PROGRAM NOTES

Allegro (from Water Music)

Hornpipe (from Water Music)

In the early 1700s, London high society delighted in evening pleasure trips on the River Thames. These
leisurely trips were often accompanied by a floating orchestra, a whole barge load of musicians playing
“water serenades.” Handel composed at least two (probably there or more) suites of “water music” for
such festive occasions. The Water Music is undoubtedly the most famous and popular of all Handel’s
instrumental works.

Georg Friedrich Handel was born in Halle, Germany in 1685. Always interested in theatrical works, he
went to Italy at the age of twenty-two, where is first opera Rodrigo was performed. Following this was
another opera, Agrippina; both were extremely successful. In 1710, he made his first visit to England,
later becoming a naturalized English Citizen. In London, he led a very active musical life producing
dozens of operas. He is best remembered for his oratorio, The Messiah, which he conducted himself from
the organ just eight days before his death in 1759.

Frank Erickson was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. He began his instrumental career at the age
of eight, playing piano, and at age ten, playing trumpet. In high school, he wrote his first composition for
band, The Fall of Evening. At age nineteen, World War II began. He then served with the United States
Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1946. He worked as a weather forecaster and also arranged music for
several army bands. After the war, Erickson worked as a jazz arranger, namely for Earle Spencer and His
Orchestra (1946); and he played trumpet. He also studied composition with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
during this time period. As he wrote music and studied composition, Frank Erickson developed an interest
in getting a degree and eventually enrolled at University of Southern California to further his studies in
composition. While there, he began arranging half-time shows for the USC marching band. By the time
he graduated, he had many published band compositions. His very first was called Little Suite for Band.
He graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1950. The next year he went back to USC,
and graduated again with a Master of Music degree in 1951. His master thesis was about his own music.

Richard Meyer has been involved with music education for over 16 years. He received his Bachelor of
Arts from California State University of Los Angeles and taught instrumental music at both the middle
and high school levels in the Pasadena Unified School District for 12 years. Currently, he directs the
orchestras at Oak Avenue Intermediate School in Temple City, California, and is in charge of the city's
elementary school string program. Mr Meyer is in his eleventh year as conductor of the Pasadena Youth
Symphony Orchestra, a 90 piece honor orchestra composed of 7th, 8th and 9th grade students, which he
has led in concerts in Vienna, Austria, Carnegie Hall, New York City and in Sydney, Australia.
Mr. Meyer has served as a guest conductor-clinician on many occasions throughout California, and has
been a member of the Bellis Music Camp staff for 15 years. He has a variety of orchestral and band music
in print. In 1989 his composition "Celebration" (written especially for the 1988 SCSBOA All Southern
Honor Orchestra in California) won the National School Orchestra Association composition contest. Most
recently, his "Geometric Dances" won the Texas Orchestra Directors Association composition contest.
In 1994 he was the recipient of the Outstanding Music Educator Award from the Pasadena Area Youth
Music Council, and in 1997 received the Pasadena Arts Council Gold Crown Award for performing arts.
Trumpet Concerto in Eb Major (1st Mvt.)
Composed by: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Haydn composed this concerto in 1796; the date of the first performance is not known. The orchestra
consists of pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, and trumpets, with timpani and strings.

A favorite of the trumpet repertoire and possibly Haydn's most popular concerto, this work was composed
in 1796 while the composer was working on the Creation. In the final years of his career Haydn seemed
to prefer large choral works to instrumental pieces, but he was intrigued by a request for a concerto from
Anton Weidinger, the trumpeter in the Vienna Court Orchestra. The valveless trumpets of the time could
play only notes derived from a fundamental pitch and its related harmonic series, and so trumpet music
tended to be melodically limited. Weidinger invented a keyed trumpet along the lines of a woodwind
instrument; with drilled holes in the body of the instrument, the player could easily raise the pitch in half-
tone steps, enabling them to play chromatic passages. The modern trumpet has been greatly refined since
Weidinger's time, but the principle remains the same. Weidinger did not perform the Concerto in public
until 1800. Surviving in a single manuscript copy, this extraordinary work wasn't performed again until
1929.

Splendidly orchestrated, Haydn's concerto fully exploits the trumpet's new technical abilities. The
opening Allegro is festive and radiant, with the orchestra introducing the main themes before they're
taken up by the soloist. There's a motif that initially rises, subsequently allowing the trumpet to show off
its new stock of notes in the low register. This motif evolves into a fanfare-like subject, which the soloist
enriches with effective trills and other ornamentation. The development section requires the trumpeter to
play in different keys, which would have been impossible on a valveless trumpet. Opening with a lovely,
expansive melody in siciliano style, the second movement reveals the full lyrical and expressive potential
of the new trumpet. In addition, this movement, which exemplifies the consummate melodic artistry of
Haydn's late works, showcases the instrument's ability to easily modulate from key to key. Written in a
sonata rondo form, the concluding Allegro begins with an angular, fanfare-like theme, continuing with
material which calls upon the soloist's dexterity in handling trills and other technical effects. Following a
concise, brief development section which mainly negotiates primary thematic material, a recapitulation
leads the trumpeter to a higher, brighter tessitura. A spirited combination of technical brilliance and
musical élan, the third movement ends with a gleaming, celebratory coda.
Leroy Anderson Favorites
(Featuring Blue Tango, Belle of the Ball, The Syncopated Clock & Serenata)
Composed by: Leroy Anderson (1908-1975)
Arranged by: Calvin Custer (1939-1998)

Leroy Anderson, (born June 29, 1908, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.—died May 18, 1975, Woodbury, Conn.),
American conductor, arranger, and composer of “Sleigh Ride,” “Blue Tango,” and other popular light
orchestral music with memorable, optimistic melodies and often unusual percussion effects.

Anderson studied composition under Walter Piston and Georges Enesco at Harvard University (B.A.,
1929; M.A., 1930), where he also studied German and Scandinavian languages and directed the Harvard
University Band. Anderson’s fluency in nine languages aided him as a U.S. Army interpreter during
World War II; he also served in the army during the Korean War.

In 1936 Anderson began a long and productive association with the Boston Pop Orchestra’s principal
conductor Arthur Fiedler. With “Syncopated Clock” in 1945 Anderson began the period of his greatest
popularity. Fiedler introduced that piece as well as standard Anderson works such as “Fiddle-Faddle,”
“Sleigh Ride,” and the Irish Suite of traditional tunes.

Anderson conducted his own orchestras during the 1950s in hit recordings such as “Blue Tango,” “Plink,
Plank, Plunk!,” and “Belle of the Ball.” He used a typewriter as a musical instrument in “The
Typewriter,” and he used sandpaper to imitate soft-shoe dancers in “Sandpaper Ballet.” His later projects
included composing the music for Goldilocks, a 1958 Broadway musical. A survey by the American
Symphony Orchestra League in 1953 determined that among American composers, Anderson’s works
were the most frequently performed.

Calvin Custer attended Carnegie Mellon University and Syracuse University. His composition
teachers included Nikolai Lopatnikoff, Ernst Bacon, and Earl George. He also studied
conducting with Karl Kritz, first music director of the Syracuse Symphony. Custer was
associated with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra during the majority of his musical career
serving in the keyboard, horn and string bass sections; holding various conducting positions; and
serving as staff arranger. He helped to implement the orchestra's chamber music program which
continues to perform in local schools and libraries to this day. Calvin was a member of the both
the rock and percussion ensembles in which he played numerous instruments including keyboard
and guitar. Custer was prolific in his creations of arrangements for orchestra, many of which
were performed by orchestras across the country including the Boston Pops Orchestra. In 2006,
the Syracuse Symphony released a CD of Custer's arrangements on the disc Big Band Bash. His
many arrangements for band include Adagio for Strings (Barber), Ashokan Farewell (Ungar),
Rolling Thunder (Fillmore), and Star Wars® Main Theme (Williams).
Beethoven’s First Symphony (2nd Mvt.)
Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Arranged by: Vernon Leidig (1919-2013)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, was dedicated to Baron Gottfried van
Swieten, an early patron of the composer. The piece was published in 1801 by Hoffmeister & Kühnel of
Leipzig. It is not known exactly when Beethoven finished writing this work, but sketches of the finale
were found to be from 1795. The symphony is clearly indebted to Beethoven's predecessors, particularly
his teacher Joseph Haydn as well as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but nonetheless has characteristics that
mark it uniquely as Beethoven's work, notably the frequent use of sforzandi, as well as sudden shifts in
tonal centers that were uncommon for traditional symphonic form (particularly in the 3rd movement), and
the prominent, more independent use of wind instruments. Sketches for the finale are found among the
exercises Beethoven wrote while studying counterpoint under Johann Georg Albrechtsberger in the spring
of 1797. The premiere took place on 2 April 1800 at the K.K. Hoftheater nächst der Burg in Vienna.

Vernon Leidig was best known as a music teacher in the Los Angeles area. He taught at Virgil Junior
High School for 7 years, directing a 125 piece orchestra that received national recognition. He then was
Professor of Music at California State University, Los Angeles for 33 years. At CSULA he initiated the
Instrumental Music Education program, and directed the Brass Choir for many years. He received the
Outstanding Professor Award in 1964, and the Gold Award of Recognition by the Calif. School Band and
Orchestra Association in 1967. He was admired for his service to the University, concern for his students,
teaching expertise, and his knowledge of brass instrument performance and literature.

Vernon was recognized for his publications and instrumental arrangements for school groups. These
include college text books called the "Contemporary Series", nine orchestra and band albums, and more
than 150 arrangements and original pieces for orchestra and band. Most notable are his Classics For
Orchestra which include 50 movements of symphonies and classical compositions.
My Fair Lady
(Featuring: I Could Have Danced All Night, On The Street Where You Live, I’ve Grown Accustomed to
Her Face and Get Me to the Church on Time)
Composed by: Frederick Loewe (1901-1988)
Arranged by: John Whitney

My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay
Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who
takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as a lady. The
original Broadway and London shows starred Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews.

Frederick Loewe, (born June 10, 1901, Berlin, Germany—died February 14, 1988, Palm Springs,
California, U.S.), German-born American composer and collaborator with Alan Jay Lerner on a series of
hit musical plays, including the phenomenally successful My Fair Lady (1956; filmed 1964).

Loewe, whose father was a Viennese actor and operetta tenor, was a child prodigy, playing the piano at
age 5, composing for his father’s presentations at 7, and at 13 becoming the youngest soloist to appear
with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He received advanced musical instruction from Ferruccio Busoni
and Eugène d’Albert. Loewe wrote a popular song, “Katrina,” at age 15, and more than 1,000,000 copies
of the sheet music for it were eventually sold.

Loewe arrived in the United States in 1924 and worked in a variety of odd jobs for the next 10 years. In
1934 he contributed music to the Broadway play Petticoat Fever, and by 1936 he was writing music for
Broadway revues, but he received little acclaim. Loew collaborated with lyricist Earle Crooker on the
musical plays Salute to Spring (1937) and Great Lady (1938), but they similarly failed to gain attention.

In 1942 Loewe met Alan Jay Lerner at the Lambs, a theatrical club in New York City, and asked him to
work on revising Salute to Spring for a Detroit producer. They continued their collaboration through two
failures, What’s Up? (1943) and The Day Before Spring (1945), before achieving success on Broadway
with Brigadoon (1947). This was followed by Paint Your Wagon (1951), My Fair Lady, the film Gigi
(1958), and Camelot (1960). Personal differences between Loewe and Lerner surfaced during the writing
of Camelot, and they suspended their collaboration for more than a decade. They reunited to adapt Gigi
for the stage (1973) and to write the score for the film The Little Prince (1974).

The score of My Fair Lady was among the most successful ever to emerge from the American musical
theatre. More than 5,000,000 copies of the Broadway-cast recording were sold, and, of Loewe’s 16 very
different melodies, “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “On the Street Where You Live,” and “I’ve Grown
Accustomed to Her Face” underwent innumerable arrangements and renditions. His music ranged from
high romance (“If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot and “On the Street Where You Live” from
My Fair Lady) to lighthearted melodies (“The Night They Invented Champagne” and “Thank Heaven for
Little Girls” from Gigi) to subtle settings for nearly spoken songs (“Why Can’t the English?” from My
Fair Lady and “How to Handle a Woman” from Camelot).
Mutya Ng Pasig
Composed by: Nicanor Abelardo (1893-1934)
Lyrics by: Deogracias A. Rosario
Arranged by: Peregrino T. Aledia
Full Orchestra Transcription by: Argiel Resurreccion

Mutya ng Pasig folklore inspired kundiman composer Nicanor Abelardo to create the classical music
poetry Mutya ng Pasig which tells about the sad fate of a woman who appears in the Pasig River during
the full moon. The song was written in 1926 and was inspired by the Kumintang, a traditional song from
Batangas, a province in the Philippines, with Malayan rhythmic pat. This song will forever live on the
subconscious of Pasig natives on account of its haunting lyrics and melody and the effervescent romance
that goes on between the city folk and the famous river.

The song was made a title of a movie and the music became its soundtrack. It was directed by Richard
Abelardo, brother of Nicanor Abelardo. Mutya ng Pasig the movie was a supernatural melodrama of a
woman's misfortune and suffering interwoven with the legend of the Pasig. Part of the charm of watching
the movie today is witnessing the habitable state of the Pasig River a few decades ago. The film opens
during the town’s fiesta where the citizenry were in hordes and some of them floating in the river’s
sparkling waters. It is unthinkable today since the waters have lost its sparkle with the accumulation of
grease, trash, and other stuff throughout the years.

Nicanor Abelardo was born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan to Valentin Abelardo and Placida Santa
Ana, in February 7, 1893. Her mother belonged to a family of artists in Guagua, the Henson. He was
introduced to music when he was five years old when his father taught him the solfeggio, the bandurria,
and the guitar at 6. His quick mastery of the instruments has made him a prodigy in town. He could play
his father's arrangement of Rossini's "William Tell Overture" on the guitar at age 6. He also learned the
violin and other string instruments given to him by his father, and learned how to play quickly without
much difficulty. In 1901, he wrote his first composition, "Ang Unang Buko" and dedicated it to his
grandmother.

In 1916, Abelardo entered the newly-established University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music,
taking courses under Guy F. Harrison and Robert Schofield. During his studies, he composed the melody
of the university's official anthem, U.P. Naming Mahal in 1917. The Conservatory instantly noticed his
musical ability and by 1918, he was appointed assistant instructor in solfeggio and harmony. He took
lessons in piano under Jose Estella, violin under Bonifacio Abdon, and voice under Victorino Carrion. He
continued conducting cinema orchestras and play the piano at saloons and cabarets during this time, and
this is also the time where he learned to drink alcohol. in 1921 he finally received his degree in science
and composition, and thereafter took a post-graduate course which he finished the next year. On 1924 he
became head of the composition department of the conservatory, and at night taught private music lessons
to some prominent families.

He wrote most of his important works while teaching at the conservatory. His graduation piece, a Piano
Sonata in G Major, was the first Sonata made by a Filipino composer and his post-graduate piece, the
Piano Concerto in B-flat minor, was the first concerto made by a Filipino composer. Almost all of his
kundiman was written during his time as well.
Brindisi (from La Traviata)
Compose by: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Violetta Valéry, a famed courtesan, throws a lavish party at her Paris salon to celebrate her recovery from
an illness. Gastone, a viscount, has brought with him a friend, Alfredo Germont, a young bourgeois from
a provincial family who has long adored Violetta from afar. While walking to the salon, Gastone tells
Violetta that Alfredo loves her, and that while she was ill, he came to her house every day. Alfredo joins
them, admitting the truth of Gastone's remarks.

Baron Douphol, Violetta's current lover, waits nearby to escort her to the salon; once there, the Baron is
asked to give a toast, but refuses, and the crowd turns to Alfredo, who agrees to sing a brindisi – a
drinking song (Alfredo, Violetta, chorus: Libiamo ne' lieti calici – "Let's drink from the joyful cups").

Giuseppe Verdi was born in Italy in 1813, prior to Italian unification. Verdi produced many successful
operas, including La Traviata, Falstaff and Aida, and became known for his skill in creating melody and
his profound use of theatrical effect. Additionally, his rejection of the traditional Italian opera for
integrated scenes and unified acts earned him fame. Verdi died on January 27, 1901, in Milan, Italy.