The music of Don Gillis III; 13

You're listening to music by Don Gill was. This is done give us you want to know a secret. Every week when I come on the air I keep resisting temptation to say you're listening to music by oh what's his name. Or Guess what he's here again. But I always have to resist because I'm the chairman of a music division here in the School of the arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas. And that's not too dignified. But friends I am not here to bring you dignity. Instead I'm here to bring you program number 13 of this year's edition of music by Don Gillis and during this half hour so thoughtfully provided for me by the National Education radio network we're going to get to work for some for the orchestra. The first is what they call on the toe tapping trade a toe tapping type of number meaning

mainly that one could dance to it if one were so motivated. Now unless this shock you. Regulation type symphony program. Don't forget that minuets and mazurkas and such were originally written to be dance do but be that as it may we're going to hear it now it's called Peachtree promenade and it's from the suite called Atlanta five choreographic impressions of a Southern city. So we danced to Peachtree promenade. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I hate.

God. The music was Peachtree Promina written by the fellow who speaking to you at this very moment one d give us just for the major work on this week's program we're going to hear a score based on our newest love prods a wonderful children's book Alice and orchestra. This music was commissioned by the United States Steel Company back in the days when they were sponsoring the NBC symphony orchestra and Wilfred public T.A. gave it its first performance on NBC. Later I recorded the soundtrack in Rome and we added the narrative parts in New York City. The distinguished radio announcer and commentator Jean Hamilton is the man who toes the story here as we listen to the adventures of Alice in orchestra you. Ask. The little girl who just got off the train stared at the rear looking truck on the station

platform. It was taller than a man and shaped like a huge bomb. And the shouting and thumping seemed to come from inside. At first the little girl didn't know what to do. Then she saw that the trunk wasn't. All right and in a jiffy she had the lid open and out popped a big bass viol. The bass viol shook his fist to the ground and champed What do you mean by shutting me up in there. I nearly smothered. What's the big idea. The little girl was frightened. The bass viol stopped shaking his fist and it must have been those pesky ukulele kids.

Just wait I like catch them. Down the bass viol became quite friendly. He smiled at the little girl and said What's your name and where do you live. Why. My name's Alice. And I live in Sydney. How did you get here. Alice hesitated. Well I'm not quite sure. You see I was an economist not pound. Something funny happened. I was.

The bass viol smile. I understand lots of people come to Philadelphia that way and it. Is this down to Philadelphia. It'll Adelphia. And the Capital Radio. My genitives live here. Byron in the old channel and my brother. I don't base my life. Can I see. Where. I think so. Come along. And we'll go look for them. Well listen the bass viol soon arrived at a handsome building. The turned out to be a concert hall

and there on the stage were corporate. One about half the size of a smile and the others much smaller. They all went to the back of the stage where each fiddle opened a cupboard and let out a man dressed in a tail coat and striped trousers. Alice was shocked. Keeping human beings in the bass viol chuckled. Not human. You don't need your Zicherman. You see in your country headless have to have fiddles to play on it in the dell. Yeah we have to have it was to play on us. That's bad enough isn't it. So. The bass viol chuckled again. Oh if it lives out in July then just dummy so you needn't

worry about. And. Now we'd better go and speak to the string quartets. The bass viol lead us up to the group of instruments and introduced her to the first violin. As this is Miss just about the body the first violin bowed and said in his beautiful Italian voice. And this is our second violin Mr Klotz. He's John. And he's Mr. Guy you'll know the owner.

Of. And last but not least I want to know Mr Ahmadi. Now you boys go ahead with the only hassle we have some of the calls to make. See you later. Where are we going now that was leaving Philadelphia.

First visit the woodwind instrument they live in an open air I mean why do they call it's named for the Greek god man who is supposed to have invented the first when did you made it out of body. And to this very day the woodwind instruments except the flute Haverty to their mouthpiece but you to be out of the hand up of this town home and say it sounds as if the whole village is here I am. My goodness. Funny so. What Who are those people. That's a saxophone. And those other folks all the citizens of panel. God. Was.

Oh he keeps pestering them for membership in the family but since he groused them would mean they won't let him join. Us. Oh they will have it because he has already Saxon who's an instrument without a city has to live in the woods all by himself. That's why he has such a husky voice. But let's listen to his. I.

Understand why. OSX is not bad. What do you specializes in on the pickerel was going to speak. He's the little brother you know about first. Why does the socks keep and always seems to me. It always seems to happen that way. He tries to audition and they get angry. However. He ople all ways can calm down. Me feel the same about sex.

Not exactly. He's just naturally sad but he's happier than his cousin the English home at that. Just listen to him. Sex it just never will learn to behave himself at a public meeting and consequently he doesn't have any friends. Maybe the clout and it will have a good word to say for him. Just then the rain working its to look at the crooked. Back to the silver bells.

Well not exactly the one that made the resemblance just right. That's the basic plot in a deep bass voice here. Now I think. Well that depends on the composer John. Watson. Maybe he'll get cheered up if he listens to this. This is the best suit he's not really a serious fellow though. He could be quite a comic when he feels like it.

But going. Through the process. And I'd like to tell him. Where. Is your child. Comes now looking as if he'd lost his last. Wife. It left the customer well is it

true. They really have to look at you with great knowledge that is we have to go if we're going to get a president in time for the band concert in the press. It's where the brass instruments live naturally fiddles and even a bit of Adelphia would mean living an openness and living a faith that's right and we're here just in time because the browser down citizens are about to do some stunts.

Trump wants them. Now the bench holder. Now the trombones and the Cuba. Now look at the brasserie deal band is going to play while the entire conference section passes in review with the snare drum and the bass drum leading the procession. And next come the kettle drums with a triangle right.

Now there's the xylophone that is. And here's one your. Go.

And No. It does sound kind of static like the next one which I. Do. I didn't know it was so maybe. You have to be getting home. But first you must make the hop back sometime. You're more likely to find him in Philadelphia and hopefully he happens to be here today. He is now. Think of it I almost found herself back in the concert hall in her own country. The

orchestra was still playing but somehow the music's different. Only instruments seem to be talking to her familiar friendly the piccolo even when. Alice gave a great sigh. And said. Her mother. Was rich. I want to go. Very well you're right. Perhaps tonight when you go to speak when we come to the concert again.

Alice didn't say anything. She just thought. Alice knew better. She knew that orchestra was real and that she could go back there. Whenever she liked. The music was Alice in orchestra with the narrator and the sea announcer Jean Hamilton. The orchestra was the orchestra the comment of Rome conducted by the composer the script was written but after an a slow crowd wrote the book I was an orchestra you know quite

still surf music educators well as a standard text in the field of introducing children to the instruments of the orchestra for the past several weeks now I've been investing my book The Anthony symphony conductor after this week I promise not to bring the subject up much but I have been saying that I would read a line or two from it to give you the general idea that it's a shoe textbook on how to learn to be of something a conductor a spoof as it were on the on. One waiting in front of those magical bows known as the orchestra in this deeply profound study I've tried to avoid the subject of music altogether thinking that if conductors didn't know music they were lost anyway. So instead I've tried to teach them things like how to select the Teos and what music including mine they should conduct at. And in one chapter which Ramel even a bit more deviously than the others I included some helpful hints on building a following of course the orchestra always follows a conductor almost always but since they

need followers outside of the concert hall I naturally took up women. That is I took it up in the book and I suggested women's clubs as a place to be again for them. And that ladies were the very ones to make batteries out of and so I wrote these words would follow on getting followers which I now read from the book the unfinished symphony conductor and I do well. These club ladies are oppressed as they are by household tasks and childbearing need to be inspired now and then by more than just vacuum cleaning and frozen food thawing their culture. And so they get their kicks out of life by listening to speeches about music. Many of them would rather hear a speech about Beethoven's music than to hear the music itself. And actually you can't blame them much for quoting what you said about Beethoven is a lot easier than quoting the music he wrote. And if there's anybody they'd rather quote in the entire world it's their very own something conductors so go ahead and love them for they

are your potential followers and remember that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the room stand. If you can keep them following you and not let them catch up to you you're really kidding. That bit of sagacity was from my book the unfinished symphony conductor and like the old song goes if you want to know more. Put the book on your shelf and read it yourself. My publisher Penguin pressured gave permission for this reading. Hope you do put it on your show too. If this weren't a noncommercial educational station I would tell you how much it costs but already I can see them glowering at me for even mentioning it. Oh well friends I will be back next week with a show which we're calling number 14 and you're most cordially invited to join. And as always I close by saying that music by Don ghost comes to you from the campus of Southern Methodist University.