The music of Don Gillis III; 1

You're listening to music by Don give us. Before I sat down in front of this microphone I had about three good plays all figured out how to start this show and it's brilliant and song leaving no matter if you've ever heard a show started. But suddenly I'm out of a loss for words. Not all words just a properly brilliant and simulating one still often shows with. And so it looks like I'll have to resort to the mundane at least for now and maybe say that my name is Don Gill as your host and commentator. An hour about to begin weekly sessions and I am also your scriptwriter and your producer. Sometimes your conductor and of course I wrote all of the music which we will be hearing together throughout these next 26 weeks. All of which seems to be as neatly a packaged portion of egomania and so ever got put on anybody's network educational or

not but that show biz as we say in show biz and it's also the fact that since it's all worked out this way we are behooved to make the best of it and simply gird up our loans and listen to the national educational radio network which brings us these programs. And in order to show our behoove meant as it where you might occasionally drop me a card or letter just to prove you're out there. Otherwise it might seem like I'm talking altogether to myself which is at best a most disquieting feeling. While my goodness I can hear you saying out there in radio land whatever kind of thing is happening to our otherwise trusty transistorized and also portable radio. So lest we are still in doubt what you are doing is listening to a radio program presenting music by Don give us who at this very moment is sitting in his spacious Lee comfortable office in the Fine Arts building of Southern Methodist University where he is the new chairman of the department of music at said seven Methodist University. And the

program is called Music by Don give us and it is on every week at the same time beginning with this one. It's like this we play music by me and I talk about it somewhat. That's the format and we'll try to keep both the music and the commentary and stuffy and non pedantic during the weeks ahead. We'll hear symphonies operas marches songs sweets you name it and we'll have it included probably will hear music performed by major symphony orchestras. Music by school groups University and service bands and orchestras. And who knows we may even add a bit of electronic music now and then at least a 60 cycle hum. And after this first show I'll try not to talk as much but for shows such as this just seem to require explanations. And now that we're explained. Let's start the music and let me interject here that it's about as hard to select an opening number as it is to think of brilliant and scintillating words to say but I did select it and the work I chose is one which seems to be my most frequently

played score. Your symphony five and a half of course and in the performance were to hear Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC symphony orchestra in perpetual emotion. Spiritual schizophrenia and conclusion the movements which make up my symphony for fun. The Symphony Number Five and a half. By the way symphony five and a half is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year which means that next year it will be 21 and old enough to vote. In the meanwhile let's listen to it and if you want to. You might even hum a few bars of Happy Birthday to symphony five and a half. Oh.

Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh oh. Oh. Oh. Oh anyone. Using. The F.

O l. O s. I'm with. The boy. The.

Let.

Blue. Blue. Blue. Blue blue. Blue. Blue. Blue. Blue. BLUE OUT.

The so the back. Wound.

Oh.

Yeah. Cool.

We will. Arturo Toscanini had just conducted Symphony Number Five and a half a symphony for fun as the opening music on this the first broadcast in our new series called

Music by Don give us and I am Don yellows who is here serving all sorts of purposes in order to keep this program properly maintained and airworthy. And since we haven't been together for a couple of years now let me take a few minutes to fill you in in the first place my programs used to come to you. From New York City and now they originate here in Texas. And I thought you should know that I left New York to become chairman of the music department of Southern Methodist University here in Dallas and that while I still do a good deal of radio work for NBC particularly as it relates to the test in any centennial year which is being observed during 1967 I still do all of those things and write music to my permanent headquarters are here in Dallas and you're cordially invited to drop by to chat or even to mail your cards and letters in this direction if you like. I've written a good deal of music during this past year so perhaps nothing earth shaking but music would seem to me to be the right thing to do at the time I was composing it. One new score we'll be hearing

soon on this program is titled portrait of a city made of steel and there's still another portrait called Arturo Toscanini portrait of a century which is about my astro. And we'll be hearing that also most of my time I spent finishing up a new book shortly to be published called The unfinished symphony conductor. I've also spent a lot of wonderful hours working with Walter Tuscany maestros son in the Tuscany archives in Riverdale New York as we continued to write and produce the NBC series Tuscany the man behind the legend Nazi. What else. Nothing much I guess new score is a busy time earning a living in a most interesting and stimulating communication with people all over our wonderful land. There's been a lot of fine people helping prepare the music for this series Incidentally any number of conductors have held special recording sessions so that certain scores might be included both Colonel Sam Allardyce of the United States Army Band in Fort Myer Virginia and Colonel Arnold Gabriel of the United States Air Force band and Symphony Orchestra at Bolling Air

Base had been most gracious in their time and efforts and Dr. A Clyde ruler of the Houston Symphony Orchestra whose performance of my portrait of a frontier town at Interlochen will hear later on. So you see how it's been going since we last met both of us you and I have been very busy and I think we're lucky to have time to listen to this program together. And speaking of programs let's let this one continue with still another of my favorite pieces of give us writing. It is the poem for oboe and string orchestra called five acre pond and our soloist is Don Yeager playing with the university orchestra of Interlochen under the baton of Dr. A. Clyde roller. Why leave.

With. Five acre pond has just been played by Dr. Clyde roller and the university orchestra of

Interlochen with Don Yeager as soloist as the concluding number in our first program. Music by Don Gillis. Earlier we heard by Symphony Number Five and a half conducted by Arturo Toscanini and also heard a considerable amount of talk from me variously occupied radio host and commentator for our program next week we're going to hear music record is specially for this series by Colonel Samuel R. of the United States Army Band. We'll hear the Cracker Barrel March ceremony of Allegiance narrated by captain Allan Croll. Paul Bunyan an overture to a legend and among other things the January February March also music by Don give us originates on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas. Right. In this school of music to be exact and it's brought to you by the national educational radio network in the fullness of their wisdom. This is a saying thank you very much indeed for joining us. And do come back when again you will hear me.

You're listening to. This program was distributed by national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.