West Overture Score Only

SKU: BT.AMP-319-140

9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.

The special occasion that Philip Sparke was honoured to write this piece for was the 200th anniversary of the Stadtmusik Bad Säckingen. Since Bad Säckingen is known as the ’Trompeterstadt’, or trumpeter city, Sparke’s creative process was influenced by Joseph Victor Scheffel’s poem, Der Trompeter von Säckingen (The Trumpeter from Säckingen), which is based on a true story. The overture starts with a majestic fanfare, followed by a lively molto vivace. It is joined by a brilliant trumpet call in honour of the city’s famous resident.

Overture for a Special Occasion is geschreven in opdracht van Stadtmusik Bad Säckingen ter gelegenheid van het tweehonderdjarig bestaan van het orkest, in 2011. De première van het werk vond plaats in januari van dat jaar,onder leiding van Johannes Brenke, de dirigent van het orkest. Stadtmusik Bad Säckingen, uit de gelijknamige plaats in het zuidwesten van Duitsland, werd opgericht in 1811 en is daarmee een van de oudste blaasorkesten in de regio.Het stadje Bad Säckingen (Bad betekent badplaats) staat bekend als ‘Trompeterstadt’ en kan bogen op een trompetmuseum, dat in 1985 de deuren opende. Voormalig directeur van het museum was de bekende Amerikaanse trompettist en musicoloogEdward H. Tarr. De huidige directeur is Johannes Brenke, tevens de dirigent van het orkest. De nauwe band die het stadje heeft met de trompet dateert van halverwege de 19e eeuw, toen de schilder en schrijver Joseph Victorvon Scheffel het populaire epische gedicht Der Trompeter von Säckingen schreef. Het was gebaseerd op een waar verhaal en het gaf de naam van de plaats bekendheid over de hele wereld. Op het plein voor de kloosterkerk staateen standbeeld van Scheffel en zijn trompetspeler. Overture for a Special Occasion is feestelijk van sfeer. Het werk opent met een plechtige fanfare, die de luisteraar meevoert naar een vreugdevol molto vivace. Als verbindingtussen beide gedeelten dient een enigmatisch trompetgeschal: een eerbetoon aan de beroemdste inwoner van het stadje.

Der spezielle Anlass“, zu dem Philip Sparke die Ehre hatte, dieses Stück zu schreiben, war das 200-jährige Jubiläum der Stadtmusik Bad Säckingen. Da Bad Säckingen weithin als die Trompeterstadt“ bekannt ist, knüpfte Sparke an das berühmte Gedicht Der Trompeter von Säckingen von Joseph Victor Scheffel an, das auf eine wahre Geschichte zurückgeht. Die Ouvertüre beginnt mit einer majestätischen Fanfare, welche zu einem festlichen Molto vivace führt. Dazu gesellt sich dann ein strahlendes Trompetensignal zu Ehren des berühmtesten Sohnes der Stadt.

Overture for a Special Occasion est une commande de l’Orchestre d’Harmonie Stadtmusik Bad Säckingen pour la commémoration de son bicentenaire, en 2011. De caractère festif, Overture for a Special Occasion débute avec une fanfare grandiose. Puis se développe un énigmatique appel de trompette, qui rend hommage au plus célèbre habitant de la ville. Un molto vivace d’une texture joyeuse et colorée apporte un pétillant finale cette ouverture écrite pour une occasion spéciale !

Overture for a Special Occasion wè un brano commissionato dal Corpo Bandistico della Citt di Bad Säckingen in Germania nel 2011 in occasione del suo bicentenario. Nota per le sue terme, questa ridente cittadina tedesca ha anche un secondo nome: “Trompeterstadt” (citt del “trombettista”). La stretta associazione della citt alla tromba risale al XIX secolo quando uno dei suoi illustri abitanti, Joseph Victor von Scheffel, scrittore e romanziere, scrisse un poema divenuto molto popolare, Il trombettista di Säckingen. Di carattere festivo, questo brano inizia con una grandiosa fanfara, seguita da un brillante richiamo di tromba. Un molto vivace gioioso e coloritoregala a questa ouverture uno spumeggiante finale, tutto nel segno di una ricorrenza molto speciale!

SKU: PR.416415760

UPC: 680160636532. 9 x 12 inches.

The 1712 Overture stands out in P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for two reasons, among others: it is by far the most programmatic instrumental piece among those by the minimeister of Wein-am-Rhein so far unearthed, and 2) its discovery has led to a revelation about the composer's father, Johann Sebastian Bach, that has exploded like a bombshell on the usually serene musicological landscape. The overture is based on an anecdote told to P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin, Peter Ulrich. Since P.U. Bach lived in Dudeldorf, only a few miles down the road from Wein-am-Rhein, he was P.D.Q.'s closest relative, and he was, in fact, one of the few members of the family who was on speaking terms with P.D.Q. The story, related to P.D.Q. (fortunately for us posterity types) in a letter, may be summarized thus: The town of Dudeldorf was founded by two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel, early in the 18th century. Rudi remained mayor of the newborn burg for the rest of his long life, but Dieter had a dream of starting a musicians' colony, an entire city devoted to music, which dream, he finally decided, could be realized only in the New World. In 1712, he and several other bagpipers sailed to Boston, never to return to Germany. (Henceforth, Rudi became known as der deutscher Dudel and Dieter as the Yankee Dudel). Unfortunately, the head of the Boston Musicians' Guild had gotten wind of Dudel's plans, and Wilhelm Wiesel (pron. VEE-zle), known none too affectionately around town as Wiesel the Weasel, was not about to share what few gigs there were in colonial America with more foreigners and outside agitators. He and his cronies were on hand to meet Dudel's boat when it pulled into Boston Harbor; they intended to prevent the newcomers' disembarkation, but Dudel and his companions managed to escape to the other side of the bay in a dinghy, landing with just enough time to rent a carriage and horses before hearing the sound of The Weasel and his men, who had had to come around the long way. The Germans headed West, with the Bostonians in furious pursuit. soon the city had been left far behind, and by midnight so had the pursuers; Dieter Dudel decided that it was safe for him and his men to stop and sleep until daybreak. When they awoke, they found that they were in a beautiful landscape of low, forested mountains and pleasant fields, warmed by the brilliant morning sun and serenaded by an entrancing variety of birds. Here, Dudel thought, her is where I will build my colony. The immigrants continued down the road at a leisurely pace until they came upon a little church, all by itself in the countryside, from which there suddenly emanated the sounds of a pipe organ. At this point, the temptation to quote from P.U. Bach's letter to P.D.Q. cannot be resisted: They went inside and, after listening to the glorious music for a while, introduced themselves to the organist. And who do you think it was? Are you ready for this -- it was your old man! Hey, no kidding -- you know, I'm sure, that your father was the guy to get when it came to testing new organs, and whoever had that one in Massachusetts built offered old Sebastian a tidy sum to go over there and check it out. The unexpected meeting with J.S. Bach and his sponsors was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves, as the dreaded Wiesel and his men thundered on to the scene. They had been riding all night, however, and they were no spring chickens to start with, and as soon as they reached the church they all dropped, exhausted, to the ground. The elated Germans rang the church bells and offered to buy everyone a beer at the nearest tavern. There they were taught, and joined in singing, what might be called the national anthem of the New World. The melody of this pre-revolutionary patriotic song is still remembered (P.D.Q. Bach quotes it, in the bass instruments, near the end of the overture), but is words are now all but forgotten: Freedom, of thee we sing, Freedom e'er is our goal; Death to the English King, Long live Rock and Ross. The striking paucity of biographical references to Johann Sebastian Bah during the year 1712 can now be explained: he was abroad for a significant part of that year, testing organs in the British Colonies. That this revelation has not been accepted as fact by the musicological establishment is no surprise, since it means that a lot of books would have to be rewritten. The members of that establishment haven't even accepted the existence of P.D.Q. Bach, one of whose major works the 1712 Overture certainly is. It is also a work that shows Tchaikowsky up as the shameless plagiarizer that some of us have always known he was. The discovery of this awesome opus was made possible by a Boston Pops Centennial Research Commission; the first modern performance took place at the opening concert of the 100th anniversary season of that orchestra, under the exciting but authentic direction of John Williams.