Sample Concert Program

Orlando Concert Band
Morrison United Methodist Church
Leesburg, Florida

King Carl King

King Karl King was written by Henry Fillmore as a tribute his contemporary Karl King, a world famous composer of circus marches. This may have been in response to a march composed by Karl King in honor of Henry Fillmore, entitled King Henry.

Overture to La Belle Helene

Originally a cellist by profession, Jacques Offenbach became best known for his comic operas and operettas. As a performer he was very successful, but couldn't achieve the same success as a composer of serious music. To overcome that lack of success, he started his own theater, composing and producing a veritable stream of operettas that were highly successful in major cities on both sides of the Atlantic. His success can be attributed to the lively, witty, and melodious nature of his music. La Belle Helene is the story of Helen of Troy transplanted to mid-19th-century France, in an operatic satire of upper-class mores.

Amazing Grace

The hymn Amazing Grace was written over 200 years ago by John Newton a slave ship captain who, after years of transporting slaves across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, suddenly saw through divine grace the evilness of his acts. Composer Frank Ticheli (tick-'elly) describes his concert band adaptation of this well-known hymn as follows: "I wanted my setting of Amazing Grace to reflect the powerful simplicity of the words and melody--to be sincere, to be direct, to be honest--and not through the use of novel harmonies and clever tricks, but by traveling traditional paths in search of truth and authenticity."

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music has become one of the best-known and most popular Broadway musicals and film adaptations of all time. This concert band arrangement of selections from the musical score by Richard Rodgers includes:

"The Sound of Music"
"I Am Sixteen"
"My Favorite Things"
"Do Re Mi"
"Climb Every Mountain"

The Lake Saxophone Quartet was founded in the spring of 2000 by Bill Clarida and Doug Reinhard. The quartet has performed at Church on the Square at The Villages, other area churches, art festivals, and many other venues throughout Lake County.

Members of the quartet are: Bill Clarida &emdash; Soprano Saxophone; Dale Kane &emdash; Alto Saxophone; Louis Nelson &emdash;Tenor Saxophone, and Doug Reinhard &emdash; Baritone Saxophone.

The Lake Saxophone Quartet, performs Lenny Niehaus's arrangement of "All the Things You Are."

Esprit de Corps

The dictionary defines esprit de corps as "the common spirit existing in members of a group; inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, honor, and sense of pride in common interests and activities." Robert Jager's composition embodies these qualities, familiar to all concert band musicians, whose camaraderie, cohesiveness and strong regard for the honor of the group are an integral part of a spirited musical performance. This piece, with its bold themes, flourishes, and suggestion of patriotic fervor, illustrates the spirit and emotion experienced by the band's musicians better than words can describe.

Folk Song Suite

Folk Song Suite, by Ralph Vaughn Williams, has become one of the classics of band literature. Although this was his first work for military band, Vaughn Williams had already become famous as the composer of major symphonic works, including the 'London' and 'Pastoral' symphonies. In the three movements of this piece, the composer incorporates the themes of nine English folk songs in a variety of musical styles. In the words of Frederick Fennell, the preeminent authority on musical literature for wind instruments: "The composer set traditional melodies with remarkable originality, subtlety, and charm."

Rejouissance

Rejouissance reflects composer James Curnow's musical portrayal of joyful celebration. The principal theme of this piece is derived from the Christian hymn "A Mighty Fortress is our God," which originated during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. This theme emerges subtly, and is heard explicitly as a trumpet solo near the end of the piece.

Armed Forces Salute

The inspired lyrics of Katherine Lee Bates, set to music by Samuel Augustus Ward, form what many consider to be the most beautiful and moving of all patriotic songs. This is exemplified in Carmen Dragon's stirring arrangement of America the Beautiful.

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