2003 Program Notes

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756. At age five he played the keyboard and he began composing at age six. He wrote his first symphony at the age of eight. Mozart was sixteen when he composed the Sonata in D for Keyboard Four-Hands.

Sergei Rachmaninoff composed the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43, in 1934. The 18th variation is one of the most popular melodies heard today. It was used in the 1950's movie "The Story of Three Loves" and in the 1980 movie "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

Manuel Infante lived from 1883 to 1958 and was born near Saville, Spain. His music was made popular by the famous Spanish pianist Jose Iturbi. Gracia from Danses Andalouses is a melodic dance which showcases the folk music of Spain.

Aaron Copland lived from 1900-1990. His music was recognizably American, but was also influenced by his travels south of the border. "Danzon Cubano" was an example of this influence with characteristic irregular, abrupt phrases and off-beat rhythms.

Concerto No. 1 in C Major Op. 15 was published first but in fact was not Beethoven's first concerto. It was preceded by the work that was published as No. 2 and there was an even earlier Concerto in E flat. The C major concerto was probably composed in 1795, and performed by Beethoven in Vienna during that year. Beethoven lived from 1770 to 1827.

Camille Saint-Saens wrote the Carnival of the Animals while on vacation in 1886. His students had asked him to write a musical joke for them. This classic example of program music was intended for a private performance by a chamber ensemble (two pianos and 11 other instruments) and was played only once for his friends. This 14-part work borrows music from several other pieces to entertaining effect.

The piece starts with the lions waking up, stretching before they spring to their feet. Loud roaring sounds warn us how fierce these animals are .

The "elephant" starts with plodding music and then another musical joke. The elephant would like to be a dancer and the music should be graceful, but it is a clumsy dance tune borrowed from French composer Berlioz.

The "aquarium" presents images of fish swimming gracefully through the water - placid and serene.

"Fossils" interweaves numerous overly-familiar melodies, including two French nursery rhymes, a snippet of the aria "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, and Saint-Saens' own Danse Macabre into a most curious entity. Saint-Saens evidently felt these melodies were so famous that they had become museum fossils, worthy only of residing among dinosaur bones.

"Finale" is a merry closer, which recapitulates snippets from many of the previous movements. Suggestions of the lion, fossils, wild asses, hens and cocks, kangaroos, cuckoo, and pianists pass quickly in succession. The "Personages with Long Ears" get their two pennies worth in just before the final chords.

Gershwin's 3 Preludes for piano was written in 1926 during his "Broadway Years" and followed soon after "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Concerto in F". Born in Brooklyn in 1898, Gershwin was essentially self-taught, although his parents did invest in some piano lessons. He began to study seriously at the young age of 12 years.

George M. Cohan's "Little Johnny Jones" opened on Broadway, with Cohan playing the role of a jockey. It became a huge hit with songs including "The Yankee Doodle Boy" (or "Yankee Doodle Dandy") and "Give My Regards to Broadway". In 1942 Hollywood filmed "Yankee Doodle Dandy" a biography of Cohan's life. It starred Jimmy Cagney who won an Academy Award for his impersonation of Cohan. Cohan died later that year.

John Philip Sousa, "The March King", was also a longtime conductor of the United States Marine Corps band. He lived from 1854 until 1932 and was born in Washington, D.C. He composed not only marches but operettas, suites, songs, overtures, concert pieces, instrumental solos, trumpet and drum pieces, and arrangements and transcriptions.