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San Diego Symphony Young People's Concerts America, America! February 21 and 24, 2017 Jacobs Music Center/Copley Symphony Hall

Young People's Concerts America, America! - San … · Young People's Concerts America, America! February 21 and 24, ... “Maple Leaf Rag” In the piano version: ... •“Ragged”

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San Diego Symphony Young People's Concerts

America, America! February 21 and 24, 2017

Jacobs Music Center/Copley Symphony Hall

String Family - Violins

String Family - Violas

String Family - Cellos

Photo credit: Beth Buckley

String Family - Basses

Woodwind Family – Flute, Piccolo and Clarinet

Woodwind Family – Oboe, English Horn and Bassoon

Brass Family - Trumpets

Brass Family – French Horns

Brass Family - Trombones

Percussion Family

Percussion Family - Harp and Celeste

The Orchestra

Meet Conductor Sameer Patel!

What does a conductor do? •  Chooses the music

•  Studies the music - knows every part

•  Rehearses the musicians... shows them the beat, tempo and dynamics

•  Performs the music with the orchestra in front of an audience

•  Born in Danbury, Connecticut nine years after the Civil War ended

•  Enjoyed playing sports as a young man

•  Studied music composition at Yale University

•  Made his living in selling insurance

•  Created music that he liked, not to please anyone else

Meet Composer Charles Ives

“America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)”

Listen to the original tune: My Country ‘tis of thee Sweet land of liberty

Of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died Land of the pilgrims’ pride From every mountainside

Let freedom ring!

Click once below to hear “America (My Country

‘Tis of Thee)”

Variations of a Sea Shell

What Should I Listen For? Variations on “America”

Click once below to hear Variations on

“America”

Meet Composer Mason Bates 1977 -

•  Was born in Richmond, Virginia

•  Graduated from the Columbia University-Juilliard School Exchange Program, with a BA in music composition and English literature

•  Is also a DJ of Electronic Dance Music

•  Has worked closely with the San Francisco Symphony and the Kennedy Center for the Arts

Score for “Warehouse Medicine”

The part for electronica is scored in the middle under the percussion.

What Should I Listen For? Warehouse Medicine for Orchestra and Electronica

Sforzando: Literally “suddenly with force.” These bursts of sound give the piece its mysterious and “industrial-sounding” character; they give a “wa-wa” effect. Electronica: Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. It might be difficult to tell the difference between the brass instruments playing sforzando and the electronic music Beat: The regular pulse in music. In this piece, it’s played by the electronic instruments (the laptop) and gives the rhythmic foundation for the music. Form: This piece is written in a traditional ABA form where the first and last sections are similar with a contrasting section in the middle. Listen for a strong, steady beat in the A section. The B section features the trumpet and oboe playing a smooth, flowing melody without a strong beat.

Meet Composer Edwin Eugene Bagley 1857 - 1922

•  Was born in Craftsbury, Vermont

•  His older brother Ezra grew up to be the principal trumpet player for the Boston Symphony Orchestra

•  Is best known for composing marches

•  Known as “The March King”

•  Born in Washington, DC and lived there for most of his life

•  There were 10 children in his family •  When he was 13, he tried to run away to join

a circus band

•  Sousa studied an impressive variety of instruments- violin, piano, flute, cornet, trombone, alto horn, baritone and voice.

Meet Composer John Philip Sousa 1854 - 1932

What Should I Listen For? National Emblem and The Thunderer marches)

•  The feeling of 2 beats to a measure. Tap hands lightly on knees, march in place or go outside and march in time to the music! Then try your hand at conducting in two using a chopstick, pencil or real conducting baton if you have one.

•  Brass, woodwind and percussion families (bands don’t usually have strings).

Click once below to hear the National Emblem march.

Click once below to hear The Thunderer march.

•  Was born right around the time that the American Civil War was ending

•  Came from a musical family and grew up in Texarkana

•  In addition to playing the piano, he also played mandoline and guitar

•  Known as “The King of Ragtime”

Meet Composer Scott Joplin 1868 - 1917

What Should I Listen For? “Maple Leaf Rag”

In the piano version: (played by Mr. Joplin himself)

• Just one instrument • Low notes and steady beat that resembles a march • “Ragged” or syncopated rhythms in the higher notes • Sound-recording methods were a new technology. May sound a little “fuzzy.”

In the orchestrated version:

• Many instruments – can you recognize them? • Sound-recording technology is more advanced. Sounds more “clear.”

Click once here to listen to the orchestrated version.

Click once here to listen to the piano version.

Meet Composer Arturo Marquez 1950 -

•  Born in Álamos, Sonora, Mexco

•  Is the oldest of nine children

•  His father was a mariachi musician

•  Attended the Mexican Music Conservatory where he studied piano, music theory and composition

•  Also studied music composition in the United States

What Should I Listen For?

Double-click here to listen to “Conga del Fuego”

•  Latin percussion instruments

•  Change in tempo

from fast to slow and back to fast

•  “Conga” rhythm

Question and Answer Time!