Passage to India

SKU: PR.46500013L

UPC: 680160600151. 11 x 14 inches.

I n 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clarks Corps of Discovery to find a water route to the Pacific and explore the uncharted West. He believed woolly mammoths, erupting volcanoes, and mountains of pure salt awaited them. What they found was no less mind-boggling: some 300 species unknown to science, nearly 50 Indian tribes, and the Rockies. I have been a student of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which Thomas Jefferson called the Voyage of Discovery, for as long as I can remember. This astonishing journey, lasting more than two-and-a-half years, began and ended in St. Louis, Missouri and took the travelers up more than a few rivers in their quest to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. In an age without speedy communication, this was akin to space travel out of radio range in our own time: no one knew if, indeed, the party had even survived the voyage for more than a year. Most of them were soldiers. A few were French-Canadian voyageurs hired trappers and explorers, who were fluent in French (spoken extensively in the region, due to earlier explorers from France) and in some of the Indian languages they might encounter. One of the voyageurs, a man named Pierre Cruzatte, also happened to be a better-than-average fiddle player. In many respects, the travelers were completely on their own for supplies and survival, yet, incredibly, only one of them died during the voyage. Jefferson had outfitted them with food, weapons, medicine, and clothing and along with other trinkets, a box of 200 jaw harps to be used in trading with the Indians. Their trip was long, perilous to the point of near catastrophe, and arduous. The dream of a Northwest Passage proved ephemeral, but the northwestern quarter of the continent had finally been explored, mapped, and described to an anxious world. When the party returned to St. Louis in 1806, and with the Louisiana Purchase now part of the United States, they were greeted as national heroes. I have written a sizeable number of works for wind ensemble that draw their inspiration from the monumental spaces found in the American West. Four of them (Arches, The Yellowstone Fires, Glacier, and Zion) take their names, and in large part their being, from actual national parks in Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. But Upriver, although it found its voice (and its finale) in the magnificent Columbia Gorge in Oregon, is about a much larger region. This piece, like its brother works about the national parks, doesnt try to tell a story. Instead, it captures the flavor of a certain time, and of a grand adventure. Cast in one continuous movement and lasting close to fourteen minutes, the piece falls into several subsections, each with its own heading: The Dream (in which Jeffersons vision of a vast expanse of western land is opened); The Promise, a chorale that re-appears several times in the course of the piece and represents the seriousness of the presidential mission; The River; The Voyageurs; The River II ; Death and Disappointment; Return to the Voyage; and The River III . The music includes several quoted melodies, one of which is familiar to everyone as the ultimate river song, and which becomes the through-stream of the work. All of the quoted tunes were either sung by the men on the voyage, or played by Cruzattes fiddle. From various journals and diaries, we know the men found enjoyment and solace in music, and almost every night encampment had at least a bit of music in it. In addition to Cruzatte, there were two other members of the party who played the fiddle, and others made do with singing, or playing upon sticks, bones, the ever-present jaw harps, and boat horns. From Lewis journals, I found all the tunes used in Upriver: Shenandoah (still popular after more than 200 years), Vla bon vent, Soldiers Joy, Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier, Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy (a hymn sung to the tune Beech Spring) and Fishers Hornpipe. The work follows an emotional journey: not necessarily step-by-step with the Voyage of Discovery heroes, but a kind of grand arch. Beginning in the mists of history and myth, traversing peaks and valleys both real and emotional (and a solemn funeral scene), finding help from native people, and recalling their zeal upon finding the one great river that will, in fact, take them to the Pacific. When the men finally roar through the Columbia Gorge in their boats (a feat that even the Indians had not attempted), the magnificent river combines its theme with the chorale of Jeffersons Promise. The Dream is fulfilled: not quite the one Jefferson had imagined (there is no navigable water passage from the Missouri to the Pacific), but the dream of a continental destiny.

SKU: HL.49018099

ISBN 9790001158428. UPC: 884088567347. 8.25x11.75x0.457 inches. Latin - German.

On letting go(Concerning the selection of the texts) In the selection of the texts, I have allowed myself to be motivated and inspired by the concept of 'letting go'. This appears to me to be one of the essential aspects of dying, but also of life itself. We humans cling far too strongly to successful achievements, whether they have to do with material or ideal values, or relationships of all kinds. We cannot and do not want to let go, almost as if our life depended on it. As we will have to practise the art of letting go at the latest during our hour of death, perhaps we could already make a start on this while we are still alive. Tagore describes this farewell with very simple but strikingly vivid imagery: 'I will return the key of my door'. I have set this text for tenor solo. Here I imagine, and have correspondingly noted in a certain passage of the score, that the protagonist finds himself as though 'in an ocean' of voices in which he is however not drowning, but immersing himself in complete relaxation. The phenomenon of letting go is described even more simply and tersely in Psalm 90, verse 12: 'So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom'. This cannot be expressed more plainly.I have begun the requiem with a solo boy's voice singing the beginning of this psalm on a single note, the note A. This in effect says it all. The work comes full circle at the culmination with a repeat of the psalm which subsequently leads into a resplendent 'lux aeterna'. The intermediate texts of the Requiem which highlight the phenomenon of letting go in the widest spectrum of colours originate on the one hand from the Latin liturgy of the Messa da Requiem (In Paradisum, Libera me, Requiem aeternam, Mors stupebit) and on the other hand from poems by Joseph von Eichendorff, Hermann Hesse, Rabindranath Tagore and Rainer Maria Rilke.All texts have a distinctive positive element in common and view death as being an organic process within the great system of the universe, for example when Hermann Hesse writes: 'Entreiss dich, Seele, nun der Zeit, entreiss dich deinen Sorgen und mache dich zum Flug bereit in den ersehnten Morgen' ['Tear yourself way , o soul, from time, tear yourself away from your sorrows and prepare yourself to fly away into the long-awaited morning'] and later: 'Und die Seele unbewacht will in freien Flugen schweben, um im Zauberkreis der Nacht tief und tausendfach zu leben' ['And the unfettered soul strives to soar in free flight to live in the magic sphere of the night, deep and thousandfold']. Or Joseph von Eichendorff whose text evokes a distant song in his lines: 'Und meine Seele spannte weit ihre Flugel aus. Flog durch die stillen Lande, als floge sie nach Haus' ['And my soul spread its wings wide. Flew through the still country as if homeward bound.']Here a strong romantically tinged occidental resonance can be detected which is however also accompanied by a universal spirit going far beyond all cultures and religions. In the beginning was the sound Long before any sort of word or meaningful phrase was uttered by vocal chords, sounds, vibrations and tones already existed. This brings us back to the music. Both during my years of study and at subsequent periods, I had been an active participant in the world of contemporary music, both as percussionist and also as conductor and composer. My early scores had a somewhat adventurous appearance, filled with an abundance of small black dots: no rhythm could be too complicated, no register too extreme and no harmony too dissonant. I devoted myself intensely to the handling of different parameters which in serial music coexist in total equality: I also studied aleatory principles and so-called minimal music.I subsequently emigrated and took up residence in Spain from where I embarked on numerous travels over the years to India, Africa and South America. I spent repeated periods during this time as a resident in non-European countries. This meant that the currents of contemporary music swept past me vaguely and at a great distance. What I instead absorbed during this period were other completely new cultures in which I attempted to immerse myself as intensively as possible.I learned foreign languages and came into contact with musicians of all classes and styles who had a different cultural heritage than my own: I was intoxicated with the diversity of artistic potential.Nevertheless, the further I distanced myself from my own Western musical heritage, the more this returned insistently in my consciousness.The scene can be imagined of sitting somewhere in the middle of the Brazilian jungle surrounded by the wailing of Indians and out of the blue being provided with the opportunity to hear Beethoven's late string quartets: this can be a heart-wrenching experience, akin to an identity crisis. This type of experience can also be described as cathartic. Whatever the circumstances, my 'renewed' occupation with the 'old' country would not permit me to return to the point at which I as an audacious young student had maltreated the musical parameters of so-called contemporary music. A completely different approach would be necessary: an extremely careful approach, inching my way gradually back into the Western world: an approach which would welcome tradition back into the fold, attempt to unfurl the petals and gently infuse this tradition with a breath of contemporary life.Although I am aware that I will not unleash a revolution or scandal with this approach, I am nevertheless confident as, with the musical vocabulary of this Requiem, I am travelling in an orbit in which no ballast or complex structures will be transported or intimated: on the contrary, I have attempted to form the message of the texts in music with the naivety of a 'homecomer'. Harald WeissColonia de San PedroMarch 2009.

SKU: ML.013780090

The Spanish war galleon with 64 cannons, built in Cuba between 1770 and 1771 for an English shipowner in the service of the King of Spain left Peru for Cadiz in 1784 with a huge cargo of copper, gold, silver and other valuables on board. There were also more than 400 people on board, including passengers, crew and Inca prisoners after a revolt. The Atlantic crossing went smoothly, passing Portugal to take advantage of favourable winds. The shipwreck off Peniche was the result of human error, apparently due to French maps with dramatic errors in the position of the islands of Berlengas and neighbouring islets. On 2 February 1786, the sea was calm and the night clear, but they hit the rock formation Papoa and the hull immediately broke in two. The bottom sank quickly, while the deck remained afloat for some time. 128 people lost their lives, including many Indians who were trapped in the basement. This shipwreck is considered one of the most important in maritime history.

What the composer wants to convey, and what can be felt as one listens, is first of all the sound of power, of hope, of the glory of conquest, of the splendour of wealth. This is followed by the perception of the maritime environment, the harmony with the softness of the ocean, the gliding of the hull in the foam of the sea on sunny, blue days. But along with this tranquillity, you soon hear a rhythmic chain that makes you feel a representation of the hustle and bustle, of the busy crew, of the hard work of a sailor, of the desperation of an exotic people imprisoned in a dark, damp cellar. A distinct rhythm that reminds us of the salero of Andalusia, with its Arab influences and its people, the soothing of the resignation of others who are forced to submit. Then we clearly hear a crescendo that makes us imagine the agony of the collision that precedes the shipwreck. The breaking of the hull, the water flooding everything, the despair, the clash of bodies on the rocks, the tragedy to come. Before the grand finale, in which the return of musical softness reminds us that the story is over. The supremacy of nature over human greed. The waves, though gentle, sweep the wreckage, the lives and the treasures of the New World to the bottom of the sea.

Het Spaans oorlogsgaljoen met 64 kanonnen, gebouwd in Cuba tussen 1770 en 1771 voor een Engelse reder in dienst van de koning van Spanje vertrok in 1784 vanuit Peru naar Cádiz met een enorme lading koper, goud, zilver en andere kostbaarheden aan boord. Er waren ook meer dan 400 mensen aan boord, waaronder passagiers, bemanning en Inca gevangenen na een opstand. De oversteek van de Atlantische Oceaan verliep vlot, waarbij Portugal werd gepasseerd om te profiteren van gunstige winden. De schipbreuk bij Peniche was het resultaat van een menselijke fout, blijkbaar te wijten aan Franse kaarten met dramatische fouten in de positie van de eilanden Berlengas en naburige eilandjes. Op 2 februari 1786 was de zee kalm en de nacht helder, maar ze raakten de rotsformatie Papoa en de romp brak onmiddellijk in tweeën. De bodem zonk snel, terwijl het dek nog enige tijd bleef drijven. 128 mensen verloren het leven, waaronder veel indianen die vastzaten in de kelder. Dit scheepswrak wordt beschouwd als een van de belangrijkste in de maritieme geschiedenis.

Wat de componist wil overbrengen, en wat men kan voelen als men luistert, is allereerst het geluid van macht, van hoop, van de glorie van verovering, van de pracht van rijkdom. Dit wordt gevolgd door de perceptie van de maritieme omgeving, de harmonie met de zachtheid van de oceaan, het glijden van de romp in het schuim van de zee op zonnige, blauwe dagen. Maar samen met deze rust hoor je al snel een ritmische ketting die je een voorstelling geeft van de drukte, van de drukke bemanning, van het harde werk van een zeeman, van de wanhoop van een exotisch volk dat gevangen zit in een donkere, vochtige kelder. Een duidelijk ritme dat ons doet denken aan de salero van Andalusië, met zijn Arabische invloeden en zijn mensen, het sussen van de berusting van anderen die gedwongen worden zich te onderwerpen. Dan horen we duidelijk een crescendo dat ons de lijdensweg doet voorstellen van de aanvaring die voorafgaat aan de schipbreuk. Het breken van de romp, het water dat alles overspoelt, de wanhoop, het botsen van lichamen op de rotsen, de tragedie die komen gaat. Vóór de grote finale, waarin de terugkeer van de muzikale zachtheid ons eraan herinnert dat het verhaal voorbij is. De overmacht van de natuur over de hebzucht van de mens. De golven, hoewel zacht, vegen het wrak, de levens en de schatten van de Nieuwe Wereld naar de bodem van de zee.

Le galion de guerre espagnol de 64 canons, construit à Cuba entre 1770 et 1771 pour un armateur anglais au service du roi d'Espagne, a quitté le Pérou pour Cadix en 1784 avec à son bord une énorme cargaison de cuivre, d'or, d'argent et d'autres objets de valeur. Il y avait également plus de 400 personnes à bord, dont des passagers, des membres d'équipage et des prisonniers incas à la suite d'une révolte. La traversée de l'Atlantique s'est déroulée sans encombre, en passant par le Portugal pour profiter des vents favorables. Le naufrage au large de Peniche est le résultat d'une erreur humaine, apparemment due à des cartes françaises comportant des erreurs dramatiques dans la position des îles de Berlengas et des îlots voisins. Le 2 février 1786, alors que la mer est calme et la nuit claire, le navire heurte la formation rocheuse de Papoa et la coque se brise immédiatement en deux. Le fond coule rapidement, tandis que le pont reste à flot pendant un certain temps. 128 personnes ont perdu la vie, dont de nombreux Indiens qui étaient coincés dans les sous-sols. Ce naufrage est considéré comme l'un des plus importants de l'histoire maritime.

Ce que le compositeur veut transmettre, et ce que l'on ressent à l'écoute, c'est d'abord le son de la puissance, de l'espoir, de la gloire de la conquête, de la splendeur de la richesse. C'est ensuite la perception de l'environnement maritime, l'harmonie avec la douceur de l'océan, le glissement de la coque dans l'écume de la mer par des journées bleues et ensoleillées. Mais à côté de cette tranquillité, on entend bientôt une chaîne rythmique qui nous fait ressentir une représentation de l'agitation, de l'équipage affairé, du dur labeur d'un marin, du désespoir d'un peuple exotique emprisonné dans une cave sombre et humide. Un rythme distinct qui nous rappelle le salero d'Andalousie, avec ses influences arabes et son peuple, l'apaisement de la résignation des autres qui sont obligés de se soumettre. Puis on entend clairement un crescendo qui nous fait imaginer l'agonie de la collision qui précède le naufrage. La rupture de la coque, l'eau qui envahit tout, le désespoir, le choc des corps sur les rochers, la tragédie à venir. Avant le grand final, où le retour de la douceur musicale nous rappelle que l'histoire est terminée. La suprématie de la nature sur la cupidité humaine. Les vagues, bien que douces, emportent les épaves, les vies et les trésors du Nouveau Monde au fond de la mer.

Die spanische Kriegsgaleone mit 64 Kanonen, die zwischen 1770 und 1771 auf Kuba für einen englischen Reeder im Dienste des spanischen Königs gebaut wurde, verließ Peru 1784 in Richtung Cádiz mit einer riesigen Ladung Kupfer, Gold, Silber und anderen Wertgegenständen an Bord. An Bord befanden sich auch mehr als 400 Menschen, darunter Passagiere, Besatzungsmitglieder und Inka-Gefangene nach einem Aufstand. Die Atlantiküberquerung verlief reibungslos, wobei Portugal passiert wurde, um die günstigen Winde zu nutzen. Der Schiffbruch vor Peniche war das Ergebnis menschlichen Versagens, das offenbar auf französische Karten zurückzuführen war, die in Bezug auf die Position der Inseln Berlengas und der benachbarten Eilande dramatische Fehler enthielten. Am 2. Februar 1786 stießen sie bei ruhiger See und klarer Nacht auf die Felsformation Papoa und der Rumpf brach sofort entzwei. Der Boden sank schnell, während das Deck noch einige Zeit über Wasser blieb. 128 Menschen kamen ums Leben, darunter viele Indianer, die im Keller eingeschlossen waren. Dieses Schiffswrack gilt als eines der bedeutendsten

Was der Komponist vermitteln will und was man beim Zuhören spürt, ist zunächst der Klang der Macht, der Hoffnung, des Ruhms der Eroberung, des Glanzes des Reichtums. Es folgt die Wahrnehmung der maritimen Umgebung, die Harmonie mit der Sanftheit des Meeres, das Gleiten des Schiffsrumpfes im Schaum des Meeres an sonnigen, blauen Tagen. Doch neben dieser Ruhe hört man bald eine rhythmische Kette, die die Hektik, die geschäftige Mannschaft, die harte Arbeit eines Seemanns, die Verzweiflung eines exotischen Volkes, das in einem dunklen, feuchten Keller gefangen ist, wiedergibt. Ein ausgeprägter Rhythmus, der an den Salero Andalusiens erinnert, mit seinen arabischen Einflüssen und seinen Menschen, der die Resignation der anderen besänftigt, die gezwungen sind, sich zu fügen. Dann hören wir deutlich ein Crescendo, das uns die Qualen des Zusammenstoßes, der dem Schiffbruch vorausgeht, erahnen lässt. Das Zerbrechen des Rumpfes, das Wasser, das alles überflutet, die Verzweiflung, das Aufeinanderprallen der Körper auf den Felsen, die bevorstehende Tragödie. Vor dem großen Finale, in dem die Rückkehr der musikalischen Sanftheit uns daran erinnert, dass die Geschichte zu Ende ist. Die Vorherrschaft der Natur über die menschliche Gier. Die Wellen, so sanft sie auch sein mögen, spülen die Trümmer, das Leben und die Schätze der Neuen Welt auf den Grund des Meeres.

SKU: BT.DHP-1053750-140

English-German-French-Dutch.

This piece is dedicated to all the citizens who live, have lived, and will live in the US town of Algona, who commissioned the work to celebrate itâ??s 150th anniversary. With dark-tinted tones (low drums, heavy brass), this overture begins with a primitive sacred feel, it seems as if centuries-old Indian singing is heard once more. Gradually the sound becomes clearer and brighter as the same theme travels throughout the band in various guises and variants. Imposing tutti passages then give the band the chance to lavishly shine. This bright and catchy overture radiates spontaneous energy and as it features every section of the band all the players as well as the listenersare continually surprised and captivated.

Met donkere tonen begint deze ouverture sacraal en bezwerend: het lijkt of eeuwenoude indianengezangen weer tot klinken komen. Geleidelijk wordt het klankbeeld helderder: hetzelfde thema maakt in diverse varianten als het ware eenronde door het orkest. Met een paar imposante tuttipassages kan het orkest goed uitpakken. Nadien komt een energiek allegro met een krachtige thematiek naar voren, gevolgd door een lyrisch gegeven. Deze ingrediënten wisselen elkaaraf op weg naar een opwindende finale. Het klankidioom is zeer toegankelijk en alle geledingen van het orkest komen aan bod!

Anlässlich der 150-Jahrfeier der Stadt Algona im US-Staat Iowa komponiert, strahlt diese klare, eingängige Ouvertüre spontane Energie aus. Zwar beginnt das Werk sakral und flehend mit dunkel gefärbten Tönen, doch allmählich wird der Klang klarer und heller, während das Thema in verschiedenen Gewändern und Varianten durch das Blasorchester wandert. Dem folgenden energischen Allegro folgt ein lyrisches Thema, und beide Elemente verschmelzen schlie�lich in einem aufregenden Finale. Alle Register des Blasorchesters werden hier beleuchtet, sodass sowohl Spieler als auch Zuhörer fortwährend überrascht und bezaubert werden.

Algona Overture sâ??ouvre dans un univers sonore aux couleurs sombres. La musique revêt une dimension sacrée, un esprit de supplication. Un chant indien vieux de plusieurs siècles résonne comme un chant oublié. Dâ??imposants passages tutti dévoilent les somptueuses facettes de lâ??Orchestre dâ??Harmonie. Lâ??idiome sonore est simple et accessible. Algona Overture est une composition lumineuse et fascinante qui respire lâ??enthousiasme et la spontanéité. Dans la mesure où lâ??écriture orchestrale privilégie tous les pupitres, la musique réussit surprendre et captiver sans cesse le public et les interprètes.

Questo brano è dedicato a tutti i cittadini che vivono, che hanno vissuto, e che vivranno nella cittadina americana di Algona, che ha commissionato questo brano per festeggiare il suo 150. anniversario. Algona Overture inizia in un universo sonoro dai colori scuri. La musica rivela una dimensione sacra, uno spirito di supplica. Un canto indiano datato di alcuni secoli risuona come un canto dimenticato. Imponenti passaggi affidati al tutti svelano le sontuose sfacettature dellâ??orchestra di fiati. Algona Overture è una composizione coinvolgente che trasmette entusiasmo e spontaneit . In un brano dove la scrittura orchestrale privilegia tutte le sezioni dellâ??organico, la musicariesce a sorprendere e accattivarsi il pubblico e gli interpreti.

SKU: PR.466411770

UPC: 680160640850. 9 x 12 inches.

Mississippi I. Father of Waters: born of the Highlands and the Lakes; the Glaciers, the Mountains, and the Prairies. The picture of your birth is clounded in the ice and mists of ancient ages but your spirit remains our life stream. II. The Red Man knew your bountiful gifts and gave thanks to the Great Spirit on your banks. -- The Spanish and French Fathers brought the glory of Christianity to America on Mississippi. But all men, white and dark; -- Indian, Spaniard, and Negro; Bourbon and Yankee, combined to make Mississippi the heart of America. Saga of the Mississippi Harl McDonald Born near Boulder, Colorado, July 27, 1899 Now living in Philadelphia The original suggestion for a symphonic work on the subject of the Mississippi came indirectly from the late Booth Tarkington who saw in it color and movement and atmosphere translatable into the terms of music. In the course of time, by the mysterious processes of composers' chemistry, it took shape as a tone-poem of two sections, one representing the rise of the great stream from its primeval geologic sources, the other the human history of the river. Mr. McDonald devised the following verbal outline of the general scheme of his diptych: I. Father of Waters: born of the Highlands and the Lakes; the Glaciers, the Mountains, and the Prairies. The picture of your birth is clounded in the ice and mists of ancient ages but your spirit remains our life stream. II. The Red Man knew your bountiful gifts and gave thanks to the Great Spirit on your banks. -- The Spanish and French Fathers brought the glory of Christianity to America on Mississippi. But all men, white and dark; -- Indian, Spaniard, and Negro; Bourbon and Yankee, combined to make Mississippi the heart of America. The first of the two movements, beginning molto andante, is vaguel modal to hint at antiquity. It is built upon the conventional two themes, with an episode, poco piu mosso, misterioso, for prehistoric murk and muck. There are various changes of pace and mood. The second, Allegro ma vigorosamente, prefigures an Indian ceremony. A theme presented by flute, clarinet and bassoon is a Canadian Indian fishing call collected by the late J.B. Beck. A later passage of quasi-Gregorian chant identifies the French and Spanish priests who made the great river their highway. The fishing-call is altered in rhythm and harmony to represent Negro field hands and roustabous. A turbulent close brings all these elemts together in the muddy swirling currents of the Mississippi. The work was begun in the summer of 1945, and was revised and completed in the summer of 1947. Harl McDonald, who is the manager of The Philadelphia Orchestra, has concerned himself with music as an art, as a science and as a business in course of his career. He was born on a cattle ranch in the Rockies, but since his was a musical family, his up-bringing combined piano lessons with ranch life. Years of study and professional experience followed in Los Angeles and in Germany. In 1927 he was appointed lecuter in composition at the University of Pennsylvania and he has since then made is home in Philadelphia. In 1933 under a grant of the Rockefeller FOundation he collaborated with physicists in research dealing with the measurement of instrumental and vocal tone, new scale divisions and the resultant harmonies. In that same year he was named head of the University's music faculty and conductor of its choral organizations. In 1939, having been a member of the Board of Directors for five years, he was appointed manager of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He continus to write, but otherwise his entire attention is now devoted to managerial duties. Chief items in the catalogue of his compositions are four symphonies, three orchestra suites, a half-dozen tone-poems, three concertos and considerable quantity of choral music.

SKU: GI.G-7266

ISBN 9781592403196. English.

Every fall, marching bands take to the field in a uniquely American ritual. From the stands, it looks easy. You don’t see them sweat. For millions of kids, band is more than a show. It’s a rite of passage—a first foray into leadership and adult responsibility, and a chance to learn what it means to be part of a community. Nowhere is band more serious than at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana, where the entire town is involved with the success of its defending state champion band, the Marching Minutemen. In the place where this tradition may have originated, in the city that became the band instrument capital of the world, band is a religion. But it’s not the only religion, as director Max Jones discovers. After four decades. Jones’s single-minded devotion to musical excellence has fallen out of step with a younger generation increasingly focused on personal salvation. In what his students do not know is his final season of directing, he has assembled his most ambitious show ever, for the strongest senior class he has ever directed. Amid conflicting notions of greatness, the band marches through a season that starts in hope and promise, progresses through uncertainty and disappointment, and ends, ultimately, in redemption. American Band is an unusually intimate chronicle of life, in all its triumph, disappointment, and drama, in the kind of community in which most of America lives. It is an especially timely portrait, capturing as it does the spirit of the heartland at a time of profound change. If you have ever been— or yearned to be— part of something bigger than yourself, you will be rooting for the kids whose voices fill this book. Kirsten Laine is an award-winning journalist whose commentaries can be heard on Vermont Public Radio. She lives in New Hampshire with writer Jim Collins and their two children. “American Band has everything going for it, from tempo to heart to the grand bittersweet finale. What a gift for readers: a pitch-perfect tribute to kids and song and community.” —Madeleine Blais Pulitzer Prize winner and author of In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle.

SKU: BT.DHP-0890139-030

This fantasy tells the story of Oregon, one of Americas north-western states. Traveling by train on the Northern Pacific Railroad, the listener is taken through the fascinating Oregon landscape. Indians, cowboys, golddiggers and hooded wagons willfile past on this adventurous journey. The piece has some similarities with a soundtrack of a movie. Various melodies, which could be the main themes of a movie, pass the review.The piece begins in a slow movement, introducing the first theme inminor. Then we hear in the following fast movement the trombones imitate the train, whistling the steam-flute. We hear the characteristic minor theme again, but now in different variants(also in major). The rythmic structure of western stile androck succeed each other. This is leading to the slow movement, where the signals of horns and trumpets introduce a wonderful vocal melody. After this characteristic melody, the fast movement appears shortly again, the trombones whistling thesteam-flute again (now in major). We hear also some musical elements, that plays a part in the following Presto. Barchanges, jazzy chords, interesting rhytmic patterns (with bongo) and an original theme are the characteristics of this Presto. Afterthis, the horns announce the last section of the piece. Interesting is the fact that we hear in this Allegro section a variant of the vocal melody in the slow movement. Also the Presto theme returns shortly, followed by the Allargando, which is agrand characteristic end of a soundtrack. The movie of our travelling fantasy has come to an end.

Deze fantasie vertelt het verhaal van Oregon, een van de noordwestelijke staten van Amerika. Een treinreis over de Northern Pacific Railroad voert de luisteraar mee door het boeiende landschap van Oregon. Tijdens deze avontuurlijke reis isdromen over een ver verleden onvermijdelijk. Indianen, cowboys, goudzoekers en huifkarren met paarden ervoor passeren hierbij de revue. Het werk heeft overeenkomsten met de soundtrack van een film.

In Oregon entführt Sie Jacob de Haan auf eine abenteuerliche Zugfahrt durch die faszinierende Landschaft einer der nordwestlichen Staaten Amerikas. Ein langsames Thema in Moll, gepaart mit Variationen in Western- und Rockrhythmen undmelodiösen Passagen sind nur einige der Elemente, die diese Reise so spannend und abwechslungsreich gestalten.

Cette pièce est un voyage musical travers lâ??Oregon, Ã?tat du nord-ouest des Ã?tats-Unis. bord dâ??un train de la Northern Pacific Railroad, lâ??auditeur est invité découvrir les paysages somptueux de lâ??Oregon. Au fil du trajet, sur la route empruntéepar les chariots des pionniers, on rencontre des Indiens, des cowboys et des chercheurs dâ??or. Et la musique prend la forme dâ??une aventure digne dâ??un western.