From Fred: Here is the web site for the Lincoln at the Crossroads celebration that we will be singing for: http://www.latcra.org/
The following info is from Dr. Wendy Matthews who told about this celebration at our Tuesday night rehearsal.
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The NOVA Alexandria Campus Music, Communication Design, History and Photography departments present a multi-media concert, “Spirit of the Civil War” in remembrance of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War on Friday evening, November 11, 2011 at 7:30 PM in the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on the Alexandria Campus.
The Alexandria Campus Band will be joined by of the Mount Vernon Concert Band, the NOVA Community Chorus, and the Arlington Children’s Chorus to perform a multi-media concert of civil war music. Guest soloist will include Ms. Christine Hagan, piano, and Dr. Dennis Edlebrock, authentic Civil War Eb Cornet. The concert will include music of both the North and South including such favorites as Goober Peas, Drummer Boy of Shiloh, Bonnie Blue Flag, and Battle Hymn of the Republic accompanied by visual images of the Civil War. In addition a number of the musical selections not heard since the beginning of the 20th century, have been arranged by the composition faculty and students of NOVA-Alexandria for this concert. This concert is made possible through grants from the Northern Virginia Community College Foundation and the Virginia Community College System.
Seating is limited and tickets will be available at the door for a suggested donation of Adults – $10.00 and Students/Seniors – $5.00. Parking fee is $6.00 for the Beauregard Parking Garage directly across from Schlesinger Hall. The Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall is located at 3001 North Beauregard Blvd, Alexandria, VA. For more information, please see the band’s website www.alexandria-band.org or on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/228407073886112/ You can also contact wmatthews@nvcc.edu, at Phone 703-845-6252 or Ken Balbuena via Email at kpbaluena @ nvcc.edu 703-845-6067.
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The Spirit of the Civil War
The civil war played a significant role in shaping American History and our national consciousness and no other American war produced such a great variety of songs or such quantity (Silber, 1960). During this time a new music emerged which was based in lively tunes, plantation chants, pioneer songs, spirituals, and music from the minstrel stage mixed with Immigrant songs from Europe. Additionally, the Civil War, with its military and political urgencies, with its grand mixing of backgrounds and cultures, and with its needs for songs of inspiration and sorrow and laughter acted as a catalyst in the development of uniquely American music (Silber, 1960).
The purpose of the project was to (1) gain a greater understanding of the human experience of the civil war through the music, (2) identify significant music of the time which defines the culture and (3) present a concert in honor of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. The research for this concert was approached by quasi-qualitative methodology where a purposeful sample of songs was taken by surveying play lists of Re-enactor Civil War Regimental Bands, Brass Band Books of the Civil War (e.g. Brass Band Journal; Manchester Cornet Books); and piano music from 1870-1900 representing music the Civil War. After creating a data base of this music, selections that were listed in two or more sources were retained. Then, the pieces were grouped using descriptors such as family life, songs of children, songs that reflected the soldiers experience, rallying songs, songs sung around the campfire, songs with the same tunes but different words of North and South, and songs representing major composers of the time (e.g..George Fredrick Root, Henry Clay Work, Daniel Decatur Emmett).
After analyzing the data using axial coding, the authors found five emergent themes: (1) Marching and Inspirational Songs, (2) Grand Marches & Quicksteps, Rallying Songs, (3) Children’s Songs of the Civil War,(4) Songs of Emancipation, (5)Songs Sung by the Soldiers, and (5) Patriotic Songs of the North and the South. The final choices of music for the concerts were made based on musical worth, historical significance to Alexandria, Virginia, Representation of the themes, and “fit” of arrangements for modern instruments.
The music then needed to be located or arrange. Several published arranges for modern band were identified. These selections came for the J. C. Penney Bicentennial Music Project, Boosey and Hawkes, Daehn Publications and Alfred Publishing Company. Examples of this music includes Clare Grundman’s Blue and the Gray which was written for the centennial observance of the American Civil War and a Fantasia on Tramp, Tramp, Tramp for solo Eb Cornet and Band. Other selections for this concert were arranged by students and faculty at Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, VA. The arrangments was based on Brass Band Music from the Library of Congress: Band Music from the Civil War Era Collection and piano music printed in the 19th Century from the Library of Congress: Music for the Nation. American Sheet Music 1870-1885 Collection and collections at Duke University Library and Johns Hopkins University.
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This concert is the culmination of this project between the Music, Communications Design, History, and Photography departments at NOVA and the members of the Alexandria Campus Band will be joined by of the Mount Vernon Concert Band, the NOVA Community Chorus, and the Arlington Children’s Choir.
Tags: performances