28th June 2008
A Summer Programme of Choral Music by Gershwin, Bernstein and Copland

7:30pm, St Michael's Church, Elmwood Rd, Chiswick W4

Every country has a recognisable National Style in music – or at least music that is representative of a country’s nature and culture. The music styles may be many and varied but there is something in the sound, the melody, the harmony and patterns of rhythm that makes one say, “ah, that is English – or French – or American” or wherever. The so-called English Nationalist school contains music as diverse as Elgar, Parry,Vaughan Williams, William Walton, Gerald Finzi – unique, individual voices, but all undeniably English. 20th Century America has thrown up a bewildering patchwork of composers, widely diverse but all bearing stamp that says “I am from A-me-ri-ca!” And America has been hugely influential internationally through music in the concert hall, the opera house, the music and movie theatres, the Jazz hall, music for the Christian Faith in a variety of styles of expression – and so on and on. This evening’s concert programme concentrates on 3 composers in particular – Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and George Gershwin. And we will hear not only their own music, but piano music influenced by a style that is unmistakably American by 2 Irish composers – Philip Martin and Philip Hammond. Our American music this evening takes us on a journey across the whole gamut of American music, even if it only touches lightly on some styles – musical theatre, opera, folk song, jazz and, by association, the movies. Tonight’s programme is FULL of wonderful melodies. A member of the Choir confessed to me that it was not often that one went away from weekly rehearsals singing tunes! I hope that you may all do the same after this concert. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was one of the 20th century’s most important, influential and charismatic figures in the world of music. He was one of America’s great musicians as a composer, conductor, teacher and broadcaster. His influence was vast. As a conductor he was loved by audiences all over the world and respected by all the major orchestras. His televised talks about music were enormously successful and influenced American students and adult audiences all over the country. But it was as a composer that he had the greatest impact. He was successful in all genres of music and works like On the Town,West Side Story, Fancy Free and Candide made him a household name. His 1954 score for the movie On the Waterfront was nominated for an Oscar and is his only original movie score. He wrote to his friend Aaron Copland, “Hollywood is exactly how I expected it, only worse”. His symphonies include the autobiographical The Age of Anxiety (2nd Symphony) with a large piano part of concerto proportions. Probably Bernstein is best know for his works for the stage – West Side Story being his masterpiece. Candide appeared in 1954 and was a mixture of wonderful music – arias, waltzes, tangos, anthems and an amazing coloratura aria for the soprano. But it was not a great success at the time, falling between too many stools – but the wealth of music has refused to let Candide lie down and die. The two pieces you are to hear this evening are the amusing lesson of Dr. Pangloss with his students, and the finale “Make our Garden Grow”. From West Side Story we have a selection of numbers which more or less tell the story of the two fated lovers,Tony and Maria, the Romeo and Juliet from rival New York gangs. All through the music is alive with glorious melody, vital Latin rhythms and music dramatic to its situation. This masterpiece of musical theatre opened in Washington, D.C. on August 20, 1957 – amazing to think that it has been around for more than 50 years. By this time Bernstein had learned all the lessons and produced a work too full of great music that there are not enough superlatives to do it credit. It is masterly. Aaron Copland (1900-1990) studied for 4 years in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and, returning to America, became gradually one of the countries leading composers and musical alumni. Described by one writer as the American composer par excellence, Copland was himself amused by this description as his own history was as the son of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants living in Brooklyn! However unusual this may seem, his music is unmistakably USA, brimming with glorious melody (folk music was important to Copland) and vivid, clear, rich orchestration. His works includes 2 operas, ballets, symphonies, concerti (including one for Clarinet written for Benny Goodman) and numerous orchestral concert pieces such as El Salon Mexico and Danzon Cubano. Best known are concert suites of Copland’s ballet scores - Rodeo, Appalachian Spring and Billy the Kid. His concert opening Fanfare for the Common Man written in 1942 was later incorporated into the Finale of Copland’s 3rd Symphony. This evening we are performing one of Copland’s arrangements of American songs – published in 2 Sets of Old American Songs, originally for solo voice. And the Finale to Act One of the composer’s opera The Tender Land. Originally for the 5 main solo singers, it is here arranged for choir and piano duet and incorporates the Revivalist Song melody Zion’s Walls which appears in the 2nd set of Old American Songs. “You must never forget when you write about George Gershwin that the rest of us were songwriters. George was a composer”. So said the great Irving Berlin. George Gershwin (1898-1937), a self taught musician until the age of 12 when his family acquired a piano, he began his professional career, age 15, as a song-plugging pianist in Tin Pan Alley. He published his first song in 1916 and was only 20 when he published Swanea, the great song hit taken up by Al Jolson. Gershwin was more than a songwriter, as Irving Berlin said and his interest in and knowledge of music of all kinds was prodigious. He was a friend of Schönberg and considered his meeting with Alban Berg to be the high point of his 1928 visit to Europe. Legend has it that when Gershwin went to Paris to study with Ravel, his great hero, the French composer asked Gershwin how much he had made in royalties that year. On being told the figure, Ravel suggested that roles be reversed and that Gershwin should give him lessons! Gershwin conceived the idea to write an opera based on DuBose Heyward’s novel Porgy in 1926.The composition did not start until 1933 and the orchestrations were completed in September 1935. The opera ran for 124 consecutive performances and lost its $70,000 investment – it was considered a failure. More than 70 years on we can appreciate clearly Gershwin’s achievement in terms of drama and characterisation through his music. What is most evident his the wealth of glorious melody – aria and aria, chorus after chorus of memorable music. After a brief orchestral prelude and the distant sounds of Jasbo Brown on his honky tonk piano, we hear the first “aria” – Summertime. How many operas begin with such a ravishing show-stopper? Maybe only Verdi’s Aida. I have paid only passing reference to the piano music we are to hear this evening. Our soloist, David Quigley, has asked that he be allowed to introduce these pieces himself. David is a fine and engaging pianist and he selected this evening’s pieces especially to complement the choral items on our programme.