P R O G R A M N O T E S ( c o n t .) John T. Williams b. February 8, 1932; Flushing, NY Hymn to the Fallen One of the foremost contemporary composers of symphonic film scores is the redoubtable John Williams, a man who simultaneously produces concert works and exciting movie music. Drawing upon heroic elements within the modern Romantic tradition, Williams combines contemporary techniques with time-honored musical gestures as he creates his particularly effective film scores. This impressive and ever-growing list has included the Superman series, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Star Wars series, his evocative music for the extraterrestrial visitation of Close Encounters of the Third Kind as well as scores for The Patriot and Saving Private Ryan. Hymn to the Fallen, for wordless chorus and orchestra, occurs only at the end of the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, under its closing credits. Director Steven Spielberg comments:“It’s a piece of music and a testament to John Williams’ sensitivity and brilliance that, in my opinion, will stand the test of time and honor forever the fallen of this war and possibly all wars.” Program Notes by Roger Ruggeri © 2011 John T. Williams b. February 8, 1932; Flushing, NY Dry Your Tears, Afrika from “Amistad” The 1997 film, Amistad, bears the name of a slave ship that had a mutiny in 1839 while voyaging toward the northeastern coast of America. Much of the movie is concerned with the courtroom trial of the free man who led the revolt. Central to this Spielberg film is John Williams’ song Dry Your Tears, Afrika, a setting of a poem by the Ivory Coast writer and administrator Bernard Dadié (b. 1916). Originally written in 1956, in French, the poem translates in part: “We have drunk of ill fortune and of glory And our senses are now opened To the splendor of your beauty To the smell of your forests To the charm of your waters To the clearness of your skies To the caress of your sun And to the charm of your foliage pearled by the dew.” The chorus sings the text in Mende, a West African language spoken mostly in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Program Notes by Roger Ruggeri © 2011
Auditions for Milwaukee Children’s Choir’s 2011-2012 season May 7 & 14, 2011 for singers of all school ages. Email membership@milwaukeechildrenschoir.org or call 414-221-7040 for an appointment. 6 Milwaukee Children’s Choir and Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra