Introduction
The concert was conducted on the 12th of June, 2016, at Santa Monica College Performance Arts Center. The conductor was Yosuke Miyoshi, the director of Emeritus College Concert Band. The performance consisted of seven pieces: Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo by Malcolm Arnold, Something by George Harrison, Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Jerusalem by Sir Hubert Parry; Second Suite for Military Band: Movement III – Song of the Blacksmith and Movement IV – Fantasia on Dargason by Gustav Holst; Balad for Benny by Philip Spark, and Love by the Beatles (John Lennon and Paul McCartney). The guest soloists were John P. Paynter, Paul Murtha, Walter Beeler, Michael Farkas, and Jay Bocook.
Rhosymedre
Rhosymedre: Prelude on a Welsh Hymn Tune was composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1836. The composition is a piece included in the collection of Welsh hymns. Two other pieces included in the collection are Bryn Calfaria and Hyfrydol.
The melody of the hymn is expressive yet soft and flowing. It evokes associations of celebration and sublimity. The texture of the piece is polyphonic, and the polyphony is created through the implementation of different wind instruments: flutes, clarinets, oboe, and trumpet. The harmony of the piece is primarily consonant, and it is played in major. A few key modulations are made throughout the performance – the introduction, the climax section, and the final part are played in different keys.
These three elements of the piece represent the main movements that are rhythmically contrasted to each other. The introduction and the major tune are calm and simple while the countermelody is active and more energetic. The contrasts help to diversify the melody and make it more interesting for a listener. The timbre of Rhosymedre is multidimensional and diverse. The sounds are made by the wind and string orchestration.
Despite the apparent calmness and simplicity of the piece, it is very expressive and keeps a listener attentive from the beginning to the end. Rhosymedre‘s rich and harmonious polyphony is one of the major aspects of the piece that makes it distinctive, beautiful, and memorable.
Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo
Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo were composed by Malcolm Arnold in 1963, and it relates to the neo-classical period. The original name of the piece is Little Suite for Brass, Op. 80. The piece has a vivid character, it is written in the major key and has a consonant harmony. The composer introduces multiple contrasting movements – the melody gradually shifts from the softness and calmness of waltz to the energetic abruptness and rhythms of march. The sound is polyphonic due to the combination of various instruments including flutes, horns, clarinets, and saxophones.
Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo is a very rhythmic composition, yet its beat is unsteady and can be better described as unpredictable. The piece is very expressive and full of variety and contrasts. Some of the sections are performed in piano while others are played in forte. The interchanges between legato and staccato are made as well.
The composition starts loudly and assertively and creates a feeling of solemnity. The variety of rhythms and contrasts is especially significant in Arnold’s piece. The composer masterfully unifies a great number of distinct elements in a harmonious way, and it makes Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo unique.
Second Suite for Military Band: Movement IV – Fantasia on Dargason
The piece was composed by Gustav Holst in 1911. Second Suite for Military Band (Op. 28, No. 2) is comprised of four movements: Movement I – March: Morris dance, Swansea Town, Claudy Banks, Movement II – Song Without Words, “I’ll Love My Love,” Movement III – Song of the Blacksmith, and Movement IV – Fantasia on Dargason. The composition of each movement was inspired by English folk songs.
Movement IV is the final piece of the Second Suite. Its melody is glorious, dynamic, and flowing. The harmony is consonant. The rhythm is unsteady and inconsistent. The meter is triple. The dynamics are frequently changing from forte to piano, and tempo gradually shifts from slow to fast and vice versa. The instrumentation includes strings and winds which create polyphony and help to avoid homogeneousness of sound. The polyphony consists of two major tunes that complement each other and, from time to time, merge. The melody gradually leads a listener to the climax which slowly dissolves and ends up at an assertive final point.
Fantasia on Dargason is a very rhythmic piece, and it evokes the desire to dance and clap hands. It provokes a positive reaction and fills up with energy so one can hardly stay motionless or unimpressed when hears this melody.
Conclusion
During the concert, the musicians played various compositions written in different genres and originating from distinct epochs. Emeritus College Concert Band could demonstrate a wide range of talents and abilities. The pieces analyzed in the paper are associated with a share of complexity and require musicians to have well-developed skills for performing them excellently. Thus, the performance of Movement IV – Fantasia on Dargason by Gustav Holst and Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo by Malcolm Arnold impressed me the most because, in my opinion, the execution of these pieces reflected the level of the band’s skillfulness.
The variety of genres represented at the concert is significant as well because, it means that the program was designed with the consideration of the interests and preferences of the diverse audience and, in this way, it helped all listeners to attain the utmost positive experience.