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Grandmother Song
is an introduction to the Mohican tradition of "sung syllables",
or what Native Americans call "vocables". Combining them with
traditional wood flute songs, composer Brent Michael Davids
offers a fresh look at the 'sound' of Native American songs.
Band instruments are performed less as musical instruments
and more as talking sticks, singing reeds, rustling winds
and shooting thunder. Through this beautiful ballad, students
are given the materials to understand how Native Americans
celebrate the world around them through the blending of words
and song.
Photo
of Brent Michael Davids by Wing Young Huie courtesy of the
Bush Foundation |
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Alegre is a Spanish word meaning "joyful".
Utilizing the style of a Latin groove, the piece is a showcase
for rhythmic dexterity. It also demonstrates the inextricable
link in Latin American cultures between music and dance. León
incorporates the stylistic elements of ostinati with off-beat
accents and improvisation to create a brilliant piece that excites
both mind and body.
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Gregorian chant is one of the earliest forms
of notated music, using free flowing rhythms and simple melody.
In Old Churches, composer Michael Colgrass uses these
elements to create an aura of voices echoing in the monastery.
Using easy graphic notation, students have a fun and creative
way to explore sound production along with the compositional
process.
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| New Wade 'N Water
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Adolphus Hailstork
New Wade 'N Water is a contemporary
adaptation of the traditional Spiritual, Wade in the Water.
Like other Spirituals, Wade in the Water was handed down
through oral traditions, from one singer to another. Composer
Adolphus Hailstork incorporates blues scales, mixed meters
and extended phrases in this piece. |
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| City Rain |
Judith Zaimont
In her tone poem City Rain,
composer Judith Zaimont captures the spirit and vitality
of a sudden summer shower as it falls on a busy city street.
This piece draws a lively picture of a passing storm and
is unified by the jazz-like rhythmic motive based on the
pattern of the title words "city rain." |
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| Smash the Windows
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Robert Xavier
Rodriguez
Smash the Windows is a vigorous
piece full of energy and motion. The work is based on
a traditional Irish jig with the same name. Composer Robert
Xavier Rodriguez calls the piece a toccata moto perpetuo,
the music gradually builds from its quiet beginning to
a brilliant flourish that, with sound effects, truly befits
the title.
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| Ridgeview Centrum
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Alvin Singleton
Ridgeview Centrum is a fanfare
written in composer Alvin Singleton's style of subtle
spontaneity, which is experienced through a fusion of
classical and folk music elements. In the historic tradition
of fanfares, this work was written by Singleton in honor
of the students and band teacher he worked with during
his BandQuest residency at Ridgeview Middle School in
Atlanta, Georgia.
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