SOUSA: THE MARCH KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who has knows anything about marches knows who the March King is, John Philip Sousa. Sousa was born on November 6, 1854 in Washington D.C. His father was a trombonist with the United States Marine Band. His music talent was nurtured when it became apparent at a young age that he was gifted. He organized and led his own ‘quadrille orchestra’ at the age of 11. He was active in all sorts of music groups and was tutored by many as he grew and his musical abilities grew. He directed theater orchestras and became determined to compose orchestra music for the theater. Since he worked as a director he became adept at changing and tweaking music to fit the band and performance venue and it was then his composing career began.

At the age of 25 he accepted the position as Director of the United States Marine Band. It was during his legendary 52 year career as director that he became famous. He wrote well over 100 marches during him years. His musical El Capitan “is believed to have been the first musical by an American composer to enjoy a successful run on Broadway.” His musical genius for composing military marches in legendary. Who know what he would have created if did not accept the position as Director of the United States Marine Band and stayed in the theater world. One of his major music influences was Mozart, another famous child prodigy and composer.

This week I did not listen to as much of Sousa’s music because I have played some of them in band class. I love Sousa’s piece The Stars and Stripes Forever. I like the face paced beginning and the loud and soft changes and how it is so energetic and yet difficult to play at points. I also like how the listener feels like the music is speeding up, even though it really is not. Who doesn’t love a good loud ending with a lot of crashes and booms? The piccolo solo is so amazing to listen to and surprising that anyone could play it. I had the pleasure of listening to the President’s Own Band and they had at least 6 piccolos playing in unison the tricky licks and it was just phenomenal to listen to.

Another of my favorite Sousa pieces that I also am playing is Presidential Polonaise. It is less march like than many of Sousa works, but you hear the classic Sousa touches of fast paced music with a lot of dynamic contrast. It is in the classic march style with the loud faster beginning and then the quieter trio and then it becomes louder and returns to the main melody line. This song is more or a dance, but it sounds so cool. It still surprises me that with the tricky licks Sousa writes that we can still play them separated and cleanly articulated.

If you like Sousa more famous pieces try looking for some of his less know pieces and experience the brilliance of Sousa.

For more info on his history check out:

http://www.8notes.com/biographies/sousa.asp

http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/John_Philip_Sousa_24864/24864.htm

Pictures from:
http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/imgs/sub/library_archives/1892palacehotel.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/JohnPhilipSousa-Chickering.LOC.jpg

The Classics: Take 2

So continuing with some of the classic artists, this post will be about two child prodigies, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Mozart was born in 1756 in Austria. He grew up in a very musically inclined family and composed his first song at age 5. By age 6 he and his elder sister were traveling Europe and performing. At age 9 his first song was published, over the following years he traveled Europe performing and wrote countless songs. He died in 1791 at the age of 35. In his short lifetime he produced over “20 operas, about 14-15 masses, 30-40 concerts (piano and violin), 50-60 symphonies, and 20 sonatas.” His music is still performed and listened to today.

Beethoven was born in 1770. He too was exposed to music at an early age and performed publicly by the age of 7 and half. His father said he was 6 at the time so Beethoven always thought he was younger than he really was. Before the age of 12 he had published his first work. His father was an alcoholic and Beethoven slowly replaced his father as the bread winner of the family. He traveled to Vienna to further his musical education and wrote many pieces over the years. He died in 1827 at the age of 55 after getting a cold. His funeral was attended by “between 10,000 and 30,000 people.” He was a great musician and his music also is still known today.

I listened to music by each composer to get a feel of their work. A favorite of mine by Beethoven is Ode to Joy. I learned to play it as a child when I studied piano briefly and it will always be a favorite of mine. I love the rise and fall of the melody and how the same lilting phrase is repeated a couple times, then changes and becomes more. Here is a humorous rendition of the song by the Muppets Meep Meep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A&NR=1

I listened to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. I liked the beginning of it because it reminded me of music out of Pride and Prejudice. Overall it was a nice piece, but after so long I get bored of music with no words unless I’m the one playing it. It was a beautiful piece that would really cool if I could play it myself.

From last week’s composers I listened to the Prelude of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1. It also reminds me of Pride and Prejudice. It’s a great piece to listen too. I like just listening to the prelude because it was short enough that I didn’t lose interest. It is another great piece of music.

The final song is listened to was the Overture from Handel’s Messiah. It was quiet and slower at the beginning, but then it picked up and was nice to listen too. The soft and loud points of the recording were great and make me wish I did half of what they did when I perform music. It was another great piece, one that is still being performed today and will forever be performed.

I only listened to one song and a few renditions of that song by these four composers. They all have countless songs out there and countless renditions so if you like one on the composers check out his other music for more you may like.




More info at:

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/1-29-2005-64987.asp

http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

Pictures from:


http://www.1902encyclopedia.com/M/MOZ/mozart-01.jpg

http://robertarood.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/beethoven.jpg

The Classics 1

Music has been around since the dawn of time and people who have influenced music are numerous. Some of the very first are from the baroque period of music and the 18th century. There were two great musicians from this time period. They were Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

Bach was born in Germany in 1685. He came from a musically inclined family. He could sing very well, his father taught him to play the violin, and he learned to play the organ like his brother. When Bach’s parents died in quick succession he went to live with his brother. It was then he learned keyboard instruments form his brother who was an organist. At the age of 18 he was hired as an organist. When he was 20 he went to visit another church and hear its organist. He was so impressed he stayed 4 months and when he returned he began to write his own organ preludes. Bach moved from church to church until he obtained a job as court organist to Duke Wilhelm Ernst. After obtaining this job his output of music increased greatly. He became very popular with the royalty that he was offered another job with Prince Leopold. It was during this time of his life he created instrumental works and was in great demand. When he later moved again he created a lot of choral music.

Bach’s music did not directly influence his predecessors in music. By the 19th century his music was rediscovered and was found to be a great resource to train young musicians and became the core or classic music. His music is still studied today because of the harmonization Bach used. He understood in music in a way that no other musician ever did. He died at the age of 65. He was totally blind the last year of his life. His sons followed in his musical footsteps. Bach was married twice and fathered 20 children.

Handel was also born in Germany in 1685. Handel was a master of 18th century opera. He composed his first opera at the age of 19. He traveled to the center of German opera and from then went on a sojourn to Italy to further study his new obsession of opera. After Italy we went to England and continued to produce more operas and oratorios. He became “one of the most important practitioners of late Baroque opera seria.” His opera Messiah became well known and put him into the main stream. Every small town had a performance of his oratorios. Messiah “remains one of the most widely performed pieces in the entire classical repertoire.” Unfortunately, it does not lead performers to investigate Handel’s other works.

Both Handel and Bach influenced the flow of music during the 18th century. Even if their genius wasn’t properly appreciated until later years they still influence music today. Most beginning instrumental books have a selection or two by Bach and Handel. They are some of the greats of classical music. Their music has survived over 300 years and will continue to survive and inspire young composers as new music in created.



For further information and readings visit:

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102084300

http://www.8notes.com/school/history/Handel.asp

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ba-Be/Bach-Johann-Sebastian.html

Pictures from:


http://www.justonic.com/images/bach.jpg

http://z.about.com/d/musiced/1/0/o/8/handel.jpg