THE GREENVILLE CONCERT BAND PRESENTS
OH! WHAT A MORNING! Dr. Dan Turner Music Director and Principal Conductor Kroc Center Conference Room 424 Westfield Street Greenville, SC 29601 Saturday, March 28, 2026 2:00 PM Rejouissance (Fantasia on Ein Feste Burg) ............................................ James Curnow (b. 1943) The French term “rejouissance” means “enjoyment” or “to make happy” and translates into English as “rejoicing.” In music of the 17th and 18th centuries, the term was used to denote a short composition of a lively or playful nature, bringing enjoyment to the listener. A “fantasia” is an improvisatory-style composition often based on a familiar theme, free in form and structure, allowing a composer to write outside the strict compositional rules. Martin Luther’s powerful Reformation-era hymn based on Psalm 46, “Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott” (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God”), became widely known throughout Europe and is a powerful statement of God's deliverance from “the prince of darkness grim.” This setting, however, is not grim or dark. It is bright, dazzling, brilliant in colors, and unrestrained. My Jesus! O What Anguish ..................................................................... J. S. Bach (1685 – 1750) Arr. Alfred Reed Mein Jesu! was fur Seelenweh, BWV 487 (My Jesus! Oh, What Anguish) is one of a group of 69 sacred songs and airs attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, first published in 1736 in a large collection of sacred songs. Each song exists only as a single melodic line with figured bass. Though scholars have debated how many of the 69 melodies Bach may have written, it is interesting to note that the authenticity of the melody of Mein Jesu! as Bach’s work alone has never been questioned. Of this music, Alfred Reed wrote, “For all its apparent simplicity of musical construction, this music is deeply moving and highly expressive.” Reed’s handling of melody and harmony captures the pathos expressed in the hymn text. The first performance of this setting for band took place on November 20, 1974, by the University of Miami Symphonic Wind Ensemble under the direction of Frederick Fennell. Praise Jerusalem! ................................................................................ Alfred Reed (1921 – 2005) Praise Jerusalem! (Variations on an Armenian Easter Hymn) is based on the 7th-century Armenian Easter hymn Kovya Yeroosaghem. The melody, documented and recorded by Armenian musicologist Gomidas Vartabed, is found in the collection “Chantles of the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church.” The original melody has deep meaning in the Armenian liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. The hymn begins with the words: “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Christ is risen from the dead, Alleluia!” This 1,400-year-old hymn celebrates the resurrection and is a central element of the Armenian Easter liturgy. American composer Alfred Reed brought new life to this ancient hymn by incorporating it into a theme and variation form with an introduction, theme, five variations, and a powerful finale, in