BE GLAD THEN AMERICA

Notes by Douglas Yeo

From humble beginnings at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620, the American experiment continues to move forward in ever changing ways. The diversity of peoples – from indigenous natives to generations of immigrants – has contributed to a kaleidoscope of creativity as composers have sought to create a unique “American musical sound” based on older, more established models. Itself a product of an imported format (the British brass band) seen through American eyes, the New England Brass Band herein explores several centuries of music by American composers on American themes and with distinctly American flavors. Be Glad Then America celebrates some of the best of America’s music while particularly emphasizing the band’s New England roots.

LIBERTY FANFARE (John Williams, arr. Steve Skyes) Known for decades as a fine pianist, arranger and composer of modestly memorable movie scores, John Williams’ defining score was his 1976 Star Wars which instantly made him the dean of American film composers. During his 12 years as conductor of the Boston Pops, he continued to write film scores, classical music and many fanfares.  In 1986, the Boston Pops Orchestra premiered his Liberty Fanfare, composed for the 100th anniversary celebration of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. The exuberance of Liberty Fanfare, with its brass flourishes, deep tones of the Liberty Bell and driving percussion, leads to a joyous conclusion that celebrates our national symbol of freedom and the optimism of generations of immigrants whose first memory of the United States was “Lady Liberty” in New York harbor.  Steve Sykes is a noted tuba soloist, conductor and brass band adjudicator in England, he has been a member of several championship brass band including the Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

SIMPLE GIFTS (arr. Goff Richards) One of the most recognizable and endearing American tunes is Simple Gifts.  America’s Shakers had deep roots in New England, with several vibrant communities in Maine. . Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. wrote  Simple Gifts (‘Tis the gift to be simple…”) in 1848 after moving from Gorham to Alfred, Maine. Composed as a Shaker dance song (as opposed to a “hymn”), Simple Gifts was popularized by Aaron Copland in his 1944 ballet, Appalachian Spring which was first recorded by the Boston Symphony in 1945.

BESS, YOU IS MY WOMAN NOW (George Gershwin, arr. Adrian Drover) George Gershwin’s short life (1898 – 1937) produced a small but important number of quintessentially American works for the concert hall (Rhapsody in Blue, An American In Paris), the Broadway stage (Of Thee I Sing, Girl Crazy with his brother, Ira) and the first truly American opera, Porgy and Bess.  Set in Charleston, South Carolina, the opera tells a dramatic and poignant story of love, deceit and hope. Terry Everson’s beautiful cornet solo beautifully communicates Porgy’s love for Bess in Bess, You Is My Woman Now. Adrian Drover lives in Glasgow, Scotland, and is known for, among other things, his tenure as a trombonist and arranger in the Maynard Ferguson Band in the 1960s which resulted in his famous arrangement of Joy Webb’s “Macarthur Park.”

NEW ENGLAND TRIPTYCH (William Schuman, arr. Drew Fennell) New England’s William Billings (1746-1800) is considered to be America’s first composer to create a distinctly American sound.  His music was published in Boston and sung in churches, homes and in march on the battlefield. William Schuman (1910 – 1992,) former dean of the Juilliard School of Music and one of America’s most distinguished composers, took three of Billing’s songs and worked them – first for orchestra and then for wind band – into his New England Triptych.  Be Glad Then America uses fragments of Billings’ 1794 work, an anthem for “Fast Day” that calls the infant country to repentance as God then blesses it to the acclamation, “Be glad then America, shout and rejoice.” When Jesus Wept is a four part canon, poignantly depicting Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane; Schuman’s duo for bassoon and oboe (here played on cornet and euphonium) is crushing in its beauty and simplicity.  Chester is Billings’ tune (named for the town of the same name in Western Massachusetts, near the Boston Symphony’s summer home at Tanglewood) for a Revolutionary War marching song that became the young country’s unofficial anthem. Schumann’s treatment begins with a straight-forward presentation of the chorale melody (“Let tyrants shake their iron rods…”) only to undergo a series of variations and permutations that end in a blaze of glory, “New England’s God forever reigns.”  Drew Fennell’s authorized arrangement was commissioned by Tony Granados and the Triangle Youth Brass Band which gave the first performance on Memorial Day weekend, 2006.

Page from William Billings’ “Be Glad then America,” first published in his “Continental Harmony,” 1794.

William Billings’ “When Jesus Wept”

William Billings’ “Chester”

MY SHEPHERD SHALL SUPPLY MY NEED (traditional, arr. Brenton Broadstock) The old gospel song My Shepherd Shall Supply My Need was set to a tune named Resignation and first appeared in Freeman Lewis’ 1828 The Beauties of Harmony. Brenton Broadstock’s arrangement for trombone quartet and brass band adds a haunting harmonic twist to the final chords in this eight bar long tune that is given a compelling treatment by the NEBB trombone section: Don Lucas, Al Stickland, Ken Griffin and Don Kittle.

Music to “My Shepherd Shall Supply My Need” (Resignation) - Original shaped note version

AMAZING GRACE (traditional, arr. William Himes) It would be no stretch to say that Amazing Grace is one of the most beloved and popular hymns.  The text (1779) was written by a former English slave trader, John Newton, who, in his later life as a minister, encouraged his friend, William Wilberforce in his lifelong struggle to abolish slavery in Britain.  The tune, New Britain, however, is completely American, first appearing in Benjamin Shaw and Charles Spilman’s Columbian Harmony (1829), thus making for a tremendously successful mix of old world text with new world music.

Music to “Amazing Grace” (New Britain) - Original shaped note version

MY LORD, WHAT A MORNING (traditional, arr. William Gordon) The African-American spiritual, with its roots in American southern slavery, has become a ubiquitous part of American song.  Many tell of a hard life and longing for relief in the Promised Land, either before or after death. My Lord, What a Morning is played by NEBB music director Douglas Yeo in a lovely arrangement by William Gordon and conducted by NEBB Associate Conductor, Terry Everson.

FROM THE FILM “GETTYSBURG” – THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS and REUNION AND FINALE (Randy Edelman, arr. Douglas Yeo and Andrew Duncan) America’s Civil War (1861-1865) saw its defining battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. One of the bloodiest and horrific of all conflicts, the battleground was turned into a cemetery and memorial to those who died in the War Between the States. President Abraham Lincoln’s 269-word address at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg is considered one of the finest speeches ever and the recitation by Charles Osgood (theosgoodfile.com) reminds us of the simplicity and power of Lincoln’s elegant words. Randy Edelman’s score to the film “Gettysburg”, especially the dramatic Reunion and Finale, accompanies scenes that range from the heat of battle to the reuniting of families that fought on opposite sides of American’s dark war that nearly saw the American experiment wrought in two.  The New England Brass Band is especially grateful to Charles Osgood for his generosity in narrating “The Gettysburg Address” for inclusion on our CD.

HOMETOWN MINIATURES (Drew Fennell) Drew Fennell, arranger for the River City Brass Band of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has given us a warm, evocative work, Hometown Miniatures, that brings to mind images of his home town, Ford City, Pennsylvania, but which could represent any small town across America. In four connected movements, the listener is brought from images of the statue of the town’s founder to a “Heritage Days” celebration, to evening and sunset on the town square (a church choir can be heard near the end), and finally to an exuberant fireworks display.

SHENDOAH (traditional, arr. Leonard Ballantine) The beauty of America’s Appalachian mountain South is expressed by Leonard Ballantine in his setting of the American folk song, Shenandoah, that speaks of the rolling hills and verdant valleys of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains.  This arrangement carries the title “Mid the Traffic,” as the famous tune was appropriated for use with different lyrics for a Salvation Army song.

I DREAM OF JEANIE (Stephen Foster, arr. Elgar Howarth) Stephen Foster wrote songs about a simple time of life in the American south, governed by politeness and manners and a genteel spirit.  I Dream of Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair is one of his most memorable songs, set for euphonium solo and brass band without cornets and percussion, lovingly played by Leif Reslow.  Elgar Howarth is well known as an arranger for brass bands as well as the famous Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.

UNITY FANFARE (Norman Bolter, arr. Douglas Yeo) Norman Bolter, trombonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years, wrote Unity Fanfare in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Originally for brass ensemble, his BSO trombone section colleague for over two decades, Douglas Yeo, transcribed it for brass band.  This dramatic fanfare, that calls for America’s people to come together, has a middle section marked, “With honor and dignity”; the final cymbal crash is marked, “Let freedom ring!”

ARMED FORCES SALUTE (arr. Stephen Bulla) From the militias of the original 13 colonies to today’s high-tech equipped servicemen and women, the United States armed forces have worked tirelessly to protect the freedoms we all enjoy but can never take for granted.  Stephen Bulla, chief arranger for the “President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C., has arranged the service songs for all five branches of the armed forces – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy and Marines. Trained at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, Stephen Bulla is a good friend of the New England Brass Band as well as a superb composer, arranger, clinician, adjudicator and trombonist.

MARCH; RHODE ISLAND (Lloyd Reslow) The Salvation Army has been active in the United States since 1880, when George Scott Raiton and seven women officers docked at Battery Park, New York City.  Lloyd Reslow, father of NEBB principal euphonium player Leif Reslow, composed his march Rhode Island in 1985 to celebrate the 100^{th anniversary of the Salvation Army’s work in the smallest of the New England States. It has become one of the New England Brass Band’s signature pieces, bringing together fine original music with generational connections to New England and brass banding.}