American Music Recital
Phi Mu Alpha
Iota Epsilon Chapter
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
7:30 pm
Recital Hall, School of Music
Program
A Sinfonian Anthem Augustus O. Palm
We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace Spiritual arr. William Appling
Vive L’Amour College Song adapt. by Stephen Fay
Iota Epsilon Chapter
I, Too Margaret Bonds
Genius Child Robert Lee Owens
Hayden Dawes, baritone
Brian Davis, piano
Old Pond Nathan Daughtrey
Patrick Smith, vibraphone
Josh Cvijanovic, marimba
from Concertino, for alto saxophone and Wind Ensemble Warren Benson
II. Aeolian Song
Andrew Hall, alto saxophone
Duet for Cello and Marimba James Houghton
Kendall Ramseur, cello
James Houghton, marimba
Lazy River Hoagy Carmichael
When the Saints Go Marching In James Milton Black Big Dixie
Brandon Tesh, soprano saxophone
Keenan McKenzie, clarinet
Gordon Sutker, tenor saxophone
Mark Shoun, trombone
Jayson Snipes, piano
Brent Harvey, tuba
James Houghton, drums
Iota Epsilon Chapter
Timothy Cook
Josh Cvijanovic
Hayden Dawes
Eric Gee
Gregory Gibson
Bryan Goddard
Andrew Hall
James Houghton
Philip Kassel
Keenan McKenzie
Mark Shoun
Bradley Slusarczyk
Dylan Smith
Patrick Smith
Jayson Snipes
Gordon Sutker
Brandon Tesh
_____
The hall is equipped with a listening assistance system.
Patrons needing such assistance should contact an usher in the lobby.
Program Notes
Phi Mu Alpha-Sinfonia was born on October 6, 1898 at the New England Conservatory in
Boston, when a group of thirteen young men under the guidance of Ossian Everett Mills met “to
consider the social life of the young men students of that institution” and “to devise ways and
means by which it might be improved.” Mills, bursar of the Conservatory, sought to create an
Order in which men with a shared love of music could develop the virtues of manhood in
themselves and in their fellows.
Sinfonia became a national fraternity on October 6, 1900, with the admission of a group of men at
the Broad Street Conservatory in Philadelphia. Since that time Sinfonia has grown into the largest
music fraternity in the world, with more than 150,000 initiates, and chapters on over 200 college
and university campuses across the nation.
For over a century, Sinfonians in nearly every field of study and professional endeavor have
transformed the face of music in America. Today, the Brotherhood represents a diverse group of
individuals spanning the nation, who continue the proud tradition of advancing the Fraternity’s
Object. (Taken from www.sinfonia.org)
Langston Hughes (1902 -1967) was one of the most prominent and important thinkers of the
Harlem Renaissance, which was an artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life and
culture. His creative genius was much inspired and influenced by his life in New York’s district of
Harlem. In his works he leaves us with colorful portrayals as to what it means to be black in
America. In his literature he shows his strong sense of racial pride, his condemnation of racism
and injustice and his promotion for equality. I, Too and Genius Child are amongst some of his
most renowned poems. His works range from short stories to plays and novels. Margaret Bonds
(1913-1972) is an African American Composer, pianist and teacher was a close friend to
Langston Hughes. She attended Northwestern University where she earned all three of her
degrees in music. She also furthered her studies at Julliard. Her compositions include orchestral
and choral works, musical theater, popular songs, and chamber music, art songs and solo piano
pieces. Here we have her setting his poem, I, Too to music. This poem is apart of her larger work
“Three Dream Portraits” all of which are Langston Hughes poems. The cycle of poems all reflect
on being black in America. The work is a series of mood paintings with characteristics to the Jazz
style. Robert Lee Owens (b. 1925) has had simultaneous careers as a concert pianist, vocal
accompanist, composer and stage and television actor. In addition to Margaret Bonds, he had a
personal relationship with Langston Hughes as well. Here we have him setting one of one
Langston’s humorous poems, Genius Child. As an African American, he is quick to emphasize
that his songs are not written for any particular race. They are to be sung by all who appreciate
fine song writing.
Dr. Nathan Daughtrey (b. 1975) earned a Bachelor Degree in Instrumental Music Education and
Master and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees in Percussion Performance from the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro. His primary performance teachers have included Dr. Cort
McClaren and Keiko Abe and he studied composition with Dr. Greg Carroll. Dr. Daughtrey is
gaining international recognition for his band and percussion works with performances at
educational institutions of all levels. Many of his works are well on their way to becoming
standards in the repertoire, such as Appalachian
Air for concert band, Shock Factor for percussion quintet, and Strange Dreams for clarinet and
marimba. He has earned numerous awards including 1st Place in the 2000 Southeastern
Composers' League Philip Slates Competition for Episodes for Solo Piano, and 2nd and 3rd
Place in the 2005 Percussive Arts Society International Composition Contest for his large
percussion ensemble works Limerick Daydreams and Adaptation, respectively.
Regarding The Old Pond, the composer writes: "this work was written on the occasion of my
grandfather's 90th birthday. Meant to capture and "reflect" on the many wonderful memories of
fishing with my grandfather with bamboo poles and live worms in the old pond behind my
grandparents' house in rural southern Virginia. Originally composed
for solo piano, it has been reimagined here for marimba and piano at the request of Jeff Calissi
and Una Duo."
Warren Benson (b1924)’s Concertino consists of three movements. The second movement is
entitled Aeolian Song, which was written first in 1953, and is a well known work in its own right.
The other two movements were finished in 1954. In each, the saxophone is accompanied by a
different part of the ensemble with the winds being first, the percussion second, and the brass
last. It was written for the saxophone player Sigurd Rascher, well known for his altissimo
register. This piece has been reduced for alto saxophone and piano by the composer.
Duet for Cello and Marimba is based on a love song I wrote. The original melody doesn't get
completely stated until the coda, but variations of the original melody are what make up the
themes of the work. I was really inspired by the mellow, beautiful sound of both the marimba and
the cello and was curious to find out what they would sound like together, so I arranged this song
into a Sonata Form Duet, utilizing the soft timbre of the marimba for the accompaniment, and the
rich, almost singing quality of the cello to its full extent. I hope you enjoy Duet for Cello and
Marimba.
Lazy River (1930), one of the great standards of early jazz, was co-written by Hoagy Carmichael
(1899-1981), widely acknowledged to be one of the finest pop songwriters of the early 20th
century. Carmichael is perhaps best known for the songs "Stardust", "Georgia on My Mind", and
"Heart and Soul." Sidney Arodin (1901-1948), the other half of the writing team, enjoyed little
renown as a composer, but was a fine clarinetist in the New Orleans tradition. Since being written,
this song has been covered by countless jazz artists, including Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and
Sidney Bechet. Oddly enough, Arodin never recorded the piece himself. There is some dispute
over who wrote "Lazy River", as sometimes only one or the other of them is credited as author of
the song. Also, Arodin was notorious for selling the rights to his songs for very low prices.
Although this piece is certainly best-known as a Dixieland jazz standard, it actually began as a
hymn, with the title of "When the Saints Are Marching In." It rapidly attained popularity,
particularly in New Orleans, where it was used as part of funeral processions. Part of New
Orleans funeral tradition dictates that in the procession to the gravesite, the music played by the
band is very somber, but on the return, the music is much more lively in a celebration of the life of
the deceased. Due to the popularity of the song, numerous versions are in circulation, and it is
impossible to identify one as the canonical version. However, it lives on in its many variations as
perhaps the most often requested song for Dixieland jazz groups.
