Overall, each section of instruments created one unison sound as if it were one instrument playing rather than making it sound like 10 flutes were trying to play in unison. The Star Spangled Banner had a faster tempo than what you would normally hear played at a sporting event. The harmony parts created by the brass instruments really stood out. The Duke of Cambridge March had a unique percussion timbre as the snare drum gave off this feeling that you were in the middle of battle marching towards combat. The Pavane for a Dead Princess was originally written as a “parlor piece”. Naturally, the music had a somber feeling to it. Most sections were very gentle and legato and took the form of a soundscape. In the Overture a la Russe, there was a change in pace from the last piece as it was very energetic from the very first note. This piece did have an ABA form where the B section had a slower feeling to it. The one characteristic that made this piece unique was the simple, yet unnatural percussion sounds used such as the slapping of sticks together. The Federal March had a carnival sound to it with rhythmic note sequences. The Symphonic Suite was sounds from the film score of the television series Band of Brothers. The brass and wind instruments were very prominent in this medley. Choreography was written to show the energy in the ideas of theatrical choreography. The music was very swift moving with variable speeds throughout the piece. Steadfast Leadership included small elements like bugle calls and parts of songs from the U.S. Army since this was written for the 1956 graduating class of West Point. The wind instruments really stood out throughout the piece. The “war horse” of all band music is said to be the Overture of 1812. This song tells the story of the War of 1812. There were lots of scales and many repetitive phrases or pattern of notes. To authenticate this story of the War of 1812, the director decides to use computer-produced cannon shots. The Directorate March was light and joyful; a great way to wrap up the concert.
The performers included the band director and the band members. Each band member walked on stage individually from backstage and either talked to one another or warmed up non-formally 5 minutes before the concert began. They were dressed in black dresses for the women and a suit and tie for the men. The band members made sure their instruments were in tune together before the director came out on stage. The director was there to keep the band on tempo. If the piece being performed consisted of a faster tempo, he would use a baton, or directing stick, to ensure everyone was able to see the fast tempo. Once the band started to perform, I noticed two major observations. The first observation was the band members focus on their sheet music while keeping the director in their peripheral vision. My second observation was watching some band members tap their foot in order to keep the beat along with the director. In Choreography, while some members weren’t playing, they would be swaying along with the music. In between pieces, the director gave background information of the next piece to give us an overview of what to expect.
The most notable observation about the audience is that they consisted of mostly elderly people, with the exception of a pair of children who were there to watch their mom or dad. The audience was very respectful and knew when to clap like when the director came out at the beginning of the concert and intermission and after he stepped off the podium after each piece the band performed. The audience naturally stood up for the Star Spangled Banner, while some even sang softly to themselves. During the first half of the show, everyone was very concentrated on the performers and the performance itself. About halfway through the performance, it seemed that the audience was loosing up as some were clapping along with the rhythmic pieces or nodding their heads along with parts they were familiar with. After intermission, the audience seemed to become very animated as they laughed with the director at some of his background information jokes or directed along with the most common part of Overture of 1812. The audience gave standing ovations after the final two pieces of the concert.
This concert was performed on a Sunday afternoon, which attracted the type of audience it did. The concert was performed at the Eisemann Center, one of the main performance centers in Richardson. It was a very large performance hall where the stage was big enough for the entire band to fit in a semi-circle shape with the director standing in the middle of it. It seemed like there was way too many seats for a community-based concert. It could have easily been a different turnout for the concert on Saturday night.
Works Cited:
Spring Showcase. Perf. Richardson Community Band. Cond. George W. Jones. Eisemann Center Hill Performance Hall, Richardson. March 28, 2010. (Spring Showcase)
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