The Lone Star Wind Orchestra chose to devote its final concert of the season to Percy Grainger’s masterworks. It was entitled ‘Wildflowers,’ quoting the Australian composer’s metaphor for one of his works and describing the concert’s collection of his unique and beautiful pieces.
Lads of Whamphray March opened the program with a crisp snare drum roll and an “off to the races” feel with the jolting tune. Grainger wrote it as a birthday gift to his mother in 1905, with whom he had a close relationship, but the subject matter was far from maternal. In 1593, the Maxwell and Johnstone clans of Scotland feuded over land, and the cattle-raiding and fighting were memorialized along with many other such scurvishes in writings called “border ballads.” Over 200 years later, ballad enthusiast Sir Walter Scott published a collection of historical and romantic ballads called Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. Amongst these was “The Lads of Whamphray.” Grainger called border ballads a “never-waning influence and delight.” I think the audience agreed that Grainger’s resulting creation certainly fit that description, too.
Molly on the Shore was led by Seth Wollam for his last performance as assistant conductor with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra. This is a charming but challenging work Grainger developed using two Irish reels (or dances) called “Molly on the Shore” and “Temple Hill.” He alternates the chosen melodies throughout the piece and as we were reminded in rehearsals, “the rest is Grainger.” “The rest” is thick with cascading chromatic falls, sweeping winds of sound, and muted trumpets wagging their tongues.
Grainger said in a letter to the famed conductor Frederick Fennell, “… I prize discordant harmony, because of the emotional and compassionate sway it exerts.” The ensemble enjoyed bringing those moments to the foreground. It certainly makes the work of performing truly feel like play.
Lone Star was thrilled to have the Irving Chorale under the direction of Harry Wooten join us for this program. They officially introduced themselves with a gorgeous a cappella rendition of Irish Tune from County Derry, one of the most beloved tunes in folk music. The choir filled the hall with its rich sonorities and nostalgic air.
Lincolnshire Posy is perhaps the crown jewel of Grainger’s works for band. It is rare if a musician completes their formal education without having encountered this masterpiece! This “posy” or bouquet of musical flowers began in 1905 and 1906 when Grainger traveled around Lincolnshire, England with a phonograph strapped to his back. He recorded residents singing folk songs and was fascinated by each contributor’s style and personality. In setting the tunes for band, he sought to make each movement a portrait of the original singer. This included celebrating their irregularities of rhythm, dynamics, and tone of voice. He described using the phrases “mild, yet lordly,” “caressing tenderness,” and even “grating voice.” In all Grainger said, this piece was “dedicated to the old folksingers who sang so sweetly to me.” Soloists from the Irving chorale did the audience the honor of performing each folk song before the ensemble played Grainger’s corresponding version. The entire chorale joined in for the final movement, “The Lost Lady Found.”
Even Grainger himself joined in on the merry making when his piano rolls were played through the speakers during set changes. It was fascinating to hear how this amazing composer was debatably and even more incredible pianist! In addition, Eugene Corporon was delighted to share some of the unusual eccentricities of Grainger with the audience, for instance: how he preferred walking extremely long distances to riding in any sort of vehicle. He could be found sleeping on park benches, designing his own patchwork clothing, or practicing in the nude! Most of all, our conductor shared his personal affection for the works of Grainger, which were surely ahead of their time, and their lasting influence on the wind band world.
After intermission, the Men of the Irving Chorale and Lone Star were joined by Eun So Park on violin for Scotch Strathspey and Reel. Grainger was excited by the idea that several Irish, Scottish, and English tunes (in this case 6 plus a sea chanty) might work well intertwined and fit together, resulting in a “strange merry friendly Babel of tune, harmony, and rhythm…” The most recognizable song to our audience might well have been, “What Would You with a Drunken Sailor,” which often came to the fore with the male voices at the helm. One could have described it as a kaleidoscope of sound. At any one point one’s ear could have landed on a melody and then be quickly whisked away to another!
The wind players then took their own turn at Irish Tune from County Derry, filling out the piece with its wide array of instrumental textures. It was a wonderful gift to hear both versions on the same concert. It was a celebration of the various ways humans can produce sounds all to the effect of stirring a listener’s heart and mind.
Children’s March: Over the Hills and Far Away might be described as one of Grainger’s most endearing pieces. Purely original material, it begins with woodwinds smoothly creeping up a scale in triple meter, the tempo of a typical march, but certainly not the style. He heavily features low reeds, employs his arsenal of surprise dissonance and interruptions to the melody, which surely reflects the essence of children playing, included a men’s chorus, and even set the horn section free in a bombastic statement of the tune. Our spirited percussion and bassoon sections lead the piece to the fading conclusion… over the hills and far away.
Harry Wooten returned to conduct the Irving Chorale for Australian Up-Country Tune. Grainger compared his intentions to Stephen Foster’s capturing of the American country and even had the choral version first sung at his own wedding. As in Irish Tune, in which used the “ah” syllable rather than words, he chose to have singers use nonsense vowels because “that music carries its own special message to the soul–a message that is weakened if words are set to music.” Judging by the stillness and thick silence of the audience, this certainly rang true for this performance.
Rounding out the concert was Marching Song of Democracy. Grainger was inspired by Walt Whitman’s writings on democracy as a teenager and aimed to have his music celebrate an “easy-going, happy-go-lucky, yet robust hopefulness.” Grainger’s original intentions for this piece were quite lofty, and as it turned out, unattainable. He envisioned this work for a “chorus of men, women, and children singing and whistling to the rhythmic accompaniment of their tramping feet as they marched along in the open air.” He judged it to be more fitting for the concert hall but stuck by the notion that it should be performed with an “athletic out-of-door spirit.” The work was a fitting finale for the ‘Wildflowers’ concert. Musical lines constantly bloomed and soared one after the other, growing, falling, and growing again, shifting and featuring different sections and rich sounds in each measure to the ringing bells and echoes at the end. A reprise of “Lost Lady Found” with the Irving Chorale brought the afternoon to a joyful close.
About the Author
Amy Stokes is a charter member of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, and currently serves as horn section manager. She grew up in Memphis, TN where her father, a band director, decided she should play either horn or oboe in 6th grade band in order to earn a scholarship for college. She took naturally to horn right away and indeed received scholarships to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. After following her husband to Dallas, she received a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of North Texas, where she performed with the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and many chamber ensembles. She can be heard on 11 recording projects by the North Texas Wind Symphony. She has performed with various orchestras and is an active freelancer DFW in addition to having taught private instruction in Denton, Frisco, and Flower Mound. She currently teaches horn students at Coram Deo Academy in Flower Mound. Her husband Dax, is a reference librarian at North Central Texas College and serves on the board of Lone Star Wind Orchestra. They live in Corinth with their 3 children Hannah, Chloe, and Colin. She wants to thank her teachers and mentors along the way: Jennifer Kummer, Calvin Smith, Dr. Gary Sousa, Dr. Bill Scharnberg, Eugene Corporon, and David Ryan.