Take a musical walk down ‘Main Street USA’ with Purdue Bands

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Nearly every element of fall in America, from festivals and Friday night football to walks down picturesque country lanes, will be described musically in “Main Street USA” a Sunday, Oct. 4 concert featuring the Purdue Symphonic Band and Fall Concert Band.

It is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Long Center, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. Admission is free.

Two John Phillip Sousa marches, David Moore’s “Small Town Sketches,” Charles Ives’ “Variations on America” and Broadway composer Robert Russell Bennett’s “Autobiography Part 1” set the tone for the afternoon of music by American composers.

“Small Town Sketches,” the concert opener performed by Fall Concert Band under the direction of Ishbah Cox presents a series of musical pictures ranging from “Friday Night Football” to “Winter Walk” and from “County Fair” to “Concert in the Park.” The group also performs another highly descriptive work, “Down a Country Lane,” by Aaron Copland.

“Students are embracing many different styles on this concert from classical to Broadway,” says Jay Gephart, conductor of the Purdue Symphonic Band. “They move from one to another very easily which shows a great deal of maturity as musicians.”

Gephart feels a particular connection to Ives because the composer made a living selling insurance and doing music on the side, a scenario every Purdue musician can identify with because the university offers no music degrees. “The whole essence of Ives really fits the Purdue student,” he says.

Although influenced by folk and traditional music, Ives was no stranger to compositional techniques of the 20th century which are showcased in the Symphonic Band’s performance of “Variations on America.”

Symphonic Band also tackles Robert Russell Bennett’s “Autobiography Part 1” on the Oct. 3 concert and will present “Part 2” at a subsequent concert. “The thing I like about Bennett is that he was a very important composer in the time of Rodgers and Hammerstein. He had a huge impact on Broadway and it had a huge impact on him.

In “Autobiography,” he tells a story using the style of music appropriate to the era, so it not only takes us through his life story but takes us through a music history lesson as well.”

H. Owen Reed’s “Heart of the Morn” “adds a nice balance to the other pieces on the program,” says Gephart. “It’s just a beautiful chorale based on the poem ‘Michigan Morn.’ ”

“Main Street USA” is presented by Purdue Bands & Orchestras.

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