Program Notes

Orchestra Piece #1……………………………………………………………...…....Koji Kondo

Koji Kondo is a Japanese music composer, pianist, and sound director who works for the video
game development company Nintendo. He is best known for his involvement in numerous titles
in the Mario and The Legend of Zelda series of video games, among other games produced by
the company. Kondo was originally hired by Nintendo in 1984, becoming the first person hired
by the company to specialize in musical composition for games. Shortly after, Kondo was
assigned as the sound designer on the 1985 game Super Mario Bros. His sound design for the
game, more specifically the musical theme for the overworld, have often been cited as among the
most memorable in video games.

Orchestra Piece #1 is a piece solely composed for a gameplay trailer of The Legend of Zelda:
Twilight Princess, the 13th installment in the Legend of Zelda series. Though Kondo wrote the
music to the trailers, he only served as Sound Supervisor on the game while Toru Minegishi and
Asuka Ohta composed the rest of the game’s score.
Program notes by Wikipedia

Odyssey II………………………………………………………………………...….Mike Lynch

Solo #18 from Edward Freytag’s The Rudiemental Cookbook, the definitive snare drum solo-
method book. Including the 26 American Standard Rudiments, the Percussive Arts Society
Rudiments, an extensive list of Drum Corps Hybrid Rudiments and 25 rudimental contest solos.
Program Notes by Rowloff Publications

Sonata No. 2………………………………………………………………….William Schinstine

William J. Schinstine, a graduate of the Eastman School Of Music, NY and the University of
Pennsylvania, has performed with the Rochester, National, Pittsburgh and San Antonio
symphonies. He taught public school for 27 years in Pottstown, PA, and owned the S&S School
of Music in Pottstown. William was active in the Percussive Arts Society and published more
than 30 percussion books, and has over 300 published works to his credit. Sonata No. 2 is one of
3 Timpani Sonatas Schinstine composed, Sonata No. 1 being accompanied by a piano and Sonata
No. 3 requiring 5 timpani.
Program Notes by HeBu Musikverlag

Cello Suite No. 3………………………………………………………...Johann Sebastian Bach

The six Cello Suites are suites for unaccompanied cello by Johann Sebastian Bach. They are
some of the most frequently performed and recognizable solo compositions ever written for
cello. These suites for unaccompanied cello are remarkable in that they achieve the effect of
implied three- to four-voice contrapuntal and polyphonic music in a single musical line. As usual
in a Baroque musical suite, after the prelude which begins each suite, all the other movements
are based around baroque dance types; the cello suites are structured in six movements each:
prelude, allemande, courante, sarabande, two minuets or two bourrées or two gavottes, and a
final gigue. The Bach cello suites are considered to be among the most profound of all classical
music works. Wilfrid Mellers described them in 1980 as "Monophonic music wherein a man has
created a dance of God."
Due to the works' technical demands, étude-like nature, and difficulty in interpretation because
of the non-annotated nature of the surviving copies, the cello suites were little known and rarely
publicly performed until they were revived and recorded by Pablo Casals in the early 20th
century. They have since been performed and recorded by many renowned cellists and have been
transcribed for numerous other instruments; they are considered some of Bach's greatest musical
achievements. The allemande in the 3rd Suite is the only movement in the suites that has an up-
beat consisting of three semiquavers instead of just one, which is the standard form.
Program Notes by Wikipedia

Etude #11…………………………………………………………………...….Jacques Delecluse

In 1964, Jacques released his famous 12 Etudes for Snare Drum, published by Alphonse Leduc.
Like many of his works, these etudes are inspired by the orchestral repertoire. But contrary to the
majority of the other books, Delécluse’s studies are completely musical—no mindless technical
patterns, no measures without artistic sense, but rather expressive dynamics, intelligent phrases,
useful foundations from which to progress on the instrument, and a wonderful source for exams,
auditions, and performance repertoire. These are the reasons for the success of his works.
Program Notes by PAS

Character No. 2………………………………………………………………....Casey Cangelosi

Two Characters by Casey Cangelosi won in the "Tonal 21st Century" category of the 2008
Classical Marimba League Composition Contest. The two distinct movements are fresh and
melodic, with clear and approachable harmonies. Where the first movement is a laid back and
melodic, the second movement, or Character No. 2, is very aggressive and fast, showcasing a
variety of technical skills.
Program Notes by Lone Star Percussion

Etude #29……………………………………………………………………....Jacques Delecluse

When Jacques started to write his etudes in 1964, there was almost nothing in the repertoire for
snare drum in France: no methods, no books, no etudes, no solo pieces. Percussionists had to
study from orchestral excerpts, military drum books, and a couple of low-level standard pieces.
Delécluse did not merely revolutionize the pedagogical writing for percussion, he invented it!
From nothing, he built a real school for percussion and created a pedagogical repertoire for snare
drum, xylophone, timpani, and vibraphone. There is a good reason that most of these books are
still in use today all around the world.

Trente Etudes pour Timbales (Thirty Etudes for Timpani) Book 3 by Jacques Delecluse contains
the final 10 timpani etudes of the series, written to help solve particular technical problems on
the instrument. Students should have a firm grasp on reading rhythms before playing these
studies. Book 3 (Etudes 21-30)is meant to be a culmination of the skills learned in Books 1 and
2, with the added challenges of slightly more complicated music, cross-stickings, and pedaling
on two drums at the same time.
Program Notes by PAS
Cold Pressed……………………………………………………………………Dave Hollinden
The term “cold pressed” refers to the method of extracting olive oil which results in the most
robust and full-bodied flavor. Syncopation, contrasting timbres and rock-influenced style are
blended together in music which is vivid, spicy and obsessively persistent.
Program Notes by Dave Hollinden

My Beautiful Chaos…………………………………………………….….Thomas R. Marceau

"Beautiful chaos" is how composer Thomas R. Marceau and his wife often refer to their two
oldest boys. In this advanced work for solo marimba (derived from the duet version), Marceau
intricately weaves two lines into relationships at once disjunctive and harmonious. Tender,
charming, and full of life, My Beautiful Chaos will leave a lasting impression on the listener
while challenging the performer to the highest levels of musicianship and 4-mallet mastery.

*This piece is dedicated to my college career coming to end,

which can only be described as my “Beautiful Chaos”.

Program Notes by Tapspace Publications

Wabash Cannonball………………………………………………………………………………
"The Wabash Cannon Ball" was a fast express train line on the Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific
Railroad. This express train traveled throughout the middle and western United States and also,
on the Great Rock Island Route in the late 1800's and into the early 1900's. "The Great Rock
Island Route", also known as "Wabash Cannonball", is the title of an American folk song which
describes the scenic beauty and predicaments of the Wabash Cannonball Express as it traveled on
the Great Rock Island train route. Over many years, this popular song's music has remained
unchanged, while the verses have been updated by song artists.

As early as 1882, sheet music titled "The Great Rock Island Route" was credited to J. A. Roff.
This version and all subsequent versions contain a variation of this chorus:

Now listen to the jingle, and the rumble, and the roar,
As she dashes thro' the woodland, and speeds along the shore,
See the mighty rushing engine, hear her merry bell ring out,
As they speed along in safety, on the "Great Rock-Island Route."

It is a signature song of the Indiana State University Marching Sycamores and the Purdue All-
American Marching Band as the ISU and Purdue campuses are adjacent to the Mighty Wabash
River. It is also associated with the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjack Marching
Band, the Kansas State University Marching Band, the Texas Tech University Goin’ Band from
Raiderland, and the University of Texas Longhorn Band. It was also used as the theme song by
the USS Wabash. The song "The Wabash Cannonball" is part of The Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. It is the oldest song on the list.
Program Notes by Wikipedia