The New Colossus March
Gene Milford
The New Colossus is a poem by the American author Emma Lazusas which was written in 1883 as part of the effort to raise funds to construct the base for the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886. In 1903, a plaque bearing the poem was placed on the base of the statue.
Since I first read the poem, probably in elementary school, I have been struck by the imagery, a nation that provides opportunity for all.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”Program Note by Composer
The Promise of Living
Aaron Copland / Arr. James Curnow
The Promise of Living (1954) is a quintet that unites hobos and family at the end of the first act in celebration of the harvest and its traditions. Even without voices, the use of the folk hymn Zion’s Walls and Copland’s transparent scoring create a clear dramatic sequence. A dramatic gesture gives way to a quiet, lyrical passage, in which the gentle rise and fall of the melody suggests the unfolding sequence of wistful thoughts. Woodwinds gradually interject to create a sense of dialogue, both internal and, eventually, external.
The answer comes, this time fuller, building to a passage that is signature Copland: a smooth melody rooted in open harmonies, with bits of short repeated motives in call and response style which keep the music moving. Brass eventually join the scene, their chorale style underscoring the ritualistic role of the moment without losing the introspective quality that draws together community and individual, past and present.
- Program Note by Los Angeles Philharmonic
The promise of living with hope and thanksgiving
Is born of our loving our friends and our labor.
The promise of growing with faith and with knowing
Is born of our sharing our love with our neighbor.
The promise of loving, the promise of growing
Is born of our singing in joy and thanksgiving.
For many a year we’ve know these fields
And know all the work that makes them yield.
We’re ready to work, we’re ready to lend a hand.
By working together we’ll bring in the blessings of harvest.
We plant each row with seeds of grain,
And Providence sends us the sun and the rain.
By lending a hand, by lending an arm
Bring out the blessings of harvest.
Give thanks there was sunshine, give thanks there was rain,
Give thanks we have hands to deliver the grain.
O let us be joyful, O let us be grateful to the Lord for his blessing.
The promise of living, the promise of growing
The promise of ending is labor and sharing and loving
Lord, Guard and Guide (The Men Who Fly)
Robert Jager
Lord, Guard and Guide (The Men Who Fly) was commissioned by the Military Airlift Command Band, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Lt. Colonel Bruce Gilkes was the Commander/Conductor of the MAC Band at the time of commissioning.
The hymn “Quebec” forms the basis for this composition. This melody is the source of the music for the United States Air Force hymn, “Lord, Guard and Guide.” Using fragments of the hymn-tune, the composition begins with gradually rising lines as the music begins to take flight. This is followed by soaring lines and harmonies that attempt to describe the feelings of wonder associated with being free from the earth. A quiet interlude, primarily for solo woodwinds and percussion, portrays the serenity of life among the clouds. Culminating the work are two settings of the hymn-tune, first for the woodwinds alone, and then for the low woodwinds and brass in combination. A short coda brings back fragments from the “soaring theme” and acts as an amen to the composition.
- Program Note from the Score
Lord, guide and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces of the sky;
Be with them traversing the air
In darkening storms or sunshine fair.
Thou who dost keep with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight,
Thou of the tempered winds, be near,
That, having Thee, they know no fear.
Control their minds with instinct fit
What time, adventuring, they quit
The firm security of land;
Grant steadfast eye and skillful hand.Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
O God, protect the men who fly
Through lonely ways beneath the sky
Highlights from “Into the Woods”
Stephen Sondheim / Arr. Michael Brown
This masterful Broadway musical struck a resonant chord with a new audience thanks to the movie adaptation and all-star cast. This medley includesInto the Woods; Giants in the Sky; Children Will Listen; Last Midnight and No One Is Alone.
– Program Note from Publisher
Selections from “Carmina Burana”
Karl Orff / arr. John Krance
Carl Orff’s first stage work, Carmina Burana, was composed in 1935-6 and premiered at the Frankfurt Opera in 1937; it became an outstanding success. Orff drew the inspiration for his grand vocal and orchestral work from 24 poems of the 200 found in the 13th century monastery of Benediktbeuern, near Munich in Bavaria, and published in 1847 under the title of Carmina Burana. Carmina is the plural of the Latin word carmen and in early time, carried the implication of student songs. Burana was the Latin name for the area we know today as Bavaria. Both sacred and secular, the texts are frank avowals of earthly pleasure: eating, dancing, drinking, gambling, and lovemaking. They proclaim the beauty of life and the glory of springtime. The music is simple in harmony and range, consistent with 13th century music, with a driving rhythm to which the listener instinctively responds. John Krance, who worked with Orff on this arrangement, has incorporated the vocal melodies into a setting entirely instrumental in structure.
– Program Note by William V. Johnson for the San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra concert program, 15 May 2010
May the Road Rise to Meet You (An Irish Blessing)
Steven J. Pyter
May the Road Rise to Meet You is a lush, expressive work for concert band. Written in the style of a Celtic air, the beautifully lyrical melodies are inspired by an Irish blessing which reads, in part:
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon your fields
The blessing is a traditional way of wishing someone good fortune on the journey of life. It is a simple yet powerful message that has resonated with people all over the world.
(My mother comes from a large Irish American family of eleven children, which also meant lots of cousins for me. I have many fond childhood memories of large family gatherings at my grandmother’s house in the picturesque Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. Over the years, through good times and bad times, family has remained a cornerstone of my life. This piece is written, in part, as a tribute to the enduring beauty of a family’s love.)
– Program Note by composer
Take Me Home, Country Roads (from Whisper of the Heart)
B. Danoff, T. Nivert & J. Denver / Arr. Takashi Hoshide
Whisper of the Heart is a 1995 Japanese animated coming-of-age drama film directed by Yoshifumi Kondo and written by Hayao Miyazaki, based on aoi Hiiragi’s 1989 manga Mimi o Sumaseba. During the film, the main character has composed original lyrics called “Concrete Roads”, which is sung to the tune of John Denver’s iconic hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” His 1971 hit first premiered on the album Poems, Prayers, and Promises. Denver’s recording was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the Nation Recording Registry in 2023.
- Program Note compiled from Wikipedia