KaCee Booth

Download

Download Full Text (900 KB)

Publication Date

3-5-2006

Year of Release

2006

Note(s)

KaCee Booth, horn

Stephen Lawson, piano

Matthew Murphy, tuba

Justin Gore, clarinet

Kay Lawson, bassoon

Eric Hjelmstad, Joshua Richardson, trumpet

Patrick Billups, trombone

Notes

I'll be Around and It's so Peaceful in the Country

Alec Wilder had only two years of formal composition at the Eastman School of Music. Because of this, his writing style was formed through listening to popular songs of the day. In the mid 1930's, Wilder began arranging songs for the Ford Radio show, a position which inspired him to compose his own popular songs and shows. Wilder wrote hundreds of songs, but received little or no public recognition. Around 1945, two of his songs, I'll Be Around and It's so Peaceful in the Country, became worldwide hits, as performed by famous singers such as Frank Sinatra, Mabel Mercer, and Peggy Lee. There were a few songs after that time which also became popular, but these two works were the epitome of his popular success.

Sonata No. 1

Written in 1954, Sonata No. 1 for Horn and Piano was one of the first major works Wilder wrote for horn. John Barrows, Wilder's lifelong friend from Eastman School of Music, had just moved back to New York City from playing in the Minneapolis Orchestra, Wilder was so thrilled with his return that he wrote this Sonata, which Wilder considered the turning point in his career from popular to chamber music. As a finishing touch, Wilder included a brief but accurate description of the work on the cover of the first recording:

".... opens with a strong, virile first movement, with great interplay of thematic ideas between piano and horn. The second movement relaxes into a somber blues tempo, and the third movement is simply good clean fun!"

Suite for Horn, Tuba, and Piano

Alec Wilder always preferred composing music for his friends. He found this more enjoyable because his friends would support him and not be condescending if they did not like a certain work. Given this environment, it is not surprising that he wrote works for John Barrows, and tubist Harvey Phillips. These men were two of his closest friends, and he wrote for each of them a wealth of music to add to their instrument's repertoire.

It was not until a talk with Crest Record's producer Clark Galehouse, however, that Wilder thought about writing for horn and tuba together. The incredible musicianship of Barrows and Phillips produced a combination that exceeded Wilder's hopes. Fan and friend Whitney Balliett describes the Suite as a "piece in a high lyric order that easily converts the tuba from a two-by-four into a soaring gable; he makes jazz and formal music work hand in hand."

Moosacaglia

While at the Eastman School of Music, Wilder became obsessed with the idea of counterpoint. He had a profound love of Bach and considered counterpoint to be the essential foundation of any good work. He also had a way of poking fun at people who had problems with his writing style. The classical musicologists were convinced that Wilder could not write anything that was "straight" or not influenced by jazz, and he sought out to prove them wrong. Moosacaglia is a typical fugue, and is meant to show the "moosacologists" that he was capable of writing "legitimate" music.

Brass Quintet No. 2

It is no surprise that Alec Wilder enjoyed composing for all sorts of instrument combinations, but he was particularly fond of writing for brass. Wilder composed nearly 40 published compositions for various Brass Ensembles, as well as several more unpublished brass works. Many of them are written for Brass Quintet. Written in 1961, Brass Quintet No. 2 is a wonderful example of Wilder's ability to combine elements of classical and popular styles into a four movement work for Brass Quintet. Each movement includes diverse stylistic elements varying from fast and chromatic, to slow and romantic, to cheerful and ethnic.

Five Love Songs

Five Love Songs was commissioned by Morris Seacon, a horn player from Rochester, NY. At this time, Wilder was recovering from a nine month hiatus from composing due to the death of his best friend, John Barrows, in January of 1974.

When Wilder began work on the commission, it was not the love songs he heard in his mind, but another piece for horn he named John Barrows. When he took this to Seacon, he apologized about not having the love songs and that the Barrows piece was what came out when he started to write. Seacon was of course pleased with the work, but commissioned once again the Five Love Songs for Horn and Chamber Orchestra that he wanted. This work finally was premiered in 1979 for the International Horn Society Workshop held in East Lansing, Michigan at Michigan State University.

Note

First Presbyterian Church, Huntington, WV

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Fine Arts | Music | Music Performance

Marshall University Music Department Presents a Senior Recital, KaCee Booth, horn, Stephen Lawson, piano, featuring the, Music of Alec Wilder, (1907-1980)

Share

COinS