Center for Visual Arts ISU Gallery I Wednesday Evening April 22, 1992 7:00p.m

Block, Glenn, Director/Conductor

English

Kemp Recital HallWednesday EveningApril 7, 19937:00 p.m

Block, Glenn

ISU ReD: Research and eData

Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData School of Music Programs Music 4-7-1993 ISU Chamber Orchestra Glenn Block Director/Conductor Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp  Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Block, Glenn Director/Conductor, "ISU Chamber Orchestra" (1993). School of Music Programs. 983. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp/983 This Concert Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Music Programs by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact ISUReD@ilstu.edu. I I Music Department Illinois State University I I I I I I I . I I ISU CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Glenn Block, Music Director and Conductor Jon Feller, Assistant Conductor I One hundred eleventh program of the 1992-93 season. Kemp Recital Hall Wednesday Evening April 7 7:00p.m. I I I Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068 Ouverture Air Gavotte I & II Bourree Gigue Suite No. 4 in D Major, BWV 1069 Ouverture Bourrel &II Gavotte Menuetl&II Rejouissance Program Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Johann Sebastian Bach This concert, the ISU Chamber Orchestra concludes a two-year cycle of performing all the Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites composed by Bach. Next /SU Orchestra Concert Monday, April 19, 1993 8:00 p.m. Braden Auditorium Annual Concerto Concert featuring student soloists Program Notes I I I I Suites, BWV 1068 & 1069 Johann Sebastian Bach The four masterworks we know today as Bach's "orchestral suites" were not originally called suites at all, but "ouvertures." The term "orchestral suite' is an invention of 19th-century scholars and publishers who collaborated to publish the I I I I I I I I I I I I I vast amount of music found after Bach's death. Bach and his contemporaries wrote such works and called them ouvertures because they were modeled after the operatic overtures which had been composed for the royal court of Louis XIV at Versailles. From Lolly to Mozart, nobody I surpassed Bach in the depiction of majesty which dominates the four suites. The custom of rounding off the grandiose Baroque overtures with a set of dances and other light pieces was perhaps suggested by popular Rococo collections (suites) of dances for chamber ensembles or keyboard. I Suite, BWV 1068 Ouverture. All the four suites open with the traditional French overture form characterized by the many jagged, dotted rhythms and profusion of trills which give a sharply characteristic style to the slow introduction. The slow introduction is I followed by a faster, fugal allegro that is the main part of the movement. At the end, the form is rounded off by a return of the pompous dotted section. Air. The slow second movement is probably the best known music composition by Bach under the title "Air on the G String". I Gavotte. The gavotte was originally a French folk dance which made its way via the ballroom to the dance movements of Baroque instrumental works. This movement is a strongly rhythmic piece with a contrasting middle secton, after which the opening is brought back. I Bourree. Thebourrte,also, wasoriginallyanoldFrenchfolkdance. The fact that its name comes from the French word "bourrir" (meaning to flap the wings) suggests that it may go back to very primitive dances, possibly even of totem origin, in which the dances imitated the movements of ritual beasts and birds. I Gigue. The jig, with its exuberant, driving triple rhythm, was a great favorite for the final movements of Baroque suites, sonatas, and concertos. Suite, BWV 1069 The Suite No. 4 is the most "modem" of the four and the only one which is believed I to have been composed in Leipzig. Earlier sketches may indicate an earlier composition date, during the Kothen years, and without trumpets and drums. The final festive version, with the addition of three trumpets and drums must have been composed for a special occasion, probably in 1725 at the latest. I Ouverture. The three part, slow-fast-slow form of all the opening ouverture movements continues in this suite. The only exceptional part of the form is the highly contrapuntal 9/8 fugal section which is the main part of this movement. Bouree. Originally a French peasant dance, this dance movement uses the older three-part form, with a contrasting bourree section in the middle in the relative I minor, followed by a return of the opening section. Gavotte. This movement is a sturdy rhythmic piece in two sections, each of which is repeated. I Menuetto. Thismenuet, like those of many baroque composers, is a more straight-foward, vigorous piece than the more aristocratic and nobler dances of Mozart This one is scored for strings and woodwinds, without the trumpets and drums that lend their brilliance to the other movements of the suite. I Rejouissance. Although it is not a dance form, this sparkling, little finale derives its name from the same phrase as the bourrte. Notes by Dr. Glenn Block I I Personnel Glenn Block. Music Director and Conductor Jon Feller, Assistant Conductor Violin Nicholas Currie, Concertmaster Carlene Easley, Principal Second Violin Amy Ahrens Elisabeth Honn Rebecca Mertz Heather Neaveill Viola Jacqueline Young, Co-Principal Jon Feller, Co-Principal Abigail Baker Denise Phillips Cello Bo Li, Principal Maria Cooper Jennifer Holtman Double Bass Brian Dollinger, Co-Principal Michael Govert, Co-Principal Oboe Blake Duncan, Principal Karlallten Melissa Gustafson Bassoon Jeffery Womack Trumpet Tim McCoul, Principal Jerry Mohlman Troy Mckay Harpsichord Julian Dawson I I I I I I I I I I I I I 

Ensemble Concerts: ISU Chamber Orchestra, April 7, 1993

Kemp Recital HallThursday EveningNovember 10, 19946:30 p.m

Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData School of Music Programs Music 11-10-1994 ISU Chamber Orchestra Glenn Block Director/Conductor Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp  Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Block, Glenn Director/Conductor, "ISU Chamber Orchestra" (1994). School of Music Programs. 1208. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp/1208 This Concert Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Music Programs by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact ISUReD@ilstu.edu. I Music Department 1 Illinois State University I ISU CHAMBER ORCHESTRA I I I I I FACULTY SHOWCASE CONCERT Glenn Block, Music Director and Conductor Sinfonia concertante in E-Flat Major, K. 364 Allegro maestoso Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Andantino Presto Sarah Gentry, Violin Arthur Lewis,Viola Glenn Block, Conductor I Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21 Allegro ma non troppo Allegretto Samuel Barber (1910.1981) I I I I I Allegro con brio Max Schoenfeld, Flute Judith Dicker, Oboe Amy Gilreath, Trumpet Cornelius Pereira, Conductor* * This performance in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Music Thirty-fifth program of the 1994-95 season. Kemp Recital Hall Thursday Evening November 10 6:30 p. m. /SU Chamber Orchestra Personnel Violin Rebecca Mertz, Concertmaster Jennifer Smith, Principal Second Violin Maria Cooper Colleen Moss Susan Oliverius Viola Matt Barwegen, Co-Principal Jon Feller, Co-Principal Cello Bo Li, Principal Jennifer Holtman Bass Brian Dollinger, Principal Martha Gold Oboe Judith Dicker, Principal Andrealmre Horn Joe Neisler, Principal Brandon Sinnock Next /SU Orchestra Concert Sunday, November 20, 7:00 p.m. Annual Holiday Concert with the ISU Symphony and Choirs /SU Instrumental Faculty Max Schoenfeld, Flute Judith Dicker, Oboe Aris Chavez, Clarinet Michael Dicker, Bassoon Joe Neisler, Horn Amy Gilreath, Trumpet Stephen Parsons, Trombone Ed Livingston, Euphonium & Tuba David Collier, Percussion Sarah Gentry, Violin Arthur Lewis, Viola Ko Iwasaki, Cello William Koehler, Bass I I I I I I I I I I 

ISU Chamber Orchestra, November 10, 1994

Center for Visual Arts ISU Gallery IWednesday EveningApril 22, 19927:00 p.m

Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData School of Music Programs Music 4-22-1992 ISU Chamber Orchestra Glenn Block Director/Conductor Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp  Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Block, Glenn Director/Conductor, "ISU Chamber Orchestra" (1992). School of Music Programs. 860. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp/860 This Concert Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Music Programs by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact ISUReD@ilstu.edu. I Music Department Illinois State University I I I I I I I I I I I I ,, ISU CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Glenn Block, Music Director and Conductor Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047 [Allegro) Andante Allegro assai Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Bernard Eichen, Violin Paul Borg, Recorder Timothy Hurtz, Oboe Amy Gilreath, Trumpet Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, BWV 1049 Allegro Andante Presto Bernard Eichen, Violin Johann Sebastian Bach Paul Borg, Recorder Larry VanMersbergen, Recorder Center for Visual Arts ISU Gallery I Wednesday Evening April 22, 1992 7:00p.m. The years 1717-23 during which Johann Sebastian Bach was in service at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen were a happy and fruitful period in the creative life of one of the greatest of all composers. It was during this time that he composed the "Brandenburg" Concertos and many otherorchestral works, some of which have been lost At the Cothen court, Bach had available a chamber ensemble of outstanding instrumentalists with whom the Prince, who was a highly talented musician, played the violin and harpsichord as well as his favorite instrument, the violada gamba. Besides pure chamber music, Bach also wrote an unknown number of orchestral suites and instrumental concertos for the Prince and his ensemble, and the works that have survived have taken their place at the heart of the baroque repertoire. Many instrumental concertos which later appeared in the final versions in Leipzig, differently scored, originated from the lost works of the Cothen era. This cycle of six concertos, representing one of the high points of Western music, may actually have been preserved only because of the unusual dedication provided by Bach. Of the larger instrumental works written by Bach in Cothen, only the "Brandenburg" Concertos have a known completion date (the dedication to Mar-grave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg is dated March 24, 1721.) The wording of the dedication, written in French, suggests that on visiting Cothen, the music-loving Margraveheanl the Kapellmesiter Bach playing music of a similar kind and perhaps expressed himself to Prince Leopold, his host, a desire to possess music of such quality himself. Prince Leopold probably passed on this hint to Bach, his Kapell-meister, who as a result, wrote out a score in fair copy and sent it to the Margrave. The various scoring of the six concertos indicates the instruments Bach knew to be available in the Cothen court orchestra and the works were probably played there. If the Margrave off erred any thanks, it was probably to Prince Leopold and not his underling composer! The ISU Chamber Orchestra has presented the entire cycle of the six Brandenburg Concertos during this season. Tonight's two concerti feature the timbre of recorders, or wooden flutes, that Bach originally intended. Violin Nicholas Currie, Concenmaster Carlene Easley, Principal Second Violin Dan Daniels Elisabeth Honn David Hovorka Cindy Rocke Viola Dennis Luna, Principal Janet Baczek Cello Bo Li , Principal Maria Cooper String Bass Brian Dollinger, Principal Michael Govert Continuo Julian Dawson Manager Carlene Easley I I I I I I I I I. I 

Ensemble Concerts: ISU Chamber Orchestra, April 22, 1992

Kemp Recital HallTuesday EveningFebruary 16, 19937:00 p.m

Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData School of Music Programs Music 2-16-1993 ISU Chamber Orchestra Glenn Block Director/Conductor Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp  Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Block, Glenn Director/Conductor, "ISU Chamber Orchestra" (1993). School of Music Programs. 946. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp/946 This Concert Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Music Programs by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact ISUReD@ilstu.edu. Music Department I IDinois State University I I ·1 I I ·1 I I I I I ISU CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Glenn Block, Music Director and Conductor Jon Feller,Assistant Conductor Max Schoenfeld, Flute I Seventy-fifth program of the 1992-93 season. Kemp Recital Hall Tuesday Evening February 16 7:00p.m. I Little Suite, Op. 1 Praeludium Intennezzo finale A Siegfried Idyll (1870) Suite in B Minor, BWV 1067 Ouverture. [Grave;Allegro] Rondeau Sarabande Bourree I&II Polonaise & Double Menuet Badinerie Program Jon Feller, Conductor Max Schoenfeld, Flute Next ISU Orchestra Concerts: Gilbert and Sullivan-The Pirates of Penzance Joint Production of Departments of Music and Theater March 26-28, 30, April 1-3 Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) -, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Little Suite, Op. 1 Carl Nielsen Carl Nielsen, like his countryman Hans Christian Anderson, was born a peasant on a little Danish island. Nielsen lived to become a national hero at home and a cultural symbol of his country abroad. In the latter role Nielsen was often compared with Sibelius. Both men were born in the same year and both were leaders of late-Romantic Nationalism which swept European arts during the 19th century. Nielsen shared Sibelius's strong affinity for orchestral music and a similarity in style which saw their early broad, emotional and richly scored early works evolve to a more concise and stark quality in their later works. Nielsen's family were poor villagers and peasants, but his early musical gifts were soon recognized, and friends raised the necessary money to send him to school at the Royal Conservatory of Copenhagen. Before he had developed the strongly personal sound of his later mature works, Nielsen won early recognition and strong encouragement with his Op. 1 Suite for Strings. In three movements, this string suite shows a strong s~ilarity to the early string works of Sibelius. A Sieefried Jdyll Richart/Wagner In November, 1870, his heart overflowing with gratitude, Wagner composed as a birthday present for his wife Cosima, the quiet and contented music we know as A Siegfried Idyll. Here, love did not mean any Tristan love-death and dreams, but dawn, birth and reality. The music referred to their son Siegfried, but also to more intimate secrets in Richard's and Cosima's past. Cosima's birthday fell on Christmas Day. Early that morning in 1870, 15 players from nearby Lucerne in Switzerland, whom Wagner had secretly rehearsed, assembled quietly in the small cottage and surprised the overwhelmed Cosima. Wagner's unconventional family life was a very complex one. Cosima had been legally married to the famous conductor Hans von Buelow, whom she had left in 1866 to live with Wagner. She had already borne Wagner a daughter out of wedlock, Isolde. Their second daughter, Eva, was born in 1868 and their son Siegfried in 1869. The prominent violin melody of the Idyll did not originate in the opera Siegfried but rather in a string quartet first conceived as a present from Wagner to Cosima some six years earlier when they were first in love. This reference to their first intimacy, in this work celebrating their domestic joy, had a meaning for both Wagner and Cosima beyond the beauty of the music itself. Other melodies are talcen from Ring operas. The close of the worlc suggests the approach of peaceful sleep. Suite in B Minor, BWV 1067 Johann Sebastian Bach The four masterworks we know today as Bach's "orchestral suites" were not originally called suites at all, but "ouvertures." The term "orchestral suite" is an invention of 19th-century scholars and publishers who collaborated to publish the vast quantities of music found after Bach's death. Bach and his contemporaries wrote such works and called them overtures because they were modeled after the operatic overtures which had been composed for the royal court of Louis XIV at Versailles. From Lully to Mozart, nobody surpassed Bach in the depiction of majesty which dominates the four suites. The custom of rounding off the grandiose Baroque overtures with a string of dances and other light pieces was perhaps suggested by popular Rococo collections (suites) of dances for chamber or keyboard collections . The second suite is Bach's only work which has survived for solo flute and string orchestra. It is his closest approximation to a flute concerto. The instrument in this case is the modern transverse flute, basically the same modern instrument still in use today, not the recoreder. Ouverture. The many jagged, dotted rhythms and profusion of trills give a sharply characteristic style to the slow introduction. The faster allegro fugue is lightly scored to allow the flute to dominate. Rondeau. This movement shows the fascination of Baroque composers with displaced bar lines and rhythmic/metric pulsations. There are four returns of the Rondeau which give the movement its name. Sarabande. The sarabande was the stateliest of the dance rhythms popular in arias, I concertOI and suitea. BoUJTCC. Originally a French peasant dance, this is the only dance movement in this suite to use the older three-part form, with a contrasting boUITCe section in the middle, followed by a return of the opening section. Polonaise: Lentement. The ceremonial reserve of the "Polonaise" ( or "Polish Dance") is ll first presented with the melody on top of the ensemble. Bach next shifts it to the lower strings and decorates it above in a solo flute variation. Mcnuet. Bach's use of the French names for the dances shows the influence of the French musical traditions. In this leisurely menuet, Bach composes a variation on the preceding 1· 1 variation, the solo flute "double" of the "Polonaise." Badinerie. With the art of sophisticated Baroque composition, Bach's Badinerie (''Ban-tering") includes a variation of the ''Polonaise" melody That melody, in turn, was a subtler variation on the preceding dance pain in this suite, the entire principle of which takes us back to the varied dance-pain of the Middle Ages. I MAX SCHOENFELD has been professor of Flute at ISU since 1971. He was formerly Principal Flute with the New Orleans Philharmonic and the Boston Pops On:hestra. He has also performed with the Leningrad Ballet and the American Symphony On:hestra under , -~ Leopold Stokowski. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Schoenfeld studied with William Kincaid and John Wummer. He also attended and studied at the Marcel Moyse flute seminars. Mr. Schoenfeld has been on the faculties of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Interlochen Arts Academy and Loyola University in New Orleans. Mr. Schoenfeld is presently Principal flute with the Springfield Symphony and Illinois Chamber 1· 1 On:hcstra. Notes by Dr. Glenn Block 11 Violin Flwe Nicholas Currie, Concertmaster KimMcCoul I Carlene Easley, Principal Second Violin Oboe Amy Ahrens Karlallten Dan Daniels Elisabeth Honn Clarinet ll RebcccaMertz Mandy Fey, Principal Heather Neaveill Jamian Green Viola Bassoon 11 J~eline Young, Co-Principal Jeffery Womack Jon eller, Co-Principal Abi~ail Baker Hom Dcrusc Phillips Eric Kaiser, Principal Nancy Traut 11 Cello Bo Li, Principal Trumpet Maria Cooper TimMcCoul Jennifer Holtman Harpsichord Double Bass Paul Borg Brian Dollinger, Co-Principal Michael Govert, Co-Principal IJ I 

Ensemble Concerts: ISU Chamber Orchestra, February 16, 1993

Willowbrook High School (Willowbrook) Glenbard South High School (Glen Ellyn) Buffalo Grove High School (Buffalo Grove) Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire) Fremd High School (Palatine)
November 8-10, 199

Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData School of Music Programs Music 11-8-1994 ISU Chamber Orchestra Glenn Block Director/Conductor Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp  Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Block, Glenn Director/Conductor, "ISU Chamber Orchestra" (1994). School of Music Programs. 1206. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp/1206 This Concert Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Music Programs by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact ISUReD@ilstu.edu. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Music Department Illinois State University ISUCHAMBER ORCHESTRA FACULTY SHOWCASE CONCERT Glenn Block, Music Director and Conductor Annual Tour: November 8-10, 1994 Willowbrook High School (Willowbrook) Glenbard South High School (Glen Ellyn) Buffalo Grove High School (Buffalo Grove) Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire) Fremd High School (Palatine) Program Sinfonia concertante in E-Aat Major, K. 364 Allegro maestoso Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Andantino Presto Sarah Gentry, Violin Arthur Lewis,Viola Glenn Block, Conauctor Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21 Allegro ma non troppo Allegretto Allegro con brio Max Schoenfeld, Flute Judith Dicker, Oboe Amy Gilreath, Trumpet Cornelius Pereira, Conauctor* * This performance in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Music. Samuel Barber (1910-1981) I I I I I I I I Next /SU Orchestra Concert Sunday, November 20, 7:00 p.m. . I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Annual Holiday Concert with the ISU Symphony and Chorrs /SU Instrumental Faculty Max Schoenfeld, Flute Judith Dicker, Oboe Aris Chavez, Clarinet Michael Dicker, Bassoon Joe Neisler, Horn Amy Gilreath, Trumpet Stephen Parsons, Trombone Ed Livingston, Euphonium & Tuba David Collier, Percussion Sarah Gentry, Violin Arthur Lewis, Viola Ko Iwasaki, Cello William Koehler, Bass /SU Chamber Orchestra Personnel Violin I Rebecca Mertz, Concertmaster Anchorage, AK Jennifer Smith, Principal Second Violin I Arlington Heights, IL Maria Cooper Pekin, IL Colleen Moss Aurora, IL I Susan Oliverius Pekin, IL Viola Matt Barwegen, Co-Principal I Kankakee,IL Jon Feller, Co-Principal I Riverside, CA Cello Bo Li, Principal I Wuhan, China Jennifer Holtman Prairie Village, KS Bass I Brian Dollinger, Principal Naperville, IL Martha Gold I Antrim, NH Oboe Judith Dicker I Normal, IL Horn Joe Neisler I Normal, IL I 

ISU Chamber Orchestra, November 8, 1994

Kemp Recital HallWednesday EveningNovember 11, 19927:00 p.m

Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData School of Music Programs Music 11-11-1992 ISU Chamber Orchestra Glenn Block Director/Conductor Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp  Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Block, Glenn Director/Conductor, "ISU Chamber Orchestra" (1992). School of Music Programs. 921. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/somp/921 This Concert Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Music Programs by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact ISUReD@ilstu.edu. I I Music Department Illinois State University I I I I I I I I I I I I I ISU CHAMBER ORCHESTRA GLENN BLOCK, Music Director & Conductor Forty-third program of the 1992-93 season. Kemp Recital Hall Wednesday Evening November 11 7:00p.m. Program Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BMV 1066 Ouverture Courante Gavotte I & II Forlane Menuett I & II Bouroo I &II Passepied I & II Octet, Op. 20 Allegro moderato, ma con fuoco Andante Scherzo: Allegro Ieggierissimo Presto Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Program Notes The four masterworks we know today as Bach's "orchestral suites" were not originally called suites at all, but "ouvertures." The tenn "orchestral suites" is an creation of 19th-century scholars and publishers who collaborated to publish the vast amount of music found after Bach's death. Bach and his contemporaries wrote such works and called them ouvertures because they were modeled after the operatic overtures which had been composed for the royal court of Louis XN at Versailles. From Lully to Mo:zart, nobody surpassed Bach in the depiction of majesty which dominate the four suites. The custom of rounding off the grandiose Baroque ouvertures with a string of dances and other light pieces was perhaps suggested by popular Rococo collections (suites) of dances for chamber or keyboard collections. Suite No. 1 is perhaps the oldest of the four although nobody is certain what was the specific year of composition. Ouverture. The opening is Bach at his most vigorous. Two oboes announce the fast-moving fugal allegro theme. Courante. This is a lively triple-rhythm dance with shifting accents. Gavotte I & II. Originally a straight-Coward peasant dance, then a ballroom dance, Bach's gavotte also emphasizes cross accents and rhythms. Forlane. A lilting Italian dance, the forlane had come to picture in Bach's time French depictions of the carnival of Venice. Menuett I & II. Bach's use of the French names for the dances shows the influence of the French musical traditions. Bouree I & II. Originally a French peasant dance, the bouree is imaginatively expanded here and made to siound like a subtle variation on the theme of the preceding menuet and following passepied. Passepied I & II. A popular dance at the court of Versailles. The stimulus for Mendelssohn's precocious musical creativity was provided by the evenings of music-making which took place every Sunday in his parents' home. All kinds of serious music were played, everything that could be produced in a private house, and it was for these events that Mendelssohn wrote most of his early works. This collection also includes the Octet for double string quartet. The combination of eight string parts was an innovation in his time, but Mendelssohn's admonition for the small ensemble " ... to play in a symphonic orchestral style" supports the notion of tonight's performance which utilizes all the multiple forces of the ISU Chamber Orchestra. The Scherzo, in particular, is a masterpiece so characteristic of the Mendelssohn style oflight, elfish music found in his overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream~ which was written immediately after the Octet. From the very first performance, the Octet's Scherzo made such an impression upon audiences that it was encored at many future perfonnances. The success of the Octet inspired many composers of the time, but no other work has survived in the repertory while Mendelssohn's opus continues to occupy an honored place in romantic chamber music literature. Notes by Dr. Glenn Block Violin Nicholas Currie, Concertmaster Carlene Easley, Principal Second Violin Amy Ahrens Mary Dion Elisabeth Honn Rebecca Mertz Heather Neaveill Viola Jacqueline Young, Co-principal Jon Feller, Co-principal Abigail Baker Denise Phillips Cello Maria Cooper, Principal Jennifer Holtman BoLi Double Bass Brian Dollinger, Co-principal Michael Govert, Co-principal Oboe Karla llten, Principal April Faires Bassoon Jeffrey Womack Harpsichord Julian Dawson I I I I I; Ii 1: l1 I I I 

Ensemble Concerts: ISU Chamber Orchestra, November 11, 1992

https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2207&amp;context=somp

ISU Chamber Orchestra

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ISU ReD: Research and eData

ISU ReD: Research and eData

ISU ReD: Research and eData

ISU ReD: Research and eData

ISU ReD: Research and eData

ISU ReD: Research and eData