Page 22 - SRMF 2024 Season Program Book

PROGRAM NOTES : EARTH

Variations on ‘America’ generous use of dissonance to borderline comedic effect,
Charles Ives (October 20, 1874 - May 19, 1954) Ives was well ahead of his time in deploying such tech-
niques. Some of these ideas appear in the Variations - for
example, the 2 Interludes in this work both deploy bitonal-
Composed in 1891, orchestrated by William Schuman ity (2 simultaneous keys). Despite - or perhaps because of,
in 1962 depending on your perspective - the experimental tech-
1. Introduction and Theme niques, Ives forged a uniquely American voice that is on
2. Variation I display even in his earliest works.
3. Variation II
4. Interlude I
5. Variation III Rhapsody in Blue
6. Variation IV George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 - July 11, 1937)
7. Interlude II
8. Variation V Composed in 1924
9. Coda Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass
Instrumentation: 3 flutes (2 doubling piccolo), 2 clarinet, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones,
oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 tuba, timpani, percussion, strings, and piano soloist.
trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, and strings. Duration: 16 minutes
Duration: 8 minutes
Arguably the most iconic musical work by an American
“America,” the tune that goes by many names (God Save composer, Gershwin’s masterwork lives rent-free in the col-
the Queen/King in Britain, Heil dir im Siegerkranz in Germany, lective American cultural psyche. From its use in advertising
Kongesangen in Norway, My Country ‘tis of Thee in the USA) and films, to its ubiquity on orchestral stages, the Rhapsody
has enjoyed a unique international ubiquity. We don’t really in Blue stands out in the American canon as one of the
know who composed the music (it seems to have originat- earliest, finest examples of the melding of jazz and classical
ed in plainchant melodies as early as the 17th century), idioms.
but it has been deployed as a patriotic hymn in numerous Between his work in the publishing and recording in-
countries, and borrowed heavily in the works of many com- dustry, which emphasized his jazz chops, and his private
posers, including Haydn, Johann Strauss, Muzio Clementi, study of the piano, Gershwin’s interest in using jazz musical
and many more. Some composers even created lengthy vernacular in a more “serious” setting became apparent
theme and variation works based on the tune, such as Bee- in his compositions. By the early 1920s, he was a regular
thoven, Paganini, and the American maverick Charles Ives. performer and composer of songs for Broadway revue
A 17-year-old Ives originally composed his Variations on shows, including the famous-at-the-time George White’s
‘America’ for organ in 1891 while employed as an organist Scandals. The 1922 Scandals included Gershwin’s first foray
at a church in Brewster, NY. His earliest musical training into amalgamating jazz and classical genres with the one-
came from his father, who was a bandleader for the US act jazz opera, Blue Monday. Though the work itself was
Army during the Civil War. Following his time in the service, not particularly successful, it did grab the attention of Paul
George Ives taught music and led bands, choirs, and or- Whiteman, the music director and conductor of the Scan-
chestras in Danbury, Connecticut. George had a very open dals at the time. Whiteman also led a large ensemble that
minded approach to music making. He taught Charles stan- performed and recorded fully orchestrated arrangements
dard musical concepts, as well as emphasizing the impor- of popular jazz songs.
tance of vernacular and folk idioms in music making. Upon In early 1924, Gershwin was hard at work on a new
encountering a stone mason singing off-key, George told musical comedy, Sweet Little Devil, which was set to open in
his son, “Look into his face and hear the music of the ages. late January. Late on January 3, George, his lyricist Buddy
Don't pay too much attention to the sounds--for if you do, DeSylva, and his brother Ira were playing billiards when
you may miss the music. You won't get a wild, heroic ride Ira noticed an article in the New York Tribune: a planned
to heaven on pretty little sounds.” Young Charles was said concert by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, dubbed
to have attended parades where his father’s bands would “An Experiment in Modern Music,” set for February 12 at
perform sonic experiments; Charles observed the clashing the Aeolian Hall. One particular line of the ad caught Ira’s
sound of 2 different marching bands “brought together in attention: “George Gershwin is at work on a jazz concerto.”
cacophonous conflict…” marching toward and past each George had no idea he was supplying such a work, and had
other playing different tunes in different keys and meters. previously declined Whiteman’s offer to write one. The next
This experimentation and open-mindedness led to a morning, George and Whiteman talked on the phone, and
distinctive, unabashed approach to harmony and form in Whiteman convinced him that all they needed was a piano
much of Ives’s music, so distinctive that it led to an epon- score; Whiteman had an expert arranger, Ferde Grofé, in
ymous term to describe similar approaches (“Ivesian”). his employ that would fill out the orchestration necessary
Characterized by the use of bi- and polytonality (meaning to perform the work with his band. George agreed to take
multiple keys simultaneously), polyrhythmic textures, and on the composition, churning out a work that would funda-

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