Mayerville Junior High and High School Presents

The Landscape of Freedom

Middle School
Statue of Liberty…………………………………………………………………… Thierry Deleruyelle
(b. 1983)
Legend of Devil’s Lake………………………………………………………Michael Sweeney
(b. 1952)
Pixar Movie Magic………………………………………………………… Michael Brown
(b. 1962)

Intermission
High School
Armed Forces Salute……………………………………………………………. Robert Lowden
(1920-1998)
American Civil War Fantasy……………………………………………………. Jerry H. Bilik
( b. 1933)
An American Elegy………………………………………………………………Frank Ticheli
(b. 1958)
American Riversongs…………………………………………………………….Pierre La Plante
(b.1943)
The Statue of Liberty
Thierry Deleruyelle is a French composer who was born in 1983. Originally a
percussionist, he learned composition at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de
Paris. In addition to composing for band, he also has works for orchestral works, wind and brass
band, chamber music, and solo works as well. As a conductor he records for Hal Leonard MGB
publications.
The Statue of Liberty was composed in 2014 and depicts the majestic statue that was
given as a gift from his home of France to the new country of the United States of America. The
piece starts with a majestic theme that starts in the clarinets and is passed through the band at a
faster tempo. The percussion has a driving feel through the piece that seems heroic in nature and
illuminates the beauty of America’s greatest gift from France.
Legend of Devil’s Lake
Michael Sweeney was born in 1952 and has a massive amount of works for band. He
studied music education and composition at Indiana State University Bloomington and taught
until 1982 when he took a job at Hal Leonard Corporations, a band publishing company in
Milwaukee, and is currently the Director of Band Publications there. He is best known for his
works for younger concert and jazz band and has over 500 publications in his name. He also
works as a well sought out clinician and conductor for honor bands.
The Legend of Devil’s Lake was commissioned by the Wisconsin Youth Band
Association for the Honor Band in 2011. It tells a story of the lake that was formed in the last ice
age, Devil’s Lake, which is in central Wisconsin. With its vast scenery and beauty with cliffs of
limestone around the lake, legends have formed about the origin of this lake. The Legend of
Devil’s Lake depicts a Native American legend of a battle of serpents that inhabit the lake, and
thunderbirds that inhabit the cliffs. Both the serpents and the thunderbirds have their own distinct
theme within the piece. The percussion part sounds almost ritualistic, adding to the “battle.” The
two themes clash and intermingle within the band in a powerful and exhilarating close of the
piece.
Pixar Movie Magic
Michael Brown was born in 1962 in New Orleans, Louisiana and has many famous
credits to his name. He earned both his degrees in music theory, his bachelor’s from Furman
University, and his master’s at University of Texas at Austin. Some of his credits include The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympics. As a talented
arranger, he is currently the staff arranger for the United States Army Band in Washington D.C.,
previously he was the Chief Arranger for the United States Military Academy Band at West
Point, New York. With his compositions, he takes his experiences as a college and high school
band director in order to create music for young bands.
Since the release of Toy Story in 1995, American made company Pixar, along with
Disney have been making memorable movies as well as memorable soundtracks that are
recognizable to almost anyone. Brown encapsulates the magic of Disney/ Pixar with a medley of
popular songs from different movies that will excite any ear. Pixar Movie Magic includes
selections from “The Incredibles,” “Up,” “Ratatouille,” “Cars” and “Toy Story.” Pixar Movie
Magic was published in 2011 and has a wide variety of different music.
Armed Forces Salute
Robert “Bob” Lowden was born in New Jersey in 1920 and is beknown for his concert
band and big band jazz arrangements. Formerly a teacher, Lowden attended Temple University
and taught for ten years before going full time for composing and arranging music. While he was
teaching, Lowden was a trombonist and arranger with the U.S. Army Band. He worked on
concert band, orchestra, and stage bands, with many of his arrangements in the pop genre. Some
of his most popular works are American Folk Song Suite, and the one that will be played tonight.
Robert “Bob” Lowden died in New Jersey in 1998.
As a thank you to all who are serving or served in the U.S. Armed Forces, this salute is a
medley of all branches of the military. Lowden seamlessly weaves each branches’ song right
after each other. Within each of the tributes there are snippets of American folk songs like
“Dixie” and “America the Beautiful,” along with many more folk tunes. With the melody being
passed around the band, there are also countermelodies and complex harmonies that take place.
With all the patriotism and folk music that is embedded in this piece, it is hard not to feel pride in
our great nation. If you or someone you know has served, feel free to stand and be recognized
when you hear your branches song.
American Civil War Fantasy
Jerry H. Bilik was born in 1933 in New York and has seen a lot of work with many well
known artists. Known as a music virtuoso by the age of 13, he has more than 50 works to his
name from ballads to marches and has a wide range of composition skills. He received his
bachelor’s in music education, and his master’s in composition, both from the University of
Michigan. He had the chance to work with artists such as Dick Van Dyke, Leonard Bernstein,
and Neil Diamond. He also arranged music for many television shows and On top of writing
music for band, he also does a lot for Disney, where he is the Vice President of creative
development for Disney on Ice, which not only does he arrange for, but he also writes and directs
the show as well.
American Civil War Fantasy was commissioned for a halftime show for the University of
Michigan in 1961 and was presented by the marching band, it was so well liked that it was
reformatted for the concert hall. It is a tone poem that reflects the feeling and the mood prior to
the American Civil War in 1861-1865. The piece has music depicting both the North and the
South and rumblings of war coming from the drums with the sounds of patriotic songs, which is
personified with The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The music becomes reflective and hope for
the future is heard with a grand build. The way the tunes intermingle with each other will give a
sense of reflectiveness on our past and give hope for our country.
An American Elegy
Originally from Louisiana, Frank Ticheli was born in 1958. His work in the field of
music is quite expansive, not only focusing on the band medium, but also having many works
that include choral, orchestral, and chamber music. Many of his works for band expanded the
medium and are considered crucial for any ensemble. Some notable works for band include
Angels in the Architecture, and Music for Winds and Percussion. He completed his bachelor’s
degree at Southern Methodist University in Texas, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in
Music Composition at the University of Michigan. Some of his educators include William
Albright, Leslie Bassett, and George Wilson. Ticheli has been the recipient of many high-ranking
composition rewards that include the Arts and Letters Award, The Charles Ives Scholarship, and
the National Band Association/Revelli Memorial Prize to name a few. After receiving his
doctorate, Frank Ticheli accepted a position at the Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, as
the Assistant Professor of Music. With the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, he served as the
composer-in-residence from 1991-1998. Since 1991, Ticheli has been the Professor of
Composition at the University of Southern California’s Thorton School of Music.
An American Elegy is, above all, an expression of hope. It was composed in memory of
those who lost their lives at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, and to honor the
survivors. It is offered as a tribute to their great strength and courage in the face of a tragedy. I
hope the work can also serve as one reminder of how fragile and precious life is and how
intimately connected, we all are as human beings. I was moved and honored by this commission
invitation, and deeply inspired by the circumstances surrounding it. Rarely has a work revealed
itself to me with such powerful speed and clarity. The first eight bars of the main melody came
to me fully formed in a dream. Virtually every element of the work was discovered within the
span of about two weeks. The remainder of my time was spent refining, developing, and
orchestrating. The work begins at the bottom of the ensemble's register and ascends gradually to
a heartfelt cry of hope. The main theme that follows, stated by the horns, reveals a more lyrical,
serene side of the piece. A second theme, based on a simple repeated harmonic pattern, suggests
yet another, more poignant mood. These three moods -- hope, serenity, and sadness -- become
intertwined throughout the work, defining its complex expressive character. A four-part canon
builds to a climactic quotation of the Columbine Alma Mater. The music recedes, and an
offstage trumpeter is heard, suggesting a celestial voice -- a heavenly message. The full ensemble
returns with a final, exalted statement of the main theme. An American Elegy was commissioned
by the Columbine Commissioning Fund, a special project sponsored by the Alpha Iota Chapter
of Kappa Kappa Psi at the University of Colorado on behalf of the Columbine High School
Band. Contributors to the Fund included members, chapters, alumni, and friends of Kappa Kappa
Psi and Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Fraternity and Sorority. The work received its
premiere performance by the Columbine High School Band, William Biskup, Director, Frank
Ticheli, guest conductor, on April 23, 2000. Its premiere served as the centerpiece of a special
commemorative concert given by the Columbine High School Band in conjunction with the
University of Colorado Wind Symphony, held at Mackey Hall in Boulder, Colorado.
Program Notes by Frank Ticheli
American Riversongs
Pierre La Plante was born in 1943, of French-Canadian descent in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, and grew up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. At the University of Wisconsin- Madison,
he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. He taught elementary school
through college levels that include classroom, band, and choral experience. Originally a bassoon
player, he performs with the Beloit-Janesville Symphony as well as compose. He is known for
his work for winds, a lot of them having an American theme. He has adjudicated solo and
ensemble festivals and currently resides in Oregon, Wisconsin.
American Riversongs is based on traditional and composed music of an earlier time in
America. Featuring tunes like “Down by the River” and a dramatic rendition of ‘Shenandoah,”
the piece starts with a blast. Afterwards a brass band is heard playing a theme by Stephen Foster,
and a second theme appears that is based on a Creole bamboula tune that has its origins in the
Louisiana delta region. Others have used this theme before, like Louis Moreau Gottschalk, who
made the banjo more famous. There is a great use of ragtime, a precursor to what we know as
jazz, and brings the piece to a rambunctious full-band close. The piece was commissioned and
dedicated to the 1988-89 Oberlin High School Band and was published in 1991.

Acknowledgements
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 Mayerville Middle School Band
Flute Trumpet

Piccolo

Oboe French Horn

English Horn

Bassoon
Trombone
E-flat Clarinet

Clarinet Euphoniums

Bass Clarinet Tuba

Saxophone Percussion
Alto
Tenor
Baritone
 Mayerville High School Band
Flute Trumpet

Piccolo

Oboe French Horn

English Horn

Bassoon
Trombone
E-flat Clarinet

Clarinet Euphoniums

Bass Clarinet Tuba

Saxophone Percussion
Alto
Tenor
Baritone