Over the River and Through the Wood

Probably the best known Thanksgiving song is Over the River and Through the Wood. The original poem was written by Lydia Marie Child (1802-1880), and first published in her Flowers for Children, vol. 2 in 1844, with only six verses. Maria Child, as she preferred to be known, was a writer, abolitionist, and activist for women's rights and Indian rights (as they were known at the time). Although the life-long Massachusetts resident was a prolific writer, she is remembered for her beloved Thanksgiving poem.

Later, additional verses were added, and the poem was even adapted into a Christmas version. Hence, the debate over whether Over the River is a Thanksgiving song or a Christmas song.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Polley Music Library.

A Tale of a River

Another of the pieces the Lincoln Youth Symphony is working on for their November concert is Smetana's "Moldau," a very famous symphonic poem that depicts the Moldau (the German name)or Vltava (the Czech name)River, the longest river in the Czech Republic.

Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) was a nationalist romantic Czech composer of the 19th century. He is considered the father of Czech music. Although he wrote all sorts of music, he is best remembered for his opera "The Bartered Bride" and for his cycle of symphonic poems "Ma vlast (My country)," of which the Moldau is the second one, written in 1874, and premiered in 1875,

A symphonic poem or tone poem is an orchestral work in one movement that depicts, illustrates or evokes a story, a painting, a place, or some other non-musical content. Smetana's "Moldau" depicts the course of the river through the country. He wrote his publisher about his work:

"The work depicts the course of the river Vltava, beginning from the two small sources, the cold and warm Vltava, the joining of both streams into one, then the flow of the Vltava through forests and across meadows, through the countryside where gay festivals are just being celebrated; by the light of the moon a dance of wter nymphs; on the nearby cliffs proud castles, mansions and ruins rise up; the Vltava swirls in the St. John's rapids, flows in a broad stream as far as Prague, the Vysehrad appears, and finally the river disappears in the distance as it flows majestically into the Elbe."

That description can be followed through the music, with the initial source of the river depicted by the flutes starting in the first measure, and the second source inverted in the clarinets a few measures later. You might want to listen for a hunt in the forest or polka strains of a country wedding, and the broad melodies as the stream becomes a river.

You can hear the "Moldau" at the Lincoln Youth Symphony concert on Sunday, November 11, 2012, 3 p.m., at Lincoln Southwest High School. The concert is free.

The Hebrides, a concert overture

One of the pieces that the Lincoln Youth Symphony is preparing for their November concert is The Hebrides, by the German romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).

The Hebrides is an overture. It's not an overture that is connected with a another work, like an opera or oratorio. Rather it is a concert overture, an independent symphonic work that may or may not have a programatic basis. The Hebrides is frequestly used as an example of the concert overture. While many people hear The Hebrides as a seascape, with tides and waves, glimmers of foam, and even a storm, Mendelssohn indicated that his overture was inspired by the beauty of that part of Scotland, rather than being a depiction of it.

In 1829, a young Felix Mendelssohn visited Scotland as part of his grand European tour. It was the first summer that steamer trips to the islands were advertised. The night before catching the steamer, Mendelssohn sent his sister Fanny a letter with 20 bars of the theme he later used in the overture. The ship that Mendelssohn took visited both Iona and Staffa, where Fingal's Cave is the main attraction. Mendelssohn, however, remembered little of that day because he was quite sea sick, so Fingal's Cave was not the inspiration for his work.

Mendelssohn spent three years working on his overture. The first draft was called The Lonely Island (Die einsame Insel). The first version was completed in Rome in 1830, and called The Hebrides. Mendelssohn decided he didn't like it, and so wrote a second version that had a premier at a London concert in 1832. He made a third version the next year.

The first published version of the overture was called Fingal's Cave by the publisher, a name that has stuck, even though Mendelssohn hadn't even seen Fingal's Cave on his trip to Scotland. It has also been called The Isles of Fingal and Ossian in Fingal's Cave, in addition to the titles Mendelssohn used.

Whatever you want to call Mendelssohn's concert overture, the Lincoln Youth Symphony will be performing it on Nevember 11, 2012.

President Garfield's Inauguration March to be Performed

President Garfield's Inauguration March will be performed on Monday night, October 15, 2012, at Kimball Recital Hall at UN-L. It will be performed by the Lincoln Community Concert Band as a part of their fall concert. The 7:30 p.m. concert is free. President Garfield is subject of Destiny of the Republic, the One Book One Lincoln selection for 2012.

A young John Philip Sousa wrote the march in 1881 for the March 4th inauguration of James A. Garfield as President of the United States. Sousa had been named leader of the U.S. Marine Corps Band in 1880. The march was first performed at the inauguration by the Marine Corps Band with Sousa conducting. Inaugural processions take a long time, and this march is a little longer than the typical Sousa march.  Sousa also wrote a march for Garfield's 1881 funeral -- Garfield being the only president for whom Sousa wrote two marches.

Also on the band's concert will be three movements from Poulenc's Les Biches, the ballet which launched Francis Poulenc's career. The ballet was written in 1923 for Serge Diaghilev and the Ballet Russe, and premiered the following year. Les Biches has multiple translations and is a play on words, being a female deer (doe) or a darling. Poulenc (1899-1963) said that he based the work on paintings of Watteau depicting Louis XV and various women in Louis' deer park. The ballet was reorchestrated in 1939, and Poulenc pulled out an orchestral suite, from which these three pieces are taken.

Other works on the concert include a fantasy on sea songs, a selection of tunes from Meredith Willson's "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," and selections by Chicago (the musical group) and the Kingston Trio.

Audition Time

It's time to get out those instruments and warm up the vocal cords. Auditions are right around the corner for a variety of community groups.

Want to play in a concert band? Three local bands offer opportunities for community musicians.
The Lincoln Community Concert Band's season begins on August 20th with folder pickup; LCCB meets Monday nights at UNL. The Seward Municipal Band, a 125 year old community band, meets on Thursday evenings at Concordia University in Seward; they are just finishing their summer season. And, the Waverly Area Community Band has varied rehearsal dates; they meet at Waverly High School.

If you play an orchestral string instrument, the Lincoln Civic Orchestra might be for you. LCO meets Thursday evenings at Wesleyan. Auditions are August 23rd, with rehearsals beginning on August 27th. Check the Facebook page for further information.

If you want to sing, there are quite a few opportunities. Lincoln Choral Artists (formerly known as the Lincoln Civic Choir) will be auditioning in August. Check their website for information. Lincoln Lutheran Choir (not just made up of Lutherans) has not yet posted information about their upcoming season, or when they will hold auditions. Again, check their website. Other choirs usually have audition notices in the Neighborhood Extra.

Looking for a theatrical experience? Lincoln Coimmunity Playhouse holds auditions for their various productions. You can find audition information under the volunteer tab on their web page. And if you are a seasoned performer and a member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (at UNL), OLLI's Radio-Active Players just might be for you. The auditions for their 50s revue will September 5th at the Community Playhouse.

If you're interested in joining any of these groups, check their websites or Facebook pages, or use the "Contact Us" information on those pages. Making music in a group is fun and rewarding.

Didjeridu

Tomorrow the library's summer reading program special event is "Didgeridoo Down Under," an Australian themed program. Well, what is a didjeridu or didgeridoo?

The didjeridu is the main musical instrument of the Aboriginal peoples of Northern Australia. The instrument is simply a hollow tube of wood that becomes a sophisticated wind instrument in the hands of a skilled player. Traditionally, it was not used as a solo instrument, but as an accompaniment to vocal music.

The actual instrument is made from a piece of wood or bamboo, about 4 or 5 feet long, usually a natural branch. Eucalyptus that has been hollowed out by white ants is considered ideal. The open wooden tube is blown at one end. Sometimes there's a mouthpiece of wax, clay or hardened gum used to hold the player's lips as they vibrate as with a modern brass instrument.

The didjeridu only plays 2 notes, a fundamental and an overtone a major 10th higher, an acoustical oddity. The usual explination for the overtone at the 10th is the differences in diameter at parts of the tube, coming from a natural branch.

Soaking the instrument in water is said to make a mellow tone, while playing a dry instrument creates a flat tone that does not carry well. Sometimes water is poured down the inside of the tube if the instrument dries out while it is being played. 

Technique goes beyond the vibrating lips. The overtone is produced by lip pressure. Tongue movements create intricate rhythmic patterns. Different tone colors come from altering the shape of the mouth cavity and the position of the tongue.

The didjeridu is a combination of a drone and a rhythm instrument. The sound must continue, so breathing must continue for a continuous air stream. Breathing is done through the nose, with extra air stored in the cheek and pharnyx to be used while the player is breathing.

Additionally, the player makes hummed chords against the drone, and uses various types and styles of toungings, as well as changing color and timbre, providing a varied accompaniment for the singer and the song.

In the hands of a skilled player, the didjeridu is a very sophisticated instrument, even tough it comes from a simple branch.

More information on the didjeridu (or didgeridoo) and Australian music in general can be found in the Polley Music Library.

Music Education

THAT IS WHY I TEACH MUSIC

NOT because I expect you to major in music.

NOT because I expect you to play or sing all your life.

NOT so you can relax or have fun.

BUT- So you will be human

So you will recognize beauty

So you will be sensitive

So you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world

So you will have something to cling to

So you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good…

In short, more life.

Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live?

~Author Unknown~

            Why do we have music education in our schools?  It can’t possibly be as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic can it?  The truth is that music is an elemental part of every person’s life weather they realize it or not.  Music has been used as a personal and cultural expression of identity in every civilization since the beginning of time.  Music education helps to cultivate and enhance this innate human characteristic, but that is not all.

            There are proven benefits to music such as developing the brain in language and reasoning and helping to develop creative thinking and problem solving skills.  In ensemble settings such as band, orchestra, and chorus students learn teamwork skills and discipline as well as, if not better than they would on any sports team.  Studies have also shown that students who took part in music instruction for four or more years scored an average of 100 points higher on their SAT’s than students who studied music for half a year or less.

            Despite all of these benefits, there are those who would disagree that music is a vital part of every child’s education.  It is not uncommon across the country to find funding being taken away from music/arts programs and given to athletic or standardized testing programs.  But there are some organizations that fight to keep music in our schools.  On the national level there is the National Association for Music Education (of whom UNL’s own Dr. Glenn Nierman has recently become the president-elect) and locally there is the Nebraska Music Educators Association.  Both of their websites have advocacy pages which we the public can use to stay informed and to get involved.  My best memories from elementary, middle, and high school revolve around a music classroom, what about yours?