Sunday, November 8th, 1959
Manchester High School Auditorium
Jack L. Herriman, Conductor
Overture to Theodora | George Fredric
Handel (arr. Gordon Jacob) |
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Symphony No. 2 | Vittorio Giannini | |||
I. Allegro energico |
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Sonata for Cello Alone, Op. 25, No. 3 | Paul Hindemith | |||
I. Lebhaft, sehr markiert |
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Dudley Powers, cello | ||||
Intermission | ||||
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 | Camille Saint-Saens | |||
I. Allegro non troppo |
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Dudley Powers, cello | ||||
Slavonic Dance Op. 46, No. 1 | Antonin Dvorak | |||
Program Notes by Jack L. Herriman |
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Overture to Theodora |
George Fredric Handel (1685-1759) (arr. Gordon Jacob) |
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It seems fitting to begin the program with a work of G. F. Handel because this marks the two hundredth year since his death. As a commemoration to Mr. Handel we perform this work. It is unfortunate that his fame rests almost entirely on one work, for Handel was indeed versatile and composed in almost every large and small musical form known in his day, and for a wide variety of vocal and instrumental performing media. The overture which appears on today's program is the only portion of a dramatic oratorio, written in 1749, that has remained in the concert repertoire today. The variety contained in this one selection -- distinctive and colorful, fragmatic and expansive -- illustrates Handel's resourcefulness in handling musical ideas. |
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Symphony No. 2 | Vittorio Giannini (b. 1903) |
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Vittorio Giannini was born in Philadelphia on October 19, 1903. He received his musical training at the conservatory in Milan and at the Juilliard Graduate School. After further study at the American Academy in Rome, he won the Grand Price in 1932. At present, he holds teaching positions at the Juilliard School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music. Two important recent works of Giannini are his Canticle of Christmas and an opera, The Taming of the Shrew. The Second Symphony is traditional in its form and structure, but the texture and sonority spring from contemporary practices. Harmonically, Giannini bases the work on the interplay between the intervals of a major and minor second. Rhythmically, the work has a lot of compulsion and the timpani play an important role in carrying this out. Characteristic of Giannini's drive for sonority, he follows the timpani motive with both string and wind families. In contrast to the energetic first and last movements, the second movement is lyric in nature and features solo passages for the oboe, clarinet and flute. This work was first performed for the fiftieth anniversary of the Music Educators' National Convention held in St. Louis in 1956. It was dedicated to and premiered by Thor Johnson, former conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and now director of orchestral activities at Northwestern University. |
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Sonata for Cello Alone, Op. 25, No. 3 | Paul Hindemith (b. 1895) |
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Program notes will be given orally by Mr. Powers. |
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Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 | Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) |
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This concerto stands out as one of the few works written for the 'cello that can claim considerable merit. Many composers have made notable attempts to secure the correct balance between solo part and the full orchestra -- but with little success. This failure is due first to the low range of the instrument, and secondly to the limited technical display that the cello can produce in comparison to the violin or piano. This concerto is one that deals successfully with both problems. As Donald Francis Tovey has said: "Here, for once, is a violoncello concerto in which the solo instrument displays every register throughout its compass without the slightest difficulty in penetrating the orchestral accompaniment." The composer has adopted a unique form for this work by omitting the usual orchestral tuttis, except as they appear in connecting links, and by placing the recapitulation of the first movement in the finale. The work is continuous, but the separation between movements is quite clear. The middle section is a unique blend between the qualities of a slow movement and the scherzo style. Another unusual feature of this work is the introduction of new thematic material by the solo cello at the conclusion -- giving way to the fast rhythmic coda which closes this masterful creation for cello and orchestra. |
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Slavonic Dance Op. 46, No. 1 | Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) |
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Profoundly interested in the native folk music of his country, Dvorak gladly accepted an assignment for a set of Slavonic dances from Simrock, a publisher and friend of Johannes Brahms who had just recently made famous a set of Hungarian dances. As his source material, Dvorak chose eight authentic Bohemian folk melodies which he adapted as Slavonic dances arranged for four hands. The original version was so successful that his publisher urged him to orchestra the dances. Eight years later, a second set of dances was written, Op. 72. It is from the first set that the number on today's program is taken. |
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Manchester Symphony Orchestra Personnel |
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Violin I David Royer, Concertmaster + Louis Durflinger Lise Elson Sue Herriman Clara Logan + DeeAnn Weibly + Eloise Jane Wood Serge Zaitzeff + Violin II John Barr *+ Dorothy Baer Rosemary Bolinger Lynn Coble Jerry Hopper Miriam McCleary Sandy Sayers Irene Sites Jeannie Trestrail + Joe Warner Viola Jackie Graber *+ Frances Early + Lloyd Hoff Elaine Shilts Cora Shultz Verna Trestrail Cello Marilyn Buchanan * Bonita Gibble + John Llewellyn Priscilla Lyman James Mentzer Guy Rumsey Mack Whitmore Bass Gordon Wilson *+ Joseph Bogue Jerry Lackey Raymond Stokes + Piccolo Alice Kreider Flute Nancy Royer *+ Donna Scott + Lou Ann Wieand + |
Oboe Reis Flora *+ Rosemary Blickenstaff + Clarinet Richard Berg *+ Lynda Frederick + Bass Clarinet Donald Shilts Bassoon Jean Berry * Sonia Seslar Horn Grady Reinoehl *+ Dennis Rohrs Tom Mow Don Deardorff + Trumpet Howard Royer *+ Roger Cox Rodney Strycker + Trombone Susan Hunsberger *+ David Smoker + Joel Haney (Bass) Tuba Leo Snell + Timpani A. L. Whitmore Percussion Sundra Reppert + Rodney Strycker + Piano Carmen Haenitsch + * Denotes principal + Denotes MC student |
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![]() In 1933 he joined the Chicago Symphony, and in 1944 he became the Principal of his section under Dr. Frederick Stock. At present he is Professor of Cello at Northwestern University in addition to his position as conductor of the Chicago Youth Orchestra and of several other orchestras in the Chicago area. He has served as cellist of the Mischakoff Quartet, the Chicago Symphony String Quartet, and as guest artist with the Budapest String Quartet. He has frequently appeared as solo artist with the Chicago Symphony and has won an enviable reputation as a solo artist. The North Manchester Symphony Society is proud to present this distinguished string artist to our audience today. |
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The second concert of the Twenty-First Season will be held in the Manchester College Auditorium as part of the Fine Arts Festival on Sunday, February 21, 1960. Featured as the soloist will be Mr. John Barr, a senior piano major at Manchester College. |