If music be the food of love, as Shakespeare once wrote, then I hope youre hungry.

That
last bit was me. Ive had a sneak peek of the menu, and tonights concert will be a
veritable smorgasbord of delicious, tantalising musical numbers. Rather than dining on
crumpets, however, we will be treated to a repast of trumpets. While we will not be eating
drumsticks, there will be plenty of drums and sticks to keep you entertained. We will not,
unfortunately, be drinking from flutes but listening to their pleasings. All lightly seasoned
not with Saxa salt, but with a generous helping of saxophones. In hindsight, you probably
should have eaten before you came. However! It is in this hallowed hall that the real
nourishment of the soul will take place. There will also be a selection of snacks available
at the bar at intermission, if you are actually hungry.

Welcome one, welcome all. My name is Rory Dempsey, School Captain of the Class of
2013 actor, author, philosopher, thinker, friend. It is an honour to be here tonight with
you all. It really is just great to get out of the house.

I would like to extend a special and warm welcome to the College Rector Father Chris
Middleton, Principal Dr Chris Hayes, Chairman of the College Council Mr Frank Peck and
Mrs Geraldine Peck, members of the College council, College executives, Principal of
Genazzano College Ms Karen Jebb and the choir of Genazzano, Xavier College sta,
students, parents and friends of the Xavier Music School, or FOXMS, as Im told the
collective noun is. Sorry, I need to catch my breath after that. It gives me great pleasure to
be standing here before you tonight to stand behind the countless passionate and gifted
students that will be performing in tonights concert.

Item 1: The first item for the evening is not just a musical work, but the result of a
collaborative project which grew out of a desire to have a visiting artist compose a work
with the students. While blessed with a large number of wonderful composers in
Australia, students were overjoyed when Paul Jarman accepted the oer to work with
them to explore the concept and compose a piece with them.

Through the creation of the work, students explored the themes of culture and indigenous
peoples across the world. The song features a total of eight dierent languages, each
representing regions of the world, their indigenous people and beliefs. To achieve this,
students worked with members of our Xavier College community to discover a diversity of
cultures, stories and languages. The lyrics are inspired by a variety of cultural proverbs,
prayers and the writings of Saint Ignatius.

Maori, Swahili, Russian, Gaelic, Chinese and Spanish verses are lenses through which we
meet the first peoples of Oceania, Africa, Russia and the Middle East, Asia and America.
For those of you who werent able to get over to watch the Olympics in Rio, Id say this is
the next best thing and note that Russia were graciously allowed to be represented in
the song, in spite of allegations of performance-enhancing substances. Music is not an
exclusive art form.

The opening lyrics of the song Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam To God Alone the
Glory remind us of our Ignatian spirituality, and the English lyrics represent the
perspective of our current students at the College.

These verses reveal the central indigenous beliefs and values of love, family,
friendship and spirituality, which are mirrored in the lives of Xaviers students of
today.

It has been said that One cannot discover new oceans unless they have the
courage to lose sight of the shore. You certainly wont want to take your eyes of
this talented group of young musicians, so please join me in welcoming the Early
Years Choir as we haul up the anchor and set sail for Distant Shores.

Item 2: The theme for tonights concert is Music Through Time. Not the herb. The annals
of history. Tonight, we invite you to join us on a journey through the ages as we reflect
upon and attempt to understand the sophisticated role that music has played, if youll
pardon the pun, in the formation of the world and the vast melting pot of cultures and
people in which we live today.

The origin of music is unknown as it occurred prior to recorded history, some time before
the invention of social media (gasp!). Some suggest that the origin of music likely stems
from naturally occurring sounds and rhythms. Human music may echo these phenomena
using patterns, repetition and tonality. Even today, some cultures have certain instances
of their music intending to imitate natural sounds. It may also serve entertainment (game)
[5][6] or practical (luring animals in hunt)[5] functions.

It is probable that the first musical instrument was the human voice itself, which can make
a vast array of sounds, from singing, humming and whistling through to clicking, coughing
and yawning. Fortunately, through time, great strides have been made, and it gives me
great joy to assure that what we will be hearing tonight will be slightly more refined. Music
today is the sum total of thousands and thousands of musical experimentation,
exploration and enterprise, and it is important not to take the pair of words for granted.
Music through Time. Music. Time. Music. Tie me Kangaroo down, sport. The
possibilities for word play alone are endless! Can I mention Rolf Harris? Probably not.
Moving on!

The second item for the evening, entitled If Ye Love Me is an early English anthem
composed by English composer and organist Thomas Tallis. Working in a high position in
the courts of Anglican monarchs Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, Edward VI and Elizabeth I, Tallis
was able to compose music for the dierent rulers while avoiding becoming embroiled in
the religious conflicts of the time. Tallis managed incredibly to hold on to both his Catholic
faith and his head.

If ye love me,

keep my commandments,

and I will pray the Father,

and he shall give you another comforter,

that he may 'bide with you forever,

e'en the spirit of truth.

Compare this to Beyoncs hit Single Ladies, in which she sings:

If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it.

If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it.

Dont be mad once you see that he want it

If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it.

I know which one I would rather be listening to. Comparisons are odious! I digress.

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight the newly-formed Three Campus Chamber Choir will
perform this beautiful anthem Thomas Tallis, not Beyonc under the direction of
Renee Herron. This auditioned ensemble includes singers from our three campuses and
includes treble, alto, countertenor, tenor and bass voices. Please join me in welcoming
them!

Item 3:
There was recently an ancient manual discovered in an old cave somewhere in Ireland
called Irish Dancing Part II: What to do with your arms. Our next item for the evening,
The Capriol Suite is a set of dances in the renaissance style, based on tunes found in a
manual of Renaissance dances by the French priest Jehan Tabourot.

Tonight, these spritely dances will be brought to life by the String Orchestra. Not the Sting
orchestra, as I initially misread. Apologies to any fans. Students from Years 7 through to
12 will be performing 4 of the 6 Renaissance dances, composed by none other than the
Peter Warlock. Not to worry, I hadnt heard of him either. Philip Arnold Heseltine, known
by thepseudonymPeter Warlock, was a British composer and music critic. The Warlock
name, which reflects Heseltine's interest in occult practices, was used for all his
published musical works. He is best known as a composer of songs and other vocal
music; he also achieved notoriety in his lifetime through his unconventional and often
scandalous lifestyle.

Capriole is a caper or a leap in dancing, from the Italian capriola, which translates to
leap, funnily enough, stemming from the Latin caper, meaning goat. Suite is from
the old English suit, meaning suit. So in a sense, I guess the name Capriol Suite
translates roughly to Goat in a Suit. Thats a bit fun, isnt it? Its also completely irrelevant
to the piece, so just goes to show that you must always take everything with a grain of
salt. Thank me later.

The four movements that we will hear tonight are:

1. Basse-Danse,Allegro moderato The first, Basse Danse, is a lively dance for

older folk, a bit ageist in which the dancers feet for the most part slide
along the floor. Please remain seated, however, and if you must, tap your
foot.

2. Pavane,Allegretto, ma un poco lento The second, Pavane, is far more

stately in nature, while the following Tordion is once again spirited, similar in
mood to the opening movement.

4. Bransles,Presto (pronounced Brawl) is a fast country dance which works

its way into a frenzy, continuously building in speed and excitement.

6. Mattachins (Sword Dance),Allegro con brio - this is an exhilarating sword

dance, danced by four men in pretend combat. The music is march-like
throughout, climaxing in violent dissonances which send the piece hurtling
to a close.

Item 4: A Percy Grainger Portrait: A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians
paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski

Silence is the musicians canvas, and, in our next piece, the Senior Symphonic Wind
Band will daub, brush and swirl on the very air around you to create a portrait of Percy
Grainger, one of Australias most famous composers. He is best known for his setting of
English Folk Music and gained notoriety through his interesting and dierent settings of
the songs for wind band. Not sure if notoriety is the word I would use there, but anyway.
Fun fact: Percys dad, John Grainger, designed the Princes Bridge that can be found just
over the Yarra River outside! This piece includes four of his most famous arrangements:
Irish Tune from County Derry, Mock Morris, My Robin is to the Greenwood Gone and
Children's March. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Senior Symphonic Wind
Band with A Percy Grainger Portrait.

Item 5: Intermediate Symphonic Wind band What a wonderful world and Happy
Next up for the evening is the Intermediate Symphonic Wind band, conducted by Mr
Nicholas Grunden and Mrs Nicole Thomson.
The brief for this combined band was to perform music from the movies/popular culture
and they have chosen two pieces with contrasting styles.

The first, What a Wonderful World, features words and music by George David Weiss and
Bob Thielle and has been arranged for concert band by Robert Longfield. Originally made
famous by the legendary Louis Armstrong in 1967, the song has been widely used in
movies and, in my view, is an important reminder at a time of war, violence, poverty and
Donald Trump, that there is always a beauty in the world that must not be forgotten. You
just have to know where to look.

The second piece, Happy, was written by Pharrell Williams and arranged for band by
Michael Sweeney. If you can see past the flagrant plagiarism of the age-old If youre
happy and you know it, clap your hands., it is an upbeat soul number, originally from the
soundtrack of Despicable Me 2, which is also where those stupid little yellow things came
from. Minions. How annoying are they? Seriously. The song features such feel-good lyrics
as Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof, which I cant really imagine would be
a good thing. But what would I know?

Tonight, the Intermediate Wind Band will consist of 22 clarinets, 17 trumpets, 15

percussion instruments, 13 saxaphones, 12 flutes, 11 trombones, 10 horns, 5 bassoons,
4 low brass, 2 bass guitars, and one absolute riot of a performance.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Intermediate Wind Band with What a Wonderful World and
Happy!

Item 6: Symphony Orchestra Students from the Xavier College Symphony Orchestra
have recently returned from a two week Music Tour of Europe.

In late June 48 musicians from our Orchestra of 66 and 6 sta from across all three
campuses travelled to Europe for a once in a life time educational and cultural immersion.
Commencing their travels in the ancient city of Zagreb before moving onto Ljubljana,
Slovenia, where they spent 5 glorious days of music making and sightseeing. At Ljubljana
the orchestra worked with conductor Slaven Kulenovi, as well as the Director of the
Ljubljana Conservatorium Professor Dejan Presicek and his sta.

Performance opportunities were presented at the Jesuit Church of St James built

between 1613 and 1615. This provided a beautiful backdrop for our opening concert and
thanks goes to Fr Joe Kokalji SJ for his very generous invitation to perform for his
community. Sampling the local cuisine, hiking and cycling around Lake Bohinj, Bled and
swimming in the Adriatic at Trieste in neighbouring Italy helped complete their time in this
magnificent country.

From Slovenia they travelled to Vienna to take part in the International Youth Music
Festival, Summa Cum Laude, with some 1,300 other musicians from all over the world.
Performance opportunities in the Musikverein, the University of Music in Vienna, the
Vienna Boys Choir Auditorium and the magnificent Jesuit cathedral in central Vienna
provided many memorable musical highlights for the young musicians. The tour then
moved onto Prague where they performed some of Dvoraks Slavonic dances in his home
town and in the famous Smetana Hall.

Tonight, they have decided to return to the humble walls of the much easier to pronounce
Hamer Hall to perform the third movement of Anton Bruchs Violin Concerto No. 1.

The third movement, the finale, opens with an intense, yet quiet, orchestral introduction
that yields to the soloist's statement of the energetic theme in brilliant double stops. It is
very much like a dance that moves at a comfortably fast and energetic tempo. The
second subject is a fine example of Romantic lyricism, a slower melody which cuts into
the movement several times, before the dance theme returns with its fireworks
metaphorical, of course.. The piece ends with a huge accelerando, leading to a fiery finish
that gets higher as it gets faster and louder and eventually concludes with two short, yet
grand, chords. Anticlimax? You be the judge.

_______________Intermission! ______________

Item 7: Stage band

Harlem Suite by Duke Ellington

One thing I love about music is that it can take me to another place. For example, I was in
a caf the other day and One Direction started playing, whereupon I gathered my things
and went to find another caf.

In this next piece, however, entitled Harlem Suite, Duke Ellington invites us, in his own
words, on a tour of this place called Harlem. It is Sunday morning. We are strolling
from 110th Street up Seventh Avenue, heading north through the Spanish and West
Indian neighbourhood towards the 125th Street business area... You may hear a parade
go by, or a funeral, or you may recognise the passage of those who are making Civil
Rights demands.

This piece is the first of Duke Ellingtons long form suites. It was originally written for the
Ellington Band and orchestra but was first performed by the Ellington band alone in 1951.

Tonight, it is the stage band who will be performing it for us. Ladies and gentlemen,
please make them feel welcome.

Item 8: A Cappella Our next performance for the evening is brought to us by the A
Cappella group. A Cappella is Italian for without hair, which is rather misleading as all of
the people singing have been blessed with full heads of hair, some more unkempt but
nonetheless full-bodied and voluminous. For reference, some other things that dont have
hair include, but are not limited to: naked molerats, newborn babies, eggs and anything
made of plastic. Its quite an extensive list and definitely worth having a look at.

There is a joke amongst musicians that asks: How do you know when a pop singer is at
your door? They can never find the key and dont know when to come in. The original
artists of the next song for the evening have managed to prove this joke very wrong.

The Spice Girls launched onto the charts in late 1996 with their seminal hit Wannabe,
featuring lyrics such as Tell me what you want, what you really really want! Ill tell you
what I want what I really really really want. So, tell me what you want, what you really,
really want. I want to, huh, I want to, huh, I want to really really really wanna ziggy zig
zah. Touching/profound. It wasnt until the next year that they released the song that we
will hear tonight, Mama.

Mama was co-written by the members of the group. Mel B came up with the concept of
the song and each spice girl, Scarey, Posh, Sporty, and the irrepressible Baby contributed
to the lyrics. Absent from the original recording was the fifth forgotten Spice Girl,
Turmeric. Im sorry. I had to.

The song deals with the fact that in your teen years, children tend to take their mums for
granted. From child birth, to late night feedings, nappies. Potty training. School. Help with
homework. Taxi-ing to sport and parties. School lunches. Listening to instruments being
practised. These are just a few of the tasks that mothers lovingly administer. Tonights
performance by A Cappella is dedicated to not just their own mums, but to all the mums
in the audience.

In the words of Oscar Wilde, All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy.
No man does. Thats his.

Good mums let you lick the egg-beaters. Great mums turn them o first.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Xavier College A Cappella group with their
performance of Mama.

Item 9: Aus Rock. Countdown.

Item 10: Volta do mar Largo Year 5 & 6 choir

Volta do mar Largo is a piece commissioned by the Sydney Childrens Choir in 2001 and
is one of Paul Jarmans most popular works. A challenging work in the style of African/
Arabic/Eastern European folk music, Volta do Mar Largo is a thrilling ride for all. I could be
wrong, but I believe the that the title translates loosely from Spanish to My Large Vault.
Oh, no I am wrong. The title translates to Turn On the Open Sea. Close. Its also in
Italian, not Spanish. Points for trying. The work is selected from the Turn on the Open
Sea song cycle. The piece is ideal for middle school children to sing, due to its with
prolific featuring of unison writing in the opening and simple harmonies to follow. Paul

also challenges the performers with some rhythmic changes in meter during the latter
part.

Although Jarman has no experience hurdling over towering bars with a large bendy stick,
the piece is often abbreviated by musicians to Pauls Volta. When I say often, I mean
never and when I say musicians I mean me.

The song can be sung with a djembe, bouzouki or with a full orchestral accompaniment,
as you will hear tonight. The Middle Eastern tonal colours are explored by the children as
they endeavour to tell about some of the trials and tribulations endured by the early
Portuguese explorers. A fantastic collaboration of Xavier musicians, both sta and
students working together, brings about this exciting and unique performance.

Principals address

Item 11:

Composer, teacher, writer and conductor, Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of the most
beloved modern English composers and one of the giants of 20th century English music.
Considered the most important English composer of his generation and the first major
English composer since the 17th centurys Henry Purcell, he was a crucial figure in the
revitalisation of 20th century English music.

Tonight, the vocal powerhouses of Genazzano and Xavier College have come together in
a double merger the likes of which the world hasnt seen since corporate giants Disney
and Pixar joined forces back in 2006. Under the Direction of Nick Cowall (Head of Choral)
they will begin the final bracket of this evenings concert with Let All the World in Every
Corner Sing from The Five Mystical Songs.

The first song they will be singing is called Let the world in every corner sing by Ralph
Vaughan Williams, even though I am bound to state, on a technicality, that the earth is
round and therefore void of corners. Anyway.

The Five Mystical Songs were written as a commission for the 1911 Worcester Festival.
Vaughan Williams decided to complete work he had been doing on five poems by the
gifted English metaphysical poet, George Herbert (1593-1633). Known for his gentle and
saintly personality, Herbert was a musician, came from a noble family, studied at
Cambridge, and was originally destined for a political career. Greatly influenced by the
poet John Donne, Herbert turned to writing religious verse. Ralph Vaughan Williams
admired the visionary and metaphysical aspects of Herberts poetry, and was able to
capture those qualities in his music. His settings mirror the love and faith expressed in the
poems and in particular display the intensity and conviction of belief in his setting of Let
All the world in Every Corner Sing.

Excerpts from Georg Fredrich Handels Messiah arr. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Orchestra and Combined Genazzano and Xavier Senior Choirs
The 2016 College theme is Forming Ourselves, Transforming Our World and the
associated scripture is from Lukes Gospel: Do not be afraid I bring you news of great
joy A joy to be shared by the whole people. In choosing the final symphonic choral

item based on our College theme we could not go past one of the most famous and often
performed works in the Western art music canon: Handels Messiah.

Messiah achieved the status of cultural icon during Handels lifetime and its
transformative impact has not diminished since the composers death.

George Fridiric Handel was a German and later British composer born in Halle, Germany,
in 1685. Already with a distinguished and spectacular career and body of work under his
very large belt, in August 1750, on a journey back from Germany to London, Handel
was seriously injured in a carriage accident. In 1751 one of his eyes started to fail. The
cause was a cataract which was operated on by the great charlatan Chevalier Taylor, who
also, funnily enough, blinded Bach in a similar operation. This did not improve Handels
eyesight, but possibly made it worse. He had lost his vision entirely by 1752 and was
completely blind when he attended a performance of Messiah, as we will hear tonight, at
Westminster Abbey. However, there is much debate among historians as to whether he
was completely blind or just a little bit tipsy. This would be the last performance he would
ever attend, and he died in 1759.

One man who may have been inebriated at the ceremony was King George II, stood when
the Hallelujah chorus was performed and remained standing until the chorus had ended.
The most popular explanation of why the king stood is that he was moved by the power
of this proclamation; the audience followed suit, out of respect, and a tradition was born.
However, contradictory theories abound: His Majesty was tired, and had to stretch his
legs. Or was it gout? Another theory is that he was partially deaf, and mistook the
opening for the strains of the national anthem. Some even suggest that he had dozed o,
and shot up from his seat when he heard the loud choral entry. Either way, the custom of
standing during the Hallelujah Chorus continues to this day and when our conductor turns
to the audience before the start of this final piece in our concert we would like to invite
you to stand and if you are so inspired, sing along with our singers on stage. Please do so
in the right key.

This evening we will hear three excerpts from Messiah: the first, a section sung by two
treble-some soloists (Xavier Grindlay: Year 6 and Patrick Grave: Year 9). Im joking. Im
sure theyre very well-behaved; followed by the Chorus Glory to God; and, to conclude,
the majestic Hallelujah Chorus.

This will be followed by the singing of the Xavier College school song, Sursum Corda,
which will be conducted by the 2016 Captain of Music, Raoul DSousa.

This is where I leave you this evening (awwwwwww). I know, I know. Dry your eyes. Thank
you for joining us on this musical journey through time this evening. I suppose in many
ways I have been at the helm of the ship, as it were, and it would be remiss of me not to
thank all those teachers and students who have worked tirelessly to bring this concert
into fruition, in particular Head of Music Mr. Greg Carey. It is no easy task, and the
smooth sailing of the evening was due, in no small part, to your hard work and
organisation.

So it is now that we conclude our journey of Music through Time. It was Hector Berlioz
who said that Time is the greatest of teachers, but unfortunately it kills all of its
students. Something to think about. But definitely not emulate.

Before leaving you with our next performance, I will share a quote from Tchaikovsky:
Handel is fourth rate. He is not even interesting. Talk about sour grapes! Please do not
be swayed by this embittered Russian composer, and enjoy the dulcet tones of the
combined Xavier and Genazzano Choir.

Until next time, Im Rory Dempsey. Thank you and good night!