Premier Concert

The first performance of the Central California Youth Wind Ensemble.
June 4th, 2015 – Bernell and Flora Snider Recital Hall; CSU Stanislaus

"Mother Earth" – David Maslanka (2003)

Mother Earth was composed for the South Dearborn High School Band of Aurora, Indiana, Brian Silvey, conductor. The commission was for a three-minute fanfare piece. Each piece takes on a reason for being all its own, and Mother Earth is no exception. It became an urgent message from Our Mother to treat her more kindly! My reading at the time of writing this music was For a Future to be Possible by the Vietnamese monk and teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. He believes that the only way forward is to be extremely alive and aware in our present moment, to become awake to the needs of our beloved planet, and to respond to it as a living entity. Music making allows us to come immediately awake. It is an instant connection to the powerful wellspring of our creativity, and opens our minds to the solution of any number of problems, including that of our damaged environment. My little piece does not solve the problem! But it is a living call to the wide-awake life, and it continues to be performed by young people around the world.
– David Maslanka

Praise be You, my Lord, for our sister, MOTHER EARTH,
Who nourishes us and teaches us,
Bringing forth all kinds of fruits and colored flowers and herbs
– St. Francis of Assisi

"First Suite in Eb" – Gustav Holst (1920)

The First suite in Eb for Military band by British composer Gustav Holst was complete eleven years before its first official permier, in 1909. At the time it was written, the majority of readily available pieces
for Wind or Military Band were transcriptions and arrangements of Orchestra Works, almost calling out for original works for band. Holst was among those who answered this call, and his First Suite in Eb, as well as his Second Suite in F, are among the most highly regarded original works for wind band.

I. Chaconne
Holst's suite is divided into three movements. A Chaconne, which is defined as a style of variation, with a single melodic motif used as a grounded base to be varied and manipulated throughout the piece. In this case, it is a single 14-note melody stated in the opening line of the Tuba and Euphonium.

II. Intermezzo
The Intermezzo is a quick and bright interlude between the two larger larger movements of the work and features various solo passages among the Clarinet, Oboe, and Cornet.

III. March
The March consists of two prominent themes, the first, presented at the beginning by the brass and percussion is a characterstic "March" theme while the second, introduced by the woodwinds is much more
lyrical in nature and is reminiscent of the Chaconne melody from the first movement. The two themes are overlapped into the growing climax of the movement.

"all stars are love" – Steven Bryant (2014)

all stars are love began as a simple song written as a surprise gift for my wife, Verena, for our wedding in 2010. I set the E.E. Cummings poem all stars are (and not one star only) love, and our dear friend and extraordinary soprano, Hila Plitmann, performed it at the ceremony in Austria. Fellow composer (and Hila's husband!) Eric Whitacre suggested at the time that it would work well as an instrumental work, and that thought stuck with me, until the right opportunity to adapt the work arose. This commission from the Colorado Wind Ensemble and CWE Commissioning Project Consortium gave me that opportunity. I can never simply arrange a work from one medium to another, however, and I ended up recomposing large portions of the work, so this is as much new music as it is material from the original song, though the dramatic shape and harmonic progression at the heart of the work remain.
– Steven Bryant

"Culloden" I, II, III – Julie Giroux (2003)

Culloden (pronounced cuh-LAH-d’n) is an attempt to present the folk & Gaelic "commoners’" music from the 1745-6 period of Scotland in my own way, without losing its original charm and flavor. To be exact, the goal was to compose one large, flowing, multi-movement work, a symphony for band, using as many as I could of those 8 and 16 bar tunes/songs. The melodies were originally for bagpipe, fiddle or voice, and had either no accompaniment or only a drone. The hundreds of hours of research alone would have prompted me to compile them into a work of some kind, but after immersing myself in the history, the music and overall "flavor" of the period, I became extremely fond of these tunes and my desire to see them breathe the air of the 21st century became overwhelming.

I. Heilan Lochs, Bairns, & Heathers
Scotland – just that one word brings to mind the sounds of bagpipes, fiddles and drums, the rolling
green hills and moors; the dark, still waters of the lochs; kilts and plaids...a kaleidoscope of colorful sounds
and pictures. This movement attempts to capture just that – only it is the Scotland of 1745 that you will
hear. They are songs about love, war, whiskey, and women; places and people long gone or changed.
Woven into a movement that sounds like an aerial overview of Scotland, these short 8 and 16 bar tunes/
songs originally had no accompaniment or only that of a single drone. Most were with endless lyrics. Here,
they have been brought back to life in a depth and understanding that they must have had all along. These
melodies sprang onto my score pages decked in full regalia, wearing the plaids of their ancestors. Simple
they may be, but pull on your heart strings they will, for they pulled on mine something fierce. For the most
part, I let them be.

II. I Hae Grat fo Tho'I Kend
"Bloody Culloden," so justly nicknamed, left in its wake a river of destruction and death. So many
lives were ruined or changed forever; it affected husbands, sons, wives and daughters and a way of life that
would never be again. "I Hae Grat for Tho’ I Kend" is a lamentation for them. In order to compose this
particular work, I had to draw not only from their losses, but also my own. The opening line (in 3/4) is
underscored by the Latin/Gaelic death chant (in 4/4) which is accompanied by the tubular bells (church
bells). The middle section sounds almost hopeful for a reason. It represents the "good" that comes from
such an experience, in addition to the good we remember of the departed. The movement is set in an order
of dealing with grief: the actual funeral, the anger, the weeping, the fond memories and the acceptance.

III. We Toomed Our Stoops for the Gaudy Sodgers
This movement is a conversation amongst some men in hiding a few days after Culloden, with topics
ranging from "Why were the MacPhearsons late?" to "Where will I go now?" It is a human recounting of
the whole rising of "’45" told by the men who witnessed it. I tried to incorporate tunes appropriate to their
subjects: Prince Charles, food – the lack thereof, whiskey – a necessity, Clan Battle Calls, patriotic songs,
marriage songs (for many of them married all during the campaign), bawdy sex songs, even a pipe jig that
Prince Charles supposedly parlor-danced to two days prior to the battle of Culloden. There is Johnny Cope,
a tune commemorating their victory at Prestopans earlier in the uprising (which is still used today as

reveille in the Scottish Pipe Regiments) and Killie Crankie, a 350-year-old to date battle victory call-to-
arms as well as some good old-fashioned spousal discording, kilt-swirling and whiskey-drinking pipe reels!

"Once More Unto the Breach!" –
Stephen Mellilo (2003)

The last words of Ludwig van Beethoven were, "I SHALL HEAR IN HEAVEN". This piece is ever so
humbly dedicated to him.

What? With so much of his own Music and so much History and so many books and concerts forever
played in his behalf, how can this humble piece be offered?

William Shakespeare in Henry V, summed it in the St. Crispen's Day Speech. This piece is dedicated to
those of us who look to the forever stalwart, past and present. In them we find the courage to face the
insurmountable again and again, as we, like them, go Once More... Unto the Breach!

Winter Spectacular

End of the Central California Youth Wind Ensemble's Second Season.
December 22nd, 2015 – Bernell & Flora Snider Recital Hall; CSU Stanislaus

"Landscapes" –
  Rossano Galante (2013)

Although fairly brief in duration, this exciting overture features plenty of power and musical depth. It was originally written for brass quintet and it wasn’t until many years later that the full band version was written. The opening melody sweeps across the audience, taking each listener on a beautiful journey. One may envision themselves gliding over a vast and open valley or sweeping though a redwood forest. The second section gives way to a soaring melody in the oboe with the gentle trickle of percussive bells. Clarinet and euphonium develop this melody, with trumpets joining in for a triumphant return to the original theme. The ensemble returns with the opening fanfare for a brilliant conclusion to this exciting composition.

"Winter Suite" – Gustav Holst/arr.       Smith (2001-2002)

I. On This Day the Earth Shall Ring

On This Day the Earth Shall Ring is based no the Piaes Cantiones originally composed in 1582. Gustav Theodore Holst arranged the carol in its present form in 1924.

II. In the Bleak Midwinter
The traditional hymn “In the Bleak Midwinter” was composed by Gustav Holst in 1908. It is the second movement of The Holst Winter suite and the work that inspired the creation of the three-movement
tribute to Holst. Ms. Alta Sue Hawkins, a retired Virginia Band Director, suggested the title to Robert W. Smith as a possible symphonic band setting. Unfortunately, Ms. Hawkins passed away before the work was
complete. In remembrance of Ms. Hawkins, Mr. Smith re-scored the work for publication. Following an opening fanfare statement, the melody is first stated by a solo clarinet. The clarinet solo represents Ms. Hawkins, a clarinet player and teacher for more than three decades. The clarinet is joined by a French horn, and euphonium, and a second French horn representing Ms. Hawkins and each of her three children on their chosen instruments. A woodwind choir followed by the full ensemble state the hauntingly beautiful melody for the final time. Mr. Smith uses the traditional American folk melody “Shenandoah” as the contrapuntal line representing Ms. Hawkins’ birth and rest in the beautiful valley of Virginia. In December of 1992, Mr. Smith married into the Hawkins family. His setting of “In the Bleak
Midwinter” is dedicated to Ben, Chuck, and his wife Susan in loving memory of their mother, Alta Sue.

III. Old Brenton Carol
“Old Brenton Carol” is based upon “Come Ye Lofty,” which was originally harmonized by Gustav
Holst in 1910. The original Host setting was included in his Christmas Day for chorus and orchestra.
Inspired by the many works of Gustav Holst, Robert W. Smith has provided this setting for concert
band. The work is dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Alta Sue Hawkins, a gifted musician and teacher, who
first introduced Mr. Smith the the sacred works of Holst.

"The Eighth Candle" –
  Steve Reisteter (1997)

Alluding to the story of Hanukkah, this work begins with an extended hymn-like section followed by an exciting dance of celebration.

The feast commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian-Greek tyrant Antiochus over 2,180 years ago. Legend has it that after the battles were won there was only enough oil for the ceremonial lights to last for one day, yet by some miracle the oil lasted for eight days. Hanukkah is celebrated by the family in the home, rather than in the synagogue. In modern times candles are lit, one for each day of the holiday, prayers are recited, then the feast and merrymaking begin.

Steve Reisteter is a contemporary American musician and composer from the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania.

"Russian Christmas Music" –
  Alfred Reed (1944)

Originally written in November 1944, Russian Christmas Music was first performed in December
of that year at a special concert in Denver, Colorado, by a select group of musicians from five of the leading service bands stationed in that area. Two years later the music was revised and somewhat enlarged, and in that form was one of the three prize-winning works in the 1947 Columbia University contest for new serious music for symphonic band. First performance of this second version subsequently took place in 1948; the first by the Juilliard Band under Donald I Moore, and the second by the Syracuse University Symphonic Band under Harwood Simmons, to whom the work was dedicated. Since then this music, although not previously published, has remained in the repertory of the concert band consistently
and has established the composer as one of the most important writers for the contemporary band or wind
ensemble.

This published edition represents a thorough revision of the entire work by the composer in
keeping with the developing instrumentation of the serious band or wind ensemble. It incorporates all the
many changes that have taken place in this area during the past years. Although the music is essentially the
same, the instrumentation has been completely reworked throughout to achieve even greater clarity of
texture and the utmost sonority possible. Thus we a train a degree of differentiation in the brass choirs that has come to be an accepted characteristic of the contemporary attitude toward the large scale wind-brass-
percussion ensemble.

An ancient Russian Christmas carol (“Carol of the Little Russian Children”), together with a good deal of original material and some motivic elements derived from the liturgical music of the Eastern
Orthodox Church, forms the basis for this musical impression of Old Russia during the jubilant Christmas
season. Although cast in the form of a single, continuous movement, four distinct sections may be easily
recognized, which the composer originally subtitled “Children’s Carol,” “Antiphonal Chant,” “Village
Song,” and the closing “Cathedral Chorus”. All of the resources of the modern, integrated symphonic band
are drawn upon to create an almost overwhelming sound picture of tone color, power, and sonority.

'Scenes'

Opening of the Central California Youth Wind Ensemble's Second Season
June 4th, 2016 – Bernell & Flora Snider Recital Hall; CSU Stanislaus
Guest Conductor – Cody Marchetti, CSU Stanislaus

"In This Broad Earth" –
  Steven Bryant (2015)

COME, said the Muse,
Sing me a song no poet yet has chanted,
Sing me the Universal.
In this broad Earth of ours,
Amid the measureless grossness and the slag,
Enclosed and safe within its central heart,
Nestles the seed Perfection.

from Walt Whitman’s “Song of the Universal” from Leaves of Grass

In This Broad Earth is a short fanfare written for and dedicated to Kevin Sedatole and the Michigan State University Wind Symphony. Inspired by beauty I witness when hiking in the Austrian Alps with my wife, Verena, the music celebrates the earth, our only home (for now).

The fanfare embodies the numerous threads that have connected my life with Michigan State University over the past decade. Verena was one of Dr. Sedatole’s first conducting students at MSU, which coincided with the beginning of our relationship. I spent a great deal of time at Verena’s apartment in Spartan Village where I wrote the opening section of my Concerto for Wind Ensemble on a makeshift desk (a card table given to her by Director of Bands Emeritus John Whitwell). Over the years since, the MSU bands have performed a many of my works, always at the very highest level, and though I was never a student there, I have great affection and loyalty to this extraordinary school on the banks of the Red Cedar.

"English Folk Song Suite" –
  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1923)

Conducted by Cody Marchetti

The English Folk Song Suite is one of those foundational works. It was written in 1923 and premiered at Kneller Hall, home of Britain’s finest military music academy. It uses as its source material several English folks songs. It is cast in 3 movements: a “March” subtitled “Seventeen Come Sunday”; an “Intermezzo” on “My Bonny Boy”; and another “March” subtitled “Folk Songs from Somerset”,
which incorporates several different tunes.

The original composition also included a fourth movement, Sea Songs, which Vaughan Williams later decided to publish separately. While the English Folk Song Suite is a cornerstone of the wind band repertoire, it is not fully demonstrative of Vaughan Williams’s compositional powers. Only the “Intermezzo” approaches the harmonic daring and lyricism that mark the rest of his work. The remainder of the piece is a fairly straightforward, faithful setting of the folk songs.

"Irish Tune from County Derry" – Percy Grainger (1918)

Irish Tune from County Derry is a setting of a now-famous tune from the Irish county of Derry in the north (also sometimes called Londonderry). It is a part of Percy Grainger’s largest body of work,
collectively known as British Folk-Music Settings. This classic arrangement features beautiful, delicate
part-writing for both woodwinds and brass, highlighting each family in turn.

While this tune is widely associated with the lyrics “Danny Boy”, it in fact has rich history of lyric settings of which “Danny Boy” is a relative latecomer.

"Shepherd's Hey" –
  Percy Grainger (1918)

Shepherd's Hey was scored for wind band in 1918. It is, like Irish Tune from County Derry, also a part of Grainger’s British Folk-Music Settings. The word 'Hey' denotes a particular figure in Morris
Dancing. Morris Dances are still danced by teams of 'Morris Men' decked out with bells and quaint ornaments to the music of the fiddle or 'the pipe and tabor' (a sort of drum and fife) in several agricultural districts in England.

The tune of Shepherd's Hey is similar to the North English air The Keel Row that is very widely
found throughout England. The ‘hey’ involves the interweaving of generally two lines of dancers, which
may be symbolized by the use by Grainger of two parallel lines of music at the opening of the
composition, rather than a simple statement of a theme that then moves into variants.

"Shadow Rituals" –
 Michael Markowski (2006)

Shadow Rituals was written particularly for the Manhattan Brach Music Frank Ticheli
Composition Contest and I dedicate it humbly to Frank Ticheli.

Shadow Rituals is rhythmic, energetic, and challenges the performer to constantly stay engaged in
the music. The piece is a dark and mystical dance – a reflection of something primitive or ancient.

"Elegy" – John Barnes Chance (1972)

When a member of the West Genesee Senior High School Band died, Elegy was commissioned in his memory. It is a single-movement, solemn work based on a five-note motif stated initially in the low woodwinds. The piece builds to a bold statement in the horns which grows to a dramatic climax. A brass fanfare played with the theme in the woodwinds again ends abruptly, after which the piece closes in a fragmented echo of the beginning. The music symbolizes the tragedy of a life cut short, seemingly unfinished, as a portion of the original motif is left hanging while each instrument dies away.

John Barnes Chance passed away shortly after the completion of the work.

"À la Machaut" –
  Andrew Boss (2015)

Á la Machaut integrates thematic material from 3 works of the great Medieval composer Guillaume de Machaut and adds a colorfully modern touch. The piece opens with a slow introduction
using melodic and harmonic material from his [...] chanson Puis qu’en oubli (“Since I am forgotten”). The upbeat percussion transitions the piece to the main material, quoting the melody of his secular virelai, Douce dame jolie (“Sweet lovely Lady”) – beginning in the bassoon and passed around to numbers instruments in a soloist and variation-like manner throughout the piece. The piece also uses material from the opening measures, the triplum voice, and the cactus firmus from the Kyrie to Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame. A reflective middle section brings back the slow material from the introduction while maintaining the upbeat rhythms introduced earlier in the percussion. A short recapitulation resists the virelai in several contrasting textures, leading to a climactic variation with shimmering winds, blasting percussion and low brass. A final tutti variation harmonizes the virelai and closes the piece.

'Northern Lights'

End of the Central California Youth Wind Ensemble's Second Season
December 23rd – Bernell & Flora Snider Recital Hall; CSU Stanislaus
Guest Conductor – Michael Flores, Atwater High School

"Morning Alleluias for the Winter Solstice" – Ron Nelson (1989)

Morning Alleluias for the Winter Solstice probably became the spirit as well as the title which Ron Nelson chose for this music when I told him of my personal experience in awakening one morning in a Hiroshima hotel room that was ablaze with brilliant morning sunlight.

As I lay in bed with so many dark thoughts also crowding-in on that morning’s bright expectancies for the living day ahead, I knew that these moments could only be celebrated as the triumph of the people of Hiroshima through the creation of a musical expression. The Hiroshima morning was in late November. Ron accepted my commission a few days later in Chicago. Other work was put aside so Ron could produce the score which he signed on 1 March 1989.

The Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and I concluded our spring tour in Hiroshima on Sunday afternoon 14 May 1989 with the first performance of Nelson’s Morning Alleluias for the Winter Solstice.

– Frederick Fennell
Tokyo, Japan
1989

"October" – Eric Whitacre (2000)

October is my favorite month. Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always make me a little snetimental, and as I started to sketch I felt that same quiet beauty in the writing. The sinple, pastoral melodies and subsequent harmonies are inspired by the great English Romantice (Vaughan Williams, Elgar) as I felt that this style was also perfectly suited to capture the natural and pastoral soul of the season. I’m quite happy with the
end result, especially because I feel there just isn't enough lush, beautiful music written for winds. October was premiered on May 14th, 2000, and is dedicated to Brian Anderson, who brought it all together.

– Eric Whitacre

"March" from Symphonic Metamorphosis –
Paul Hindemith/trans. wilson (1943)

The year 1944 was both a turbulent time in America and a period of artistic and cultural growth. While World War II raged in Europe, Americans turned to music and art as a diversion from theomnipresent hardships of the war.

German composer Paul Hindemith immigrated to the United States in 1940 and became a
citizen in 1946. He taught at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and was a major influence on many important composers of the latter half of the twentieth century. In early 1940, Hindemith began discussing the possibility of producing a ballet based on the music of composer Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826) with the Russian ballet producer Leonide Massine. The idea intrigued Hindemith, but he and Massine clearly had different concepts of the project. Massine had envisioned simple arrangements of Weber’s melodies rather than Hindemith’s sharper and more colorful interpretations of the music. The ballet was dropped, but Hindemith did not let the music go to waste. He reworked his ideas into what became the Symphonic Metamorphosis. The first, third, and fourth movements are based on melodies from relatively obscure piano duets of Weber that Hindemith and his wife would often play together. The second movement is derived
from Weber’s overture to his opera Turandot.

Symphonic Metamorphosis received its world premiere by the New York Philharmonic on
January 20, 1944, with Artur Rodzinski conducting. Although it was written for orchestra,
Hindemith immediately felt that it should also be available for band and requested that his Yale
colleague Keith Wilson create the transcription. Since that time, the heroic March that serves as
the fourth movement of the suite is often performed on its own.

"Winter Songbook, I. Aurora Borealis"
– M. Alex Arellano (2016)

The Winter Songbook is an ongoing project with the Central California Youth Wind Ensemble (CCYWE) and its director, Martin Alexander Arellano. The Songbook is currently planned to be premiered in parts, year after year, by the CCYWE at its winter concert cycles.

This first movement is an aural landscape, painting the picture of the famous “Northern
Lights” and has the simple purpose of capturing both the simplicity and the grandness of the
beautiful, scientific phenomenon.

– M. Alex Arellano
University of Miami: Frost School of Music
8 December, 2016

"Angels in the Architecture" –
Frank Ticheli (2008)

Angels in the Architecture was commissioned by Kingsway International, and received its
premier performance at the Sydney Opera House on July 6, 2008 by a massed band of young musicians from Australia and the United States, conducted by Matthew George. The work unfolds as a dramatic conflict between the two extremes of human existence – one divine, the other evil.

The work’s title is inspired by the Sydney Opera House itself, with its halo-shaped
acoustical ornaments hanging directly above the performance stage.

Angels in the Architecture begins with a single voice singing a 19th-century Shaker song:

I am an angel of Light
I have soared from above
I am cloth’d with Mother’s love.
I have come, I have come,
To protect my chosen band
And lead them to the promised land.

The “angel” – represented by the singer – frames the work, surrounding it with a
protective wall of light and establishing the divine. Other representations of light – played by
instruments rather than sung – included a traditional Hebrew song of peace (“ Hevenu Shalom
Aleichem”) and the well-known 16th-century Genevan Psalter, “Old Hundredth.” These three
borrowed songs despite their varied religious origins, are meant to transcend any one religion,
representing the more universal human ideals of peace, hope, and love. An original chorale,
appearing twice in the work, represents my own personal expression of these aspirations.

In opposition, turbulent, fast-paced music appears as a symbol of darkness, death, and
spiritual doubt. Twice during the musical drama, these shadows sneak in almost unnoticeably,
slowly obscuring, and eventually obliterating the light altogether. The darkness prevails for long
stretches of time, but the light always returns, inextinguishable, more powerful than before. The
alteration of these opposing forces creates, in effect, a kind of five-part rondo form (light–
darkness–light–darkness–light).

Just as Charles Ives did more than a century ago, Angels in the Architecture poses the
same unanswered question of existence. It ends as it began: the angel reappears singing the same
comforting words. But deep below, a final shadow reappears – distantly, ominously.

– Frank Ticheli

"Home"

Opening of the Central California Youth Wind Ensemble's Third Season
July 1st, 2017 – Bernell & Flora Snider Recital Hall; CSU Stanislaus
Guest Conductor: Rogelio Garibay, Pacheco High School
Guest Soloist: Rachel Querreveld, Manhattan School of Music

Feature 1

The following is placeholder text known as “lorem ipsum,” which is scrambled Latin used by designers to mimic real copy. Aenean eu justo sed elit dignissim aliquam. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Suspendisse nec congue purus. Fusce at massa nec sapien auctor gravida in in tellus. Nullam sit amet nisi condimentum erat iaculis auctor.

Feature 2

The following is placeholder text known as “lorem ipsum,” which is scrambled Latin used by designers to mimic real copy. Nulla lectus ante, consequat et ex eget, feugiat tincidunt metus. Quisque congue porttitor ullamcorper. Nullam sit amet nisi condimentum erat iaculis auctor. Quisque congue porttitor ullamcorper. Suspendisse nec congue purus.

Feature 3

The following is placeholder text known as “lorem ipsum,” which is scrambled Latin used by designers to mimic real copy. Fusce at massa nec sapien auctor gravida in in tellus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae.