Yale Concert Band
Thomas C. Duffy, Music DirectorFall Concert
Friday, October 6, 2023, at 7:30 pm, Woolsey Hall, Yale University
GIOACHINO ROSSINI arr. Leidzén
THOMAS C. DUFFY
MORTON LAURIDSEN trans. Reynolds
GIOVANNI SANTOS
William Tell Overture (1829)
Falling, Falling - Alone Together (2023)
O Magnum Mysterium (2003)
Chávez, 1927 (2022)*
~ intermission ~
STEPHEN MONTAGUE
Intrada 1631 (After Juan Pérez Bocanegra) (2003)
VALERIE COLEMAN
Umoja: Anthem of Unity (2018)
JOHN BARNES
Variations on a Korean Folk Song (1965)
*commissioned with funds from the Robert Flanagan Yale Band Commissioning Endowment
Yale University acknowledges that indigenous peoples and nations, including Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and the Quinnipiac and other Algonquian-speaking peoples, have stewarded through generations the lands and waterways of what is now the state of Connecticut. We honor and respect the enduring relationship that exists between these peoples and nations and this land.
About Tonight’s Music
The Yale Concert Band was organized by Keith L Wilson in 1946. At that time and for decades afterward, the majority of music played by wind bands in the United States consisted of arrangements and transcriptions of popular orchestral, opera, and show music. Wilson was a nationally recognized band director, composer, and arranger, whose work is still held in the highest regard. As president of the College Band Directors National Association in 1962, he led the organization in the commissioning of music specifically for the wind band; these compositions were solicited from nationally and internationally known composers. The many years of music being transcribed for wind band did generate some masterpieces, and many Americans learned and loved opera, orchestral, and popular music through their local wind bands. The period from 1955 through the 1980s saw the rise of the wind band composition, and a core classic repertoire formed. This repertoire was shared by high school, college, military, and professional bands, and had a huge fan base. This year, each Yale Concert Band concert will include a classic band piece from the 20th century (tonight’s is Variations on a Korean Folksong by John Barnes Chance), and a masterpiece of transcription (tonight’s is the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini, trans. Erik Leidzén).
William Tell Overture (1829)
GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868)
(arr. Erik W. G. Leidzén)
Many critics consider Rossini’s William Tell Overture to be his masterpiece. This serious work made a profound impression on the musical community, and in a short time, was being performed in all of the capitals of Europe. Disappointingly, William Tell was Rossini’s last opera, though he lived thirty-nine years after its premiere. Based on Schiller’s drama of thirteenth-century Switzerland, one hears the lake, the beginning rain, the violent tempest, the clearing and emergence of the sun, and, finally, the famous fanfare. Eric Leidzén was a respected arranger whose transcriptions of classical masterpieces became staples of the 20th-century wind band repertoire.
Falling, Falling - Alone Together (2023)
THOMAS C. DUFFY (b. 1955)
Duffy says of his piece:
“To help direct my compositional energies, I had a conversation with the members of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Concert Band. I wanted to write music that reflected things they held to be important or interesting. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic was very much on everyone’s minds. They expressed feelings of disassociation, loneliness, separation, and a longing for things to improve. A response to my question, ‘What kind of music bring a lump to your throat or tears to your eyes?’ was: beauty.
“This piece moves between the isolation of solo players, a kind of call and response in the mildly aleatoric sections, and a tutti chorale. The main motive is a falling second; a kind of musical sigh that permeates the whole piece—moving from a wistful loneliness in the beginning to an optimistic chant at the end.”
Photo: Harold ShapiroO Magnum Mysterium (2003) MORTEN LAURIDSEN (b. 1943)
(trans. H. Robert Reynolds)
O Magnum Mysterium is an old chant from the Matins of Christmas. “For centuries,” writes Lauridsen, “composers have been inspired by the beautiful O Magnum Mysterium text depicting the birth of the newborn King amongst the lowly animals and shepherds. This affirmation of God’s grace to the meek and the adoration of the Blessed Virgin are celebrated in my setting through a quiet song of profound inner joy.”
Chávez, 1927 (2022)
GIOVANNI SANTOS (b. 1980)
The composer says of his piece:
“César Chávez (1927-1993) was a Mexican-American civil rights activist and leader. Chávez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, alongside Dolores Huerta. His enduring fight for equal rights and humane working conditions led the way for a nation-wide revolution. Among many recognitions, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994).
“This work explores quotes attributed to César Chávez. These quotes have endured time and paint a powerful picture into the mind of a father, husband, leader, activist, a revolutionary and American.
“Each section of this work is represented by the following quotes:
“‘There’s no turning back...we will win. We are winning because ours is a revolution of the mind and heart.’
“‘We draw our strength from the despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.’
“‘The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.’
“‘Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other culture.’
“‘We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community.’
“Reflections, hunger –
“‘History will judge societies and governments, not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and poweful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.’
“‘Si, se puede!” Yes we can!’ – D. Huerta
“‘True worth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire.’”
Intrada 1631 (After Juan Pérez Bocanegra) (2003)
STEPHEN MONTAGUE (b. 1943)
Intrada 1631 was inspired by a concert of early South American liturgical music directed by Jeffrey Skidmore at the 2001 Dartington International Summer Music School (UK). One of the most moving and memorable works in the program was a Hanacpachap cussicuinin, a 17th century Catholic liturgical chant written in Quechua, the native language of the Incas. The music was composed by a Franciscan missionary priest called Juan Pérez Bocanegra who lived and worked in Cuzco, a small village east of Lima (Peru) in the Jauja Valley during the early 17th century. Intrada 1631 uses Bocanegra’s 20-bar hymn as the basis for an expanded processional scored for the modern forces of a symphonic brass choir with field drums.
The first complete performance of Intrada 1631 was in Bath Abbey, England, June 1, 2003. It was the open-
ing processional for the late-night multimedia event called Abbey Mode: a Sonic/Light Event commissioned for the finale of the 2003 Bath International Music Festival. The long shadows of the darkened Abbey were illuminated by special lighting effects (James Loudon) on the giant arches while multiple video projections (Kathy Hinde) on the high ribbed vaulting gave the illusion of a roof open to the night sky with flying creatures overhead. The 120 performers were masked and in special costume.
We thank this evening’s auxiliary musicians from the Yale Precision Marching Band.
Umoja: Anthem of Unity (2018)
VALERIE COLEMAN (b. 1970)
Umoja (pronounced “oo-MOH-juh”) is a Swahili word meaning “unity.” It is the principle of the first day of Kwanzaa. Valerie Coleman’s piece Umoja has grown and evolved and taken many different forms in more than 20 years since she first composed it. The very first version of Umoja was a piece for women’s choir composed to celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa. The music featured a repeated melody and call-and-response form, and the lyrics summon “children of ALL” to “hear the winds call” because “it’s time for Unity.” Coleman has said that this first version embodied “tribal unity” and the sense of a drum circle in which participants are sharing oral histories together.
In 1997, Coleman founded the quintet Imani Winds. “Imani” (pronounced “eeMAH-nee”) is also a Swahili word. It means “faith” and is the principle of the final day of Kwanzaa. Coleman reworked the choral piece Umoja for her new wind quintet, and the piece quickly became one of the ensemble’s signatures. Imani Winds’ first album was even called Umoja. Coleman has said that she wanted the piece Umoja to serve as an anthem for Imani Winds to celebrate the individual members’ diverse heritages. In the past two decades, Coleman has reimagined Umoja for many different types of ensembles and instrumental configurations. The wind band version was written for a consortium of schools in the College Band Directors National Association, of which the Yale Concert Band was one. The Yale Concert Band premiered it in South Africa in 2011.
Variations on a Korean Folk Song (1965)
JOHN BARNES CHANCE (1932-1972)
Based on the Korean folk song, “Arrirang,” this piece is in six sections: an opening pentatonic theme and five distinct variations. The first variation features temple blocks and woodwinds; the second is a quiet and serene melody played by the oboe; the third is a fast march; the fourth is broad and solemn; the fifth is a recapitulation of one of the opening themes. The orginal words speak of a young man and his sorrow at being separated from his love.
Upcoming Yale Bands Performances
• Saturday, October 7 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Family Weekend Gala Concert. Yale Glee Club (Jeffrey Douma, Music Director), Yale Concert Band (Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director), and Yale Symphony Orchestra (William Boughton, Music Director). Free/ no tickets required.
• Wednesday, November 1 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Jazz Ensemble Big Band, Wayne Escoffery, Music Director. Celebrating the legacy of Wayne Shorter. Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Friday, December 1 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. Dance of Deceit (Rory Bricca ES ’26), Trains of Thought (Alex Shapiro) (with projections), Russian Christmas Music (Alfred Reed), A Child’s Garden of Dreams (David Maslanka). Woolsey Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Friday, February 16 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. Mother of a Revolution (Omar Thomas), Luminance (Shuying Li), Cave of the Winds (Russell Peck), The Firebird Suite (Igor Stravinsky). Free/no tickets required.
• Wednesday, March 6 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Jazz Ensemble Big Band, Wayne Escoffery, Music Director. Program TBA. Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall. Free/no tickets required.
• Friday, April 12 – 7:30 p.m. Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, Music Director. African American Symphony (William Grant Still), Medieval Suite (Ron Nelson), New England Triptych (William Schuman). Woolsey Hall. Free/no tickets required.
Photo: Harold Shapiro
About the Music Director
Thomas C. Duffy is Professor (Adjunct) of Music, Director of University Bands, and Clinical Professor of Nursing at Yale University, where he has worked since 1982. He is known as a composer, a conductor, a teacher, an administrator, and a leader. His interests and research range from non-tonal analysis to jazz, from wind band history to creativity and the brain. Under his direction, the Yale Bands have performed at conferences of the College Band Directors National Association and New England College Band Association; for club audiences at New York City’s Village Vanguard, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club, and Iridium; Ronnie Scott’s (London); the Belmont (Bermuda); as part of the inaugural ceremonies for President George H.W. Bush; and concertized in twenty-one countries in the course of eighteen international tours. Duffy produced a two-year lecture/performance series, Music and the Brain, with the Yale School of Medicine; and, with the Yale School of Nursing, developed a musical intervention to train nursing students to better hear and identify body sounds with the stethoscope. He combined his interests in music and science to create a genre of music for the bilateral conductor – in which a “split-brained conductor” must conduct a different meter in each hand, sharing downbeats. His compositions have introduced a generation of school musicians to aleatory, the integration of spoken/sung words and “body rhythms” with instrumental performance, and the pairing of music with political, social, historical and scientific themes. He has been awarded the Yale Tercentennial Medal for Composition, the Elm/ Ivy Award, the Yale School of Music Cultural Leadership Citation and certificates of appreciation by the United States Attorney’s Office for his Yale 4/Peace: Rap for Justice concerts – music programs designed for social impact by using the power of music to deliver a message of peace and justice to impressionable middle and high school students. Duffy has served as associate, deputy and acting dean of the Yale School of Music. He has served as a member of the Fulbright National Selection Committee, the Tanglewood II Symposium planning committee, the Grammy Foundation Music Educators Award Screening Committee, and completed the MLE program at the Harvard University Institute for Management and Leadership in Education. He has served as: president of the Connecticut Composers Inc., the New England College Band Directors Association and the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA); editor of the CBDNA Journal, publicity chair for the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles; and chair of the Connecticut Music Educators Association’s Professional Affairs and Government Relations committees. He is a member of American Bandmasters Association, American Composers Alliance, the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Connecticut Composers Incorporated, the Social Science Club, and BMI. Duffy has conducted ensembles all over the world, including the National Association for Music Education’s National Honor Band in the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. (More extensive data is available at www.duffymusic.com, including a high resolution downloadable photo.)
Photo: Harold Shapiro
Photo: Harold Shapiro
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