Program Notes

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1st Movement (Con Slancio) - Fanfare and Canon

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The descriptive term "Con Slancio" (Italian), is translated, as "With vehemence, impetuously." (Sometimes written islancio,  for the sake of euphony). From the Dictionary of Musical Terms (1895 Edition) by Dr. Theo. Baker.

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I first came across the term "slancio" in the music of John Barnes Chance. Chance uses the term in several of his works: Blue Lake Overture and Symphony No. 2. During my studies with Francis McBeth at Ouachita Baptist University, he and Band Director Marvin Lawson, shared stories of their classmate, John Barnes Chance while at the University of Texas, where they studied with Clifton Williams.

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Since the work, as commissioned, was to be based specifically on the tones CBDAAG, the 1st Movement begins with a Fanfare that strongly establishes those series of notes. The Canon passes the tones throughout the brass section and then throughout the whole ensemble. In contrast to the aggressive opening, the 1st movement closes with a cascading setting of the tone row that sets up the quiet and peaceful 2nd Movement.

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2nd Movement (Reflectively, with Ebb and Flow) - Idyll: The Eastern Sierras - 4:55

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