ENID, OK - Royal Occasions…The next performances by Douglas Newell and the Enid Symphony Orchestra will feature music composed especially for royal events. Included on the playlist of are such hits as Handel’s Water Music, composed for the birthday of King George II of England – yes the very same king who stood during the playing of the Hallelujah chorus at its London premiere, establishing a tradition that is observed to this day.
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Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo a favola in musica (fable in music) was composed in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua. The plot of the fable was based upon the Greek myth of Orpheus descending into Hades to rescue his wife Euridice. The overture’s fanfare beginning Is followed by an apostrophe to the virtues of music as an art.
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Handel’s three Water Music Suites were composed for floating parties on the river Thames at the request of King George I. Individual movements from the various suites was played in random order. It is in that spirit that Maestro Newell has selected four of the most familiar movements for presentation on these performance, the Allegro, Air, Rigaudon and Hornpipe. The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from the oratorio Solomon and the soprano and trumpet duet aria Let the Bright Seraphim from the oratorio Samson remain two of the most well-known excerpts from his oratorios.
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Johann Joseph Stamitz was a Czech composer whose music proved to be a particular influence on the compositions of later masters Haydn and Mozart. Stamitz is remembered as the father of the Mannheim School. His musical experiments with gradually increasing loudness or crescendo (the so-called Mannheim Steamroller), sudden changes in volume (dynamics) from loud to soft and the use of silence as a significant element of musical composition were earmarks of the Mannheim style.
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Jeremiah Clarke’s regal march The Prince of Denmark was composed in honor of Prince George of Denmark whose wife was Quwwn Anne of Great Brittain. Originally a work for keyboard (likely harpsichord) the work features a trumpet solo. For many years falsely attributed to English composer Henry Purcell. Today, the march is frequently performed as bridal entry music in weddings.
Perhaps the most well-known hit on the first half of the program will be the Air from Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3. The Suite was composed for one of a particular Leipzig based collegium musicum. The Collegium was an ensemble of amateur musicians including college students who performed in the locations such as the Zimmerman coffeehouse of Leipzig.
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Commonly known as the theme to the PBS series Masterpiece Theatre, Jean Mouret’s Rondeau is a single movement from the Suites des Symphonies (literally suite of sounds). The suite was dedicated to the Prince of Dombes, son of the the Duchess of Maine. Mouret composed primarily for the theatre and ballet.
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Mozart’s Mass in C Major, K. 317 is commonly known as the Coronation Mass due to its use by the Imperial Court of Vienna for later coronations and other celebrations. It was composed by Mozart as part of his duties in the position of composer and court organist at the Salzburg Cathedral. The work is a setting of the ordinary elements of the Mass which are celebrated in all Catholic services. At the time of its composition, Mozart was twenty-three years old. His life as child prodigy (composer, keyboardist, singer and violinist) was over. In an effort to impress his new employer, the Mass features many “new” musical devices Mozart had recently encountered during a stay at Mannheim.
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The highlight of the program will be Mozart’s Mass in C, K, 317 which will feature the combined voices of Caecilia’s Muse and the NWOSU Choirs. Soloists for the Mozart include NWOSU faculty members Lawana Newell, soprano and Karsten Longhurst, tenor and NWOSU senior Chance Mayhall, baritone. Mezzo-soprano Lindsey Rollins will complete the roster of soloists.
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Tickets may be purchased at www.enidsymphony.org or by telephone at 580-237-9646.
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These performances are sponsored by Myra Ward and the Oklahoma Arts Council with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts. Park Avenue Thrift is a season sponsor of the Enid Symphony Orchestra.
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ESO Presents Music for Royal Occasions
