Americana, Vol. 3

The music of America is a vital expression of our way of life. It reveals the fusion of experiences, troubles and aspirations of many people in many places. The melodies carry the lusty energy and manly vigor of the pioneers and shanty boys, the loneliness of the cowboy, the tenderness of the Negro’s spiritual and the patriotic zeal of the colonists. They also resound with echoes of English ballads, dances from central Europe and rhythms of Africa. Here then is a treasurable segment from one of our most prized possessions – American music – the people’s own record of their history. The Symphonic “Pops” Orchestra is conducted by Nathaniel Shilkret, who has contributed some of his own stirring arrangements to this album – ‘Americana.’ The Arkansas Traveller, a true piece of folk music, is arranged by Nathaniel Shilkret in a series of orchestral variations. Arkansas and its environs is also the setting for Morning Pastoral, an excerpt from the ‘Ozarka Suite’ by Carl Busch. Its rich tonal colors paint a brilliant spectacle of a mountain sunrise, and its melody has a hint of English flavoring, a quality shared by many songs from this region. The Lee Rig, which follows, is a hornpipe melody with variations, that stems from the sailing chanteys of the eighteenth century. The melody’s particular Irish inflection may be due to the fact that the lead singer of these work chanteys was chosen from the most pleasing voice in the crew, usually belonging to an Irishman. One of the home-grown facets of American music is, of course, the cowboy song. Most of the trail songs expressed nostalgic sentiments yearning for home and the girl left behind. Nocturne On The Prairie mirrors the cowboy’s haunting loneliness. A bit more livelier is the Saturday Night Dance, a social gathering that was the high point of every pioneer’s week. Here, the fiddlers would spontaneously improvise on old tunes, just as the Symphonic “Pops” Orchestra paraphrases some popular American folk tunes in this inventive melodic selection. Fresh and inventive variations of the time-honored Pop Goes The Weasel open side two of ‘Americana.’ It is said that the weasel in the title doesn’t refer to an animal at all, but to the custom of London hatters to pawn or “pop” their weasels, or the instruments of their trade. The next selection, American Gavotte, finds the French peasant dance transposed into a typically American setting. Typical too, is The Jumping Frog, a bit of Americana popularized by Mark Twain. Nathaniel Shilkret has composed a jovial instrumental novelty that finds a jumping frog at his bumptious best in a combination of rural reflections and modern harmonies. Another reflection of America’s rich musical heritage is the marching band era around the turn of the century. With the color and excitement of Here Comes The Rodeo Parade, the Symphonic “Pops” Orchestra presents a musical excursion down main streets... U.S.A. At the pinnacle of all American songs there, naturally, stands our national anthem, the only surviving classic of the War of 1812. Farncis Scott Key adapted his famous lyrics to a tune which previously had hundreds of titles, the earliest on record being To Anacreon In Heaven, in 1775. The impressive full-orchestral rendition of The Star Spangled Banner by the Symphonic “Pops” Orchestra is a fitting climax to the musical vista of ‘Americana.’