A typical Union Civil War-era brass band
"The Band." What Would Dad Say. What Would Dad Say, 7 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Oct.
2013. <http://whatwoulddadsay.com/files/2009/04/band9.jpg>.
"The Band." What Would Dad Say. What Would Dad Say, 7 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Oct.
2013. <http://whatwoulddadsay.com/files/2009/04/band9.jpg>.
What to Listen For...
by Andrew S.
The Blue and the Gray encompasses many major folk songs and marches from the Civil War and Emancipation (circa 1855-1870) era. This includes Kingdom Coming, Marching Through Georgia, Tenting Tonight, The Yellow Rose of Texas, The Bonnie Blue Flag, Aura Lee, Dixie, Battle Cry of Freedom, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Some songs are from the Union side (whose uniforms were blue), and some are from the Confederacy (whose uniforms were gray). A listener should listen closely to the recurring themes from either side. See the video below for a live performance of the suite.
The Blue and the Gray encompasses many major folk songs and marches from the Civil War and Emancipation (circa 1855-1870) era. This includes Kingdom Coming, Marching Through Georgia, Tenting Tonight, The Yellow Rose of Texas, The Bonnie Blue Flag, Aura Lee, Dixie, Battle Cry of Freedom, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Some songs are from the Union side (whose uniforms were blue), and some are from the Confederacy (whose uniforms were gray). A listener should listen closely to the recurring themes from either side. See the video below for a live performance of the suite.
When listening to The Blue and the Gray, one should notice the strategic movement of the melody throughout our band. At first, the percussion section starts out very quiet as if they are very far away and get increasingly louder right before the whole band comes in for an introduction. One should notice the first folk song, Kingdom Coming and its melody, which is played by the flutes. Kingdom Coming was a song sang by Union soldiers promising to help free the slaves by intimidating their masters.
After Kingdom Coming, Marching Through Georgia, a Union marching song, is pronounced with a key change to concert Bb from C. One should notice the melody shift throughout the band. Marching Through Georgia was a popular Union marching song. Slowly, the melody from Marching Through Georgia segues into Tenting Tonight, a home-yearning Union song. The emotional melody is carried through the clarinets and trumpets and harmonized by the woodwinds.
The tempo comes back with the flutes and clarinets in The Yellow Rose of Texas as the folk songs jump across the Mason-Dixon Line. Yellow Rose is a famous Confederate Marching Song. As the band comes back in, The Bonnie Blue Flag, an ode to the original flag of the South, is carried by the woodwinds. Once more, the tempo slows to give way to Aura Lee, the Confederate emotional song, which is epitomized by a trumpet solo. One should listen to the beautiful harmony echo in this section by the woodwinds and low brass. The tempo returns and blasts Dixie, the Confederacy's de-facto national anthem.
The Union melodies resurface in The Battle Cry of Freedom, followed by one of the most famous American marches, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which was made much more famous later. The Battle Hymn was written by a prominent Northern woman, Julia Ward Howe.
After Kingdom Coming, Marching Through Georgia, a Union marching song, is pronounced with a key change to concert Bb from C. One should notice the melody shift throughout the band. Marching Through Georgia was a popular Union marching song. Slowly, the melody from Marching Through Georgia segues into Tenting Tonight, a home-yearning Union song. The emotional melody is carried through the clarinets and trumpets and harmonized by the woodwinds.
The tempo comes back with the flutes and clarinets in The Yellow Rose of Texas as the folk songs jump across the Mason-Dixon Line. Yellow Rose is a famous Confederate Marching Song. As the band comes back in, The Bonnie Blue Flag, an ode to the original flag of the South, is carried by the woodwinds. Once more, the tempo slows to give way to Aura Lee, the Confederate emotional song, which is epitomized by a trumpet solo. One should listen to the beautiful harmony echo in this section by the woodwinds and low brass. The tempo returns and blasts Dixie, the Confederacy's de-facto national anthem.
The Union melodies resurface in The Battle Cry of Freedom, followed by one of the most famous American marches, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which was made much more famous later. The Battle Hymn was written by a prominent Northern woman, Julia Ward Howe.
A map of the Union and confederate states during the Civil War.
"The North and the South." Counter Corsets. The Counter Corset Company, n.d.
Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.contourcorsets.com/daily/
1864_Civil_War.png>.
"The North and the South." Counter Corsets. The Counter Corset Company, n.d.
Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.contourcorsets.com/daily/
1864_Civil_War.png>.
A performance of The Blue and The Gray at The University of Cincinnati.
MBANDFAN2. UC Early Concert Band Winter Program 3 11 2012 Blue and the Gray.MOV.
YouTube. Google, Inc., 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gBDILvi6Eg>.
MBANDFAN2. UC Early Concert Band Winter Program 3 11 2012 Blue and the Gray.MOV.
YouTube. Google, Inc., 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gBDILvi6Eg>.
A Performance Review
To further look into The Blue and the Gray, I researched a recording of the piece at The University of Cincinnati by their Concert Band. At their Early Concert Band Concert, which took place on March 11, 2012, they performed the Blue and the Gray by Clare Grundman. According to the video’s poster, this piece was their third selection. However, they did not mention the time of the performance.
This performance opened my eyes to the world of college concert performances. the performers in the band were somewhat professional and played without emotion while keeping a close eye on the conductor. The band had a full instrumentation complete with horns, many wind players, and a full percussion section. The performance space, a large and echoed gymnasium, may not have been the best location for the performance due to its acoustics, but it worked for this occasion. I believed that this piece was a great selection for a band of this size and instrumentation. it sounded like a march at times and a chorale at others due to the very well blending skills of the band.
Previously, I expressed my concern about the concert venue. I believed that, due to its size and construction materials, it was unfit for the sophistication of a concert band like the subject. The band did an amazing job of blending together. During Tenting Tonight, I felt like I was listening to a very emotional chorale. During the Battle Hymn of the Republic, I felt an enormous sense of pride. While at certain times, the clarinets were squeaky and other instruments had poor tone,his band did an amazing job of interpreting the themes of the folk songs written into this piece.
This performance of the Blue and the Gray was an amazing interpretation of this wonderful suite. The UC Concert Band was very professional and well-trained. The audience was silent in respect for the piece. The skill of a performance group to grasp the attention of their listeners is integral to their success. I would be very interested in seeing this group in the future.
Th review format was provided by Duke University's Writing Studio.
Duke University Writing Program. Duke University, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
<http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/concert.pdf>.
This performance opened my eyes to the world of college concert performances. the performers in the band were somewhat professional and played without emotion while keeping a close eye on the conductor. The band had a full instrumentation complete with horns, many wind players, and a full percussion section. The performance space, a large and echoed gymnasium, may not have been the best location for the performance due to its acoustics, but it worked for this occasion. I believed that this piece was a great selection for a band of this size and instrumentation. it sounded like a march at times and a chorale at others due to the very well blending skills of the band.
Previously, I expressed my concern about the concert venue. I believed that, due to its size and construction materials, it was unfit for the sophistication of a concert band like the subject. The band did an amazing job of blending together. During Tenting Tonight, I felt like I was listening to a very emotional chorale. During the Battle Hymn of the Republic, I felt an enormous sense of pride. While at certain times, the clarinets were squeaky and other instruments had poor tone,his band did an amazing job of interpreting the themes of the folk songs written into this piece.
This performance of the Blue and the Gray was an amazing interpretation of this wonderful suite. The UC Concert Band was very professional and well-trained. The audience was silent in respect for the piece. The skill of a performance group to grasp the attention of their listeners is integral to their success. I would be very interested in seeing this group in the future.
Th review format was provided by Duke University's Writing Studio.
Duke University Writing Program. Duke University, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
<http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/concert.pdf>.
Sources
"The Band." What Would Dad Say. What Would Dad Say, 7 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://whatwoulddadsay.com/files/2009/04/band9.jpg>.
Civil War Lyrics and Music Index. Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.civilwarheritagetrails.org/American_Civil_War/Dixie.html>.
Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/on-the-homefront/culture/music/bonnie-blue-flag/bonnie-blue-flag.html>.
Civil War Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/on-the-homefront/culture/music/battle-cry-of-freedom/battle-cry-of-freedom.html>.
Duke University Writing Program. Duke University, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/concert.pdf>.
Folk Archive. N.p., 1 July 2000. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.folkarchive.de/tenting.html>.
MBANDFAN2. UC Early Concert Band Winter Program 3 11 2012 Blue and the Gray.MOV. YouTube. Google, Inc., 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gBDILvi6Eg>.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia. The University of Georgia, 23 July 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiaencyclopedia.org%2Farticles%2Fhistory-archaeology%2Fmarching-through-georgia&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFtTPobw5UhEmFA14aBqF3l0TsoLw>.
"The North and the South." Counter Corsets. The Counter Corset Company, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.contourcorsets.com/daily/1864_Civil_War.png>.
Poetry and Music of the War Between the States. Civil War Poetry, 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.civilwarpoetry.org%2Funion%2Fsongs%2Fjubilo-exp.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHPS8n13SINugQceUr6AW3g-0AwsA>.
Slate. The Slate Group, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/life_and_art/2011/11/julia_ward_howe_s_battle_hymn_of_the_republic_how_it_changed_america_.html>.
The Telegraph. The Telegraph UK, 17 Oct. 2008. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3562247/The-story-behind-the-song-Love-Me-Tender.html-song-Love-Me-Tender.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGiXoyoNOqOspNQdbHTBYAlKYfMxQ>.
Texas A&M. Texas A and M University, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
Work Cited compiled by Noodle Tools.
For more information regarding what to listen for, email Andrew S. at [email protected].
Thank you for your viewership.
Civil War Lyrics and Music Index. Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.civilwarheritagetrails.org/American_Civil_War/Dixie.html>.
Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/on-the-homefront/culture/music/bonnie-blue-flag/bonnie-blue-flag.html>.
Civil War Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/on-the-homefront/culture/music/battle-cry-of-freedom/battle-cry-of-freedom.html>.
Duke University Writing Program. Duke University, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/concert.pdf>.
Folk Archive. N.p., 1 July 2000. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.folkarchive.de/tenting.html>.
MBANDFAN2. UC Early Concert Band Winter Program 3 11 2012 Blue and the Gray.MOV. YouTube. Google, Inc., 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gBDILvi6Eg>.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia. The University of Georgia, 23 July 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiaencyclopedia.org%2Farticles%2Fhistory-archaeology%2Fmarching-through-georgia&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFtTPobw5UhEmFA14aBqF3l0TsoLw>.
"The North and the South." Counter Corsets. The Counter Corset Company, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.contourcorsets.com/daily/1864_Civil_War.png>.
Poetry and Music of the War Between the States. Civil War Poetry, 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.civilwarpoetry.org%2Funion%2Fsongs%2Fjubilo-exp.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHPS8n13SINugQceUr6AW3g-0AwsA>.
Slate. The Slate Group, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/life_and_art/2011/11/julia_ward_howe_s_battle_hymn_of_the_republic_how_it_changed_america_.html>.
The Telegraph. The Telegraph UK, 17 Oct. 2008. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3562247/The-story-behind-the-song-Love-Me-Tender.html-song-Love-Me-Tender.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGiXoyoNOqOspNQdbHTBYAlKYfMxQ>.
Texas A&M. Texas A and M University, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
Work Cited compiled by Noodle Tools.
For more information regarding what to listen for, email Andrew S. at [email protected].
Thank you for your viewership.