in recognition of his career. Fillmore lived out the rest of his days in South Florida.
“La Péri”(English: “The Peri”), or “The Flower of Immortality”, is a 1912 ballet in one act by French
composer Paul Dukas about a man's search for immortality and encounter with a mythological Peri.
In Persian mythology and Armenian mythology, the Peri are exquisite, winged fairy-like spirits ranking
between angels and evil spirits. They sometimes visit the realm of mortals.
At the end of his days of youth, the Magi, Iskender, having observed that his star had faded, travels
throughout Iran in search of the Flower of Immortality. After three years of looking and wandering, he
finally arrives at the Ends of the Earth, a place of utmost tranquility and calm. Iskender finds a temple
to Ormuzd, and on its steps is a Peri. With a star flashing above her head and a lute in one hand, the Peri
carries the Flower of Immortality, a lotus decorated with emeralds, in the other.
Later, as the Peri is sleeping, Iskender steals the Flower, careful to avoid making noise so that she does
not wake up. Immediately the Flower sparkles brightly in his hands, and when the Peri wakes up, she
strikes her hands against each other and lets out a great cry, because without the Flower she cannot
enter into the presence of the light of Ormuzd. Upon this realization, Iskender delights at the power he
now seemingly has over the Peri.
While in his hand, however, the Flower is transformed by Ormuzd to Iskender’s earthly and material
desires. This is a sign to the Peri that possession of the Flower is not intended for Iskender, and so she
performs a dance, gradually coming closer and closer until she is able to wrest the Flower from him. As
the Peri slowly disappears in the light and returns to Paradise, Iskender realizes with calmness that he
has been stranded and left to die.
Because of the very quiet opening pages of the ballet score, Paul Dukas added a brief “Fanfare pour
précéder La péri” which gave the typically noisy audiences of the day time to settle in their seats
before the work proper began. Our arrangement of “Fanfare pour précéder La péri” features the
Brass Choir of the Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band. It can be best described as a mix of Romantic
tonal harmonies and Impressionistic orchestration techniques that create a distinctly French
composition.
Paul Dukas (October 1, 1865 – May 17, 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A
studious man, of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, and he abandoned and destroyed
many of his compositions. His best known work is the orchestral piece “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” , the
fame of which has eclipsed that of his other surviving works. Among these are the opera “Ariane et
Barbe-bleue”, a symphony, two substantial works for solo piano, and a ballet, “La Péri”.
At a time when French musicians were divided into conservative and progressive factions, Dukas
adhered to neither but retained the admiration of both. His compositions were influenced by composers
including Beethoven, Berlioz, Franck, d'Indy and Debussy.
In tandem with his composing career, Dukas worked as a music critic, contributing regular reviews to at
least five French journals. Later in his life he was appointed professor of composition at the
Conservatoire de Paris and the École Normale de Musique.
"Nessun Dorma" (English: "None Shall Sleep") is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's
frequently performed opera Turandot and is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by
Calaf, il principe ignoto (the unknown prince), who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold
Princess Turandot. However, any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles;
if he fails, he will be beheaded. In the aria, Calaf expresses his triumphant assurance that he will win the
princess.
In the act before this aria, Calaf has correctly answered the three riddles put to all of Princess Turandot's
prospective suitors. Nonetheless, she recoils at the thought of marriage to him. Calaf offers her another
chance by challenging her to guess his name by dawn. (As he kneels before her, the "Nessun dorma"
theme makes a first appearance, to his words, "Il mio nome non sai!") If she does so, she can execute
him; but if she does not, she must marry him. The cruel and emotionally cold princess then decrees that
none of her subjects shall sleep that night until his name is discovered. If they fail, all will be killed.
As the final act opens, it is now night. Calaf is alone in the moonlit palace gardens. In the distance, he
hears Turandot's heralds proclaiming her command. His aria begins with an echo of their cry and a
reflection on Princess Turandot:
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o Principessa,
nella tua fredda stanza,
guardi le stelle
che tremano d'amore, e di speranza!
None shall sleep! None shall sleep!
Not even you, oh Princess,
in your cold bedroom,
watching the stars
that tremble with love and with hope!
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me;
il nome mio nessun saprà!
No, No! Sulla tua bocca
lo dirò quando la luce splenderà!
But my secret is hidden within me;
no one will know my name!
No, no! On your mouth
I will say it when the light shines!
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà
il silenzio che ti fa mia!
And my kiss will dissolve
the silence that makes you mine!
Just before the climactic end of the aria, a chorus of women is heard singing in the distance:
Il nome suo nessun saprà,
E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir, morir!
No one will know his name,
and we will have to, alas, die, die!
Calaf, now certain of victory, sings:
Dilegua, o notte!
Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle!
All'alba vincerò!
Vincerò! Vincerò!
Vanish, o night!
Fade, you stars!
Fade, you stars!
At dawn, I will win!
I will win! I will win!
The Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band is proud to feature band member, J. Earl Jones, trumpet
section leader, as our tenor soloist on Puccini’s, “Nessun Dorma”.
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29,
1924) was an Italian opera composer who has been called "the greatest composer of Italian opera
after Verdi".
Puccini's early work was rooted in traditional late-19th-century romantic Italian opera. Later, he
successfully developed his work in the realistic verismo style, of which he became one of the leading
exponents. In opera, verismo (meaning "realism",) was a post-Romantic operatic tradition associated
with Italian composers such as Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano, Francesco
Cilea, in addition to Puccini.
Puccini's most renowned works are La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), and Madama Butterfly (1904), all
of which are among the important operas played as standards.
“Toccata” – Translated literally, the word “toccata” means “to touch; to hit or tap, e.g., a drum or
bell”. The fourth edition of The Harvard Dictionary of Music defines a toccata as “a virtuoso
composition for keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring sections of brilliant passage work, with
or without imitative or fugal interludes.” In 1619, Michael Praetorius described a toccata as “a prelude
that an organist, starting to play, . . . fantasizes out of his head before commencing a motet or fugue”.
Johann Mattheson also described a toccata as a piece “intended to make the impression of being played
impromptu,” in which “nothing is more inappropriate than order and constraint” (1757, 1759). A toccata
is characterized by rhapsodic sections with sustained chords, scale passages, and broken figuration.
Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (September, 1583 – March 1, 1643) was a musician from Ferrara, Italy.
He was one of the most important composers of keyboard music in the late Renaissance and early
Baroque periods. A child prodigy, Frescobaldi studied under Luzzasco Luzzaschi in Ferrara, but was
influenced by a large number of composers, including Ascanio Mayone, Giovanni Maria Trabaci,
and Claudio Merulo. He quickly gained prominence as a performer and patronage of important
noblemen. Composers who visited Ferrara during the period included numerous important masters such
as Claudio Monteverdi, John Dowland, Orlande de Lassus, Claudio Merulo, and Carlo Gesualdo. His work
influenced Johann Jakob Froberger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Purcell, and countless other major
composers. Girolamo Frescobaldi was appointed organist of St. Peter's Basilica, a focal point of power
for the Capella Giulia (a musical organization) from July 21, 1608 until 1628 and again from 1634 until his
death.
"Barnum and Bailey's Favorite", often referred to as "The Granddaddy of Circus Marches", was
composed by Karl King in 1913 and was published through C. L. Barnhouse Company. King's earliest
known compositions date from 1909 with this, his most famous work, being composed in only his fifth
year of composing.
King played euphonium in many circus bands including Barnum and Bailey's, for more than a decade. As
is common in his compositions, Karl King made the euphonium part a major voice in the march.
King was asked by the bandmaster of the Barnum and Bailey Circus, Ned Brill, to write a march for the
circus. This has become his most famous composition, being called "the finest work written to celebrate
'The Greatest Show on Earth'" and is one of the most recognizable marches of all time.
Karl L. King (February 21, 1891 – March 31, 1971) was a United States march music bandmaster and
composer. He is best known as the composer of "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite". King was born in the
village of Paintersville, Ohio. The King family moved to Canton, Ohio when he was eleven, the age at
which he used newspaper carrier income to purchase his first musical instrument – a cornet. He studied
with Emile Reinkendorff, director of the Grand Army Band of Canton, on this instrument.
In 1910 at the age of 19, he began a short career playing baritone in, and directing, circus bands. That
year, he joined the Robinson Famous Shows under conductor Woodring Van Anda ("Woody Van"). The
next year he was performing in the Yankee Robinson Circus band under Theo. Stout. In 1912, he
performed in the Sells-Floto Circus under W.P. English (a famous march composer), and in 1913 in
the Barnum and Bailey band under Ned Brill. At the request of Brill, he wrote (and dedicated to Brill)
"Barnum & Bailey's Favorite", the most recognizable American music written specifically for the circus.
It would soon be adopted as the theme of the circus.
His first full-time conducting job was in 1914 through 1915 with the Sells Floto Circus and Buffalo Bill's
Wild West Show combined shows band. He became bandmaster for the Sells-Floto Circus in 1915 and
was bandmaster of the Barnum and Bailey Circus band 1917–1918.
In an interview in the last year of his life, King stated that his proudest moment was conducting the
Barnum and Bailey band in Madison Square Garden.
“IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL”
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, (it is well),
With my soul, (with my soul)
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Refrain
But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.
Refrain
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain