the SCORE:

When Inspiration Strikes!

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra | 32 East Washington Street, Suite 600 | Indianapolis, IN 46204

mmasterman@IndianapolisSymphony.org

www.IndianapolisSymphony.org

Orcenith Smith, Conductor

Williams: “Imperial March” from The Empire Strikes Back

Grieg: “Morning Mood” from Peer Gynt

Beethoven: “Gewitter, Sturm” (Thunderstorm) from Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68

Debussy: “Nuages” from Nocturnes

Norman: Ligyrophobia

Copland: “Hoe Down” from Rodeo

Frank: “Testimonio III: Fireflies” from Peregrinos (Pilgrims)

Mussorgsky (arr. Tushmalov): Pictures at an Exhibition

Promenade

Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks

Baba Yaga

The Great Gate of Kiev

March 6

April 17-18 & 21

May 15 & 16

2018

Meet the Symphony

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1930 and

became a professional orchestra with salaried musicians in 1937.

Today, the ISO is the largest performing arts organization in

Indiana and performs hundreds of concerts every year. In

September 2011, Krzysztof Urbański became our Music Director,

and he is one of the youngest Music Directors of any major

American orchestra.

Williams,

Grieg &

Beethoven

Debussy &

Norman

Copland,

Frank &

Mussorgsky

Meet the

Conductor &

Deborah Asante

Tricky Timeline,

Crossword &

Word Scramble

Inside this Issue:

Page

2

Page

3

Page

4

Page

5

Page

6-7

2

John Williams (Born 1932)

(Pronounced: Will-yums)

American Composer

Edvard Grieg (1843 -1907)

(Pronounced: Greeg)

Norwegian Composer

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -1827)

(Pronounced: Bay-Toven)

German Composer

Williams had a love of music from a young age

because his father was a musician, and he gave

young Williams piano lessons.

He was drafted into the Air Force at age 19. After

serving for three years, he moved to New York to

play music professionally.

Williams eventually decided to focus on

composing music, and has written the musical

scores for over 100 movies (including Star Wars,

Harry Potter, and E.T.)

He was a guest conductor here at the ISO this

year!

Grieg’s mother was a musician, and she began

teaching him how to play the piano when he was

six years old.

He wasn’t the best student, but luckily a famous

violinist named Ole Bull noticed his musical talent.

Bull convinced Grieg’s parents to let him pursue a

career in music.

Grieg is remembered most as a nationalist

composer because he often featured Norwegian

folk tunes in his compositions.

Beethoven’s father began teaching him to play

piano and violin when he was four years old. His

father was very strict and stern.

Music was Beethoven’s whole life. He lacked

manners and cleanliness, and he wasn’t often a

nice person. When he ate at restaurants, he would

sometimes write music on the bill instead of paying!

He worked hard, and people loved his music. He

even continued composing when he lost his

hearing.

Check out the

in-class

recorder

activity on

page 7!

3

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

(Pronounced: Deb-you-see)

French Composer

James Norman (Born 1980)

(Pronunced: Nore-man)

American Composer

Debussy did not grow up in a musical family. He almost

became a painter, but his aunt convinced him to take

piano lessons.

He could be moody, and he wasn’t well-received by

everyone. He always continued creating no matter what

anyone else thought.

His music was popular during his lifetime, even though some critics gave him bad

reviews.

Norman grew up in Salem, Oregon. He began playing

piano in 3rd grade and trombone in 5th grade. He

studied music theory and composition in college.

In addition to composing his own music, Norman is the

Principal Librarian for the Indianapolis Symphony

Orchestra!

He lives here in Indianapolis with his wife and two sons.

Keep your

eyes open!

You might

catch a

glimpse of

Mr. Norman!

What instruments do you play?

I “play” the piano and trombone. Not always at the same time.

Do you remember how old you were when you first became involved in music? I began

piano lessons when I was in the third grade. I also composed my first piece of music that

same year, a piano piece that I performed on a recital. I’ve been told it was adorable.

What is your favorite food?

Tacos.

Where is the most interesting place your career has taken you?

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to a lot of places to hear my music performed, many of

which had excellent tacos. However my music is much more well-traveled than I am, having

been played on three continents and one island archipelago (that I know of).

What did you like to do for fun when you were in elementary school?

Roman numerals…without them I wouldn’t know which year certain films were copyrighted.

Who is your favorite character from Star Wars and why?

The Millennium Falcon, for obvious reasons.

4

Aaron Copland (1900 -1990)

(Pronounced: Cope-land)

American Composer

Gabriela Frank (Born 1972)

(Pronounced: Frahnk)

American Composer

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)

(Pronounced: Muss-org-skee)

Russian Composer

Copland was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was the youngest

of five children.

One of his sisters gave him piano lessons, and he composed

his first piece of music when he was eight years old.

He studied traditional music theory, but decided he wanted

to try out new ideas and techniques.

It is said that he was the first composer to achieve a style that

represented an overall, iconic sound of “American classical

music.” In fact, “Hoe Down” features two American folk songs:

“Bonaparte’s Retreat” and “McLeod’s Reel.”

She has a very diverse background. Her mother has

Peruvian/Chinese ancestry and her father has

Lithuanian/Jewish heritage.

She is known for composing music that is based on stories

and cultures, especially those with Latino influence. She is

also a renowned pianist.

She spends time volunteering in hospitals and prisons. She

also worked on a project with deaf high-school students,

which is really awesome because she has hearing loss

herself!

Her favorite Star Wars character is R2D2, and she loved

playing handball as a kid.

Her favorite place to visit is Tacquile, Perú: A poor but

beautiful island in a lake where men are famous for

knitting their own hats.

He grew up in a wealthy family, and his mother gave him

piano lessons at a young age. He performed his first

concerto when he was nine years old.

Even though he was very talented, he spent most of his

adult life working for the Russian government.

He set out to compose a distinctly Russian form of

classical music. He is known as a nationalist composer.

Mussorgsky struggled to finish projects he started, so

much of his music was finished by friends like Nikolai

Rimsky-Korsakov.

5

Meet your Narrator: Deborah Asante

Concert Etiquette Tips: Enjoy the music (and let others enjoy it, too). During the performance, please

remain quiet and in your seat until the concert is over.

Please, no eating, drinking or chewing gum in the hall.

Photographing or recording any part of the performance is not allowed.

Vince Lee, Conductor

Deborah Asante, Word Dancer, Truth Enhancer, Book Lover, Joy

Discoverer, Blues Chaser, Hope Placer, World Traveler, Jazz

Gatherer, Dream Farmer, Child Charmer, Justice Seeker, History

Keeper…There are so many ways to say Storyteller. Ms. Asante is

the Founding Artistic Director of the Asante Children's Theatre: a

cultural organization that is for everyone. It uses the arts to foster

personal and artistic development in youth and adults from all

walks of life to connect with each other and grow.

Meet your Conductor: Orcenith Smith What instruments do you play?

My mother started me on piano as early as I can remember; I began

clarinet in 4th grade, changed to tuba and added string bass. Tuba is

my main instrument, and I use the piano additionally to help me

continue to study different kinds of music.

Do you remember how old you were when you first became involved

in music?

Not really, but it was in my household continuously, since both of my

parents were music teachers/performers and my older sister played the

flute. I do remember crawling around on the floor around the piano

when my mother was giving lessons!

What is your favorite food?

Italian meatball spaghetti and Mexican fajitas

Where is the most interesting place your career has taken you?

Conducting concerts in Austria and Japan, and with the ISO here at the Hilbert!

What did you like to do for fun when you were in elementary school?

It was fun to be outside at recess playing different games with friends. After I started

playing an instrument, I really liked to practice, too! It was fun!

Who is your favorite character from Star Wars and why?

R2D2; as small as this robot is, his expressive sounds say a lot, and his helpful technology is

extraordinary!

6

Crossword Puzzle

Tricky Timeline Fill in the blanks with the name of the composer that lived during each time period.

1770 1820 1870 1920 1970 Present

France

Russia

Norway

Germany

United States

Across

2. Our conductor is Orcenith ___________

7. Composed "Great Gate of Kiev"

8. "___________" of the unhatched chicks

9. Last name of the Principal Librarian at

the ISO

10. "Hoe Down" features the tune from

Bonaparte's ___________

Down

1. Another name for lightning bugs

3. Composer who wrote "Morning

Mood"

4. Composed "Fireflies"

5. "_________ March” from Star Wars

7

Word Scramble

_______________ didn’t have great manners. TVNEOEHEB

Our Narrator is Deborah _______________ ASATNE

One of the movements in Pictures at an Exhibition: _____________ BAAB AYGA

Piece of music written by James Norman: _____________ HRIBAGPIOLOY

The First movement in Pictures at an Exhibition: _____________ RPDEOEAMN

Sing Or Play Recorder In The Classroom This year we won’t be playing recorders during the concert, but you can learn to sing and

play this melody that is heard in Grieg’s “Morning Mood.”

What Do You Think?

1) Looking at the timeline on page 6, could any of these composers have

known each other? Which composer could not possibly have known

any of the others?

2) Which country has the most composers represented in this year’s

Discovery Concert?

3) If you could meet one of these composers, who would it be? Why? What

questions would you ask him/her?

4) If you had to pick one of these composers to be on your kickball team,

who would it be? Why?

8

References:

Althouse, Jay & O’Reilly, Judith, Accent on Composers, Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Publishing Co., 2001.

Berger, Melvin, A Guide to Orchestral Masterpieces, NY: Anchor Books by Doubleday, 1995.

Ewan, David, Orchestral Music: Its Story Told Through the Lives and Works of its Foremost Composers, NY: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1973.

Kendall, Catherine Wolff, More Stories of Composers for Young Musicians, Edwardsville, IL: Toadwood Publishers, 1985.

Krull, Kathleen, Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (And What the Neighbors Thought), NY: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1993.

Nicholas, Jeremy, The Great Composers: The Lives and Music of 50 Great Classical Composers, London: Quercus, 2007.

Sadie, Stanley, Editor, the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition, Vol. 9, NY: Macmillan, 2001.

Schonberg, Harold C., The Lives of the Great Composers, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 1981.

Website References:

https://www.biography.com/people/john-williams-9532526

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edvard-Grieg

http://www.classicfm.com/composers/debussy/pictures/debussy-20-facts-about-great-composer/paris-conservatoire/

http://www.classicfm.com/composers/grieg/

http://www.filmmusicnotes.com/john-williams-themes-part-3-of-6-the-imperial-march-darth-vaders-theme/

https://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/four-dance-episodes-form-rodeo-aaron-copland

http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/2388/37105

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/edvard-grieg-2.jpg

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/john-williams-4.jpg https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/claude-debussy-

4.jpg

https://www.wfyi.org/programs/peregrinos-pilgrims-a-musical-journey/television/peregrinos-pilgrims-a-musical-journey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WDYa8T83A4

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