Symphonic Band presents "Re-membering"

PROGRAM

McKinley’s Own (1923)

Karl L. King (1891–1971)
ed. Green, arr. Jones and Levesque

Karl L. King was born in Paintersville, Ohio, in 1891. His family relocated to Canton, Ohio, the home town of President William McKinley, around the turn of the century. He became interested in bands, and earned money selling newspapers to pay for his first musical instrument, a cornet. King took lessons under Emile Reinkendorff, the leader of the Grand Army Band of Canton (part of the fraternal organization of veterans of the Union forces during the U.S. Civil War, the Grand Army of the Republic). He eventually switched to playing baritone horn, and studied under William Strassner, conductor of the Thayer Military Band in Canton. King eventually became a member of this band in his teens, and began the study of music composition at this time largely through personal study of scores.

In 1909, Karl King left Canton for Columbus to join the Fred Neddermeyer Band. The following years found King trouping with circus bands, including the Sells-Floto Buffalo Bill Circus and the Barnum and Bailey Circus bands. In 1917 King was hired as conductor of the Barnum and Bailey Circus Band. At the end of the 1918 season King returned to his hometown of Canton, Ohio to lead the Grand Army Band. In 1920 King was lured to Iowa to lead the Fort Dodge Military Band, which was soon renamed the Fort Dodge Municipal Band. King remained leader of this band until his death in 1971, and today this band continues by the name of the Karl L. King Municipal Band.

McKinley's Own

At the closing of the United States Civil War, William McKinley completed his service at the rank of Brevet Major in the 23rd Ohio Infantry on March 13, 1865. His documentation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, commended McKinley “for gallant and meritorious services at the battles of Opequan, Cedar Creek, and Fischer’s Hill.” Following the war, McKinley returned to his hometown of Canton, Ohio. McKinley was elected as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1877, the 39th Governor of Ohio in 1892, and the 25th President of the United States in 1897.

In 1898, McKinley successfully led the United States to victory as Commander-in-Chief during the Spanish-American War. “McKinley’s Own” was the nickname given to the 8th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry during this war. Karl King’s march was written in honor of the 8th Ohio Regiment, and Canton’s Grand Army Band likely had many members of “McKinley’s Own” performing with the band in 1923 when King composed this march and dedicated it to his mentor: “To Emil Reinkendorf [sic], and the famous Grand Army Band, Canton, Ohio.”

The first edition of Karl King’s McKinley’s Own March was published in 1923 in Cincinnati by the Fillmore Brothers Company, and entered the Public Domain in the United States on January 1, 2019. The current edition was prepared from the first edition parts, which we believe to be the sole extant primary source for this composition.

— Note by Alan Green

 

An American Elegy (2000)

Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)

Alexander Gonzalez, conductor

An American Elegy was composed in memory of those who lost their lives at Columbine High School in Colorado on April 20, 1999, and to honor the survivors. Ticheli describes the process of its composition:

I was moved and honored by this commission invitation, and deeply inspired by the circumstances surrounding it. Rarely has a work revealed itself to me with such powerful speed and clarity. The first eight bars of the main melody came to me fully formed in a dream. Virtually every element of the work was discovered within the span of about two weeks. The remainder of my time was spent refining, developing and orchestrating.

After the opening’s hopeful approach, Ticheli considers the scope of emotions that follow tragedy. The melody and harmony equally explore the expressions of healing that the survivors and their community had to experience. After many instances of serenity and sadness, the culmination of the work is a quotation of the Columbine High School Alma Mater.

Frank Ticheli is a member of the composition faculty at the University of Southern California. While his catalog includes works for concert band, orchestra, chorus and chamber music, his compositions for winds and percussion have achieved world-wide acclaim and are performed with tremendous frequency.

— Note by Alexander Gonzalez

Symphony No. 1

Timothy Mahr (b. 1956)
Commissioning Consortium Premiere

1.  E Pluribus Unum
     —“Out of many, one”

2.  “… to give up every favorite pursuit and lay their shoulder to the work of the day.”
     — Thomas Jefferson

3.  “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”
     — Philippians 1:3, King James Version

4.  “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
     — Martin Luther King, Jr.

A professor of music at St. Olaf College, Dr. Timothy Mahr conducts the St. Olaf Band, and has taught courses in composition, music education, and conducting. His compositions have been performed worldwide, recorded, and broadcast. He received the 1991 ABA/Ostwald Award for his work The Soaring Hawk.

“My Symphony No.1, commissioned by a consortium of 54 ensembles and premiered in 2016, is comprised of four movements. The first grew from pondering the challenge our nation and world have to come together rather than grow apart; the second is an acknowledgement of the need to focus on work that truly needs to be done; the third is a reverent appreciation of the love, respect and joy to be found in others; and the last embodies hope, finding light within the darkness.

Each movement sprang from contemplating a specific phrase or quotation while searching for the music to capture these four sentiments.

I. E Pluribus Unum — “Out of many, one” — Once the motto of the United States.

An introduction presents fragments of the principal musical ideas to be developed throughout the work, after which a main theme is stated. It becomes one of many as it goes through manipulations and variations. Much of the music is based on an overtone scale based on the keynote of F (an overtone scale is marked by a raised 4th and lowered 7th scale degree — F-G-A-B-C-D-E flat-F). These lead to a culminating unified statement that is strong and defiant.

II. “… to give up every favorite pursuit and lay their shoulder to the work of the day.” — Thomas Jefferson, in an 1803 letter to John Page, former classmate and governor of Virginia, describing the efforts made by the revolutionists who formed our democracy

Solos for flute and clarinet languish in a peaceful melancholy during the opening — the introspective, calm joy of a favorite pursuit. A pressing moment of realization inspires action and an energetic scherzo that derives its melodies and harmonies from the overtone scale ensues. Murky resistance and disorientation are encountered as the path forward is pursued. This is a busy music — it is about work being done. A moment of doubt creeps in, after which the determined hard work continues. A coda pushes the ending toward an agitated climax. Our work is not yet done — much more effort is needed.

III. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” — Paul, writing to the early Greek Christians in Philippi. Philippians 1:3 King James Version

The third movement brings the listener to a welcome place – calm and unhurried, with dissonance at bay. In this turbulent, confusing world, comfort and solace can be found within the close relationships with friends and our reflections upon shared experiences. How grateful we should be for those lovely sustaining memories. An emotional wave of joy and appreciation washes over. More memories return before the movement ends in light.

IV. “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is a common paraphrase of a statement King made in his famous “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech of April 3, 1968. He said, “Only when it’s dark enough can you see the stars.”

"Lovely memories can sustain us, but we often rest uneasy under the burden of others. There is indeed a troubling darkness in this world. As Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds us, the stars, perhaps representing hope, can be perceived from within this blackened depth. A salvation — a darkness-conquering light — can arrive as bursts of energy or gentle, all-encompassing washes to once again bring inner peace.

The project was formulated and implemented by Matthew Dehnel, Director of Bands at Roseville Area High School in Roseville, Minnesota. The work was premiered on November 17, 2016 with Maestro Dehnel leading the Roseville Area High School Symphonic Band. It is dedicated to my family, who sustain me with their love and encouragement.”

The Ohio State University Symphonic Band

Scott A. Jones, conductor

 

 

The Symphonic Band’s first full-length commercial recording At home…the music of Andrew Boysen, Jr. is available online at most digital download retail websites, including cdbaby.com.