Jul 31

Written by:
Sunday, July 31, 2011 

Hello again!

It's hard to believe that it is August already and that we have only two concerts left in the 2011 season!  Summer is just flying by!

This week, the band hops across the pond to explore some music from outside of the States.  We have some traditional marches from Europe and other styles of music as well.

The marches will sound different this week from our usual fare.  We open with a march called Army Of The Nile by Kenneth J. Alford (the penname of Frederick Joseph Ricketts).  Dedicated to General Archibald Wavell for his part in the action that halted the advance of the Axis powers in Egypt, it is called a "Quick March", which is a bit of a misnomer, as it is designed to be played at 96 beats per minute.  (By comparison, a Sousa march is typically played at about 120 bpm and a circus march is considered slow if it's played at 140 bpm!)

The second march is Florentiner Marsch by Czechoslovakian composer Julius Fucik.  It is a light, lively march that opens with a call and response between the Trumpets and the Woodwinds.  The trio has a beautiful, soaring melody that is first presented by the Trumpets and Oboe, and then taken up by the rest of the band at the conclusion of the march.

The third march on the program is Le Pere de la Victoire, or Father of Victory, by Louis Ganne.  Known as a composer of patriotic marches, opera and ballet, he is little known outside of his native France.

Our closing march of the program is The Cairo Road by W. J. Adams.  The trio of this march is based on a tune sung by British servicemen in Egypt during World War II called "Saida Bent".  (The name means "Hello, girl", using a term now considered offensive.)  Despite it's politically incorrect name, the tune is a lilting melody that is one of my favorites, and I find myself whistling it for several weeks each time we perform the march.

Other pieces on this week's program come from England (Barb'ra Allen, Somerset Sketches, and Eye Level - the theme to the '70s Thames Television program "Van der Valk"), Ireland (Shannon Suite), Germany (In Munchen Steht Ein Hofbrauhaus), Austria (Old Vienna Overture), Liechtenstein (The Liechtensteiner Polka), and Italy (Italian Festival).

We also skip over another pond to visit the "Land Down Under" with a fun arrangement of Waltzing Matilda.

Come join us for a fun musical tour this Wednesday night - remember, we do play in rain, but not in lightning.  Check this website, Facebook or Twitter in case of bad weather to see if we're still playing.

(Just a teaser for next week...it's our birthday, so there will be cake, and we will need plenty of help for an audience participation number - bring your car horns!)