The music of Don Gillis; Shindig

You're listening to music by Don give us and to begin our program a preview of. The music you just heard was part of a scene where an eight Texas Ranger disguised as the town and the Pre-OT avoids quite alcoholically in the ballet shindig. The major work on this the first program of a 13 week series brought to you by the national educational radio network called Music by Don Gillis and this is done give us and I'll tell you more about shindig after we hear music played by the new symphony orchestra of London Chamber of Commerce from Portrait of a frontier town. Chamber of Commerce the first movement for a portrait of a frontier town played by the new

symphony orchestra of London under the baton of the composer has been the opening music on this first program of our new series. Music by Don give us for those of you who are joining us for the first time a most hearty and appreciative welcome and to our old friends who have been with us before. Welcome back. This eries is I think I must explain a bit out of the ordinary and then I happened to be an all purpose individual on the show. That is I write it I announce it I produce it. I have written all of the music that we'll hear on it. And I've even conducted a good deal of it. And oh yes I listen to it too. You know all of this isn't just because I'm the modest type but rather because it all seems to work out better that way. And so for these next 13 weeks I'll be around with quite a lot of music and with a few comments here and there to explain how it all came about. Now take this next number for instance. I'm really a handy fellow to have around for this one or it isn't the work that's very well known in this country. It's about a lake

called shindig and it was commissioned back in 1051 by the Fort Worth Opera Association to be choreographed by David Preston. Well the premiere was held and all went well. And then in 1053 I programmed it for a concert I was to conduct with the NBC symphony orchestra a few years later during which shindig lay dormant and quite unmolested by any of the requests to bring it out of its hibernation. A young choreographer named Lloyd Tigard heard it and it became a feature presentation of the American festival ballet and was performed about two hundred fifty times in Europe Israel and South America. I hadn't seen it myself until just about six months ago when I saw it doing their New York concerts. Shindig is a comedy ballet. It's sort of a loving satire on the cliches that represent the old west in the movies and on TV. That story is that of all Western stories like gang dominating a small town and the good folk of the town wanting to make things good again. And so we have the familiar business of Stagecoach

holdups Texas Rangers in disguise. Pretty girl and brave cowboy cancan dancers and a big shindig in the old time saloon on Saturday night. The music of course is graphically illustrated on stage with all of the camaraderie of the times and I think you'll be able to follow the action pretty well as the music moves along. I'm not trying to detail all of the events but you will hear the Texas Ranger who is disguised as a drunk and you'll hear the love duet between the pretty girl and the brave cowboy. And of course you'll hear the chase scene complete with a trial in a sort of judge being in court. I have one suggestion why don't you just sort of imagine your own pictures as the music plays and let your mind dance to the time of the wild and woolly West as we hear music from the ballet shindig as played by the NBC symphony orchestra. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. I am.

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In a. In a. In a. Lib. The applause you have just heard was from the very enthusiastic audience at the blast school theater in New

York City on the afternoon of the 20th of July one thousand fifty three. As the members of the NBC symphony orchestra played music from the ballet shindig under the baton of its composer Don Gillis. And this is done Gillis with special thanks to the American Federation of Musicians for permission to use this performance on our broadcast. Next week we're going to hear some music written for banned two works the first of which is a rhapsody called Lone Star and The second is a suite titled saga of a pioneer. Now before you get the idea that all of my music is western titles let me announce the program for the third broadcast which will have its major work. Thomas Wolfe American the score for symphony orchestra narrator has been performed especially for performance on the series by Dr. James fulle director of the reguard Music Center in Transylvania North Carolina and Clyde McLean will narrate the words of Thomas Wolfe. And then on programs 4 and 5 We're going to hear one act opera which because of its length will be divided into two parts for our

purposes. It's called the libretto and it's about a composer who wants to write an opera but just can't find a libretto. Later we're going to have a first radio performance of a new overture commissioned by William Yarbrough for his northern Michigan Festival Orchestra. And we're also going to hear the first ever performance of a brief concerto for piano an orchestra titled The Encore concerto. Now I realize that you won't be able to remember all of this in detail but if you'll be with us every week I'll reiterate it and try to entice you to partake of these half hours as frequently as you can. Naturally I'd like to have your comments and opinions. Here's your chance to be a full fledged music critic and you're hereby invited to say your say about anything you want to in 25 words or more send your letters and postcards to your favorite station and they'll forward them on to me. And now as they say in radio the clock on studio wall tells us that it's time to move on. But I'll be back next week same time same station. And I hope you're around to hear me say you are listening to

music by Don give us until then this is done give us saying thanks for being with us. And so long for now this is the National Education all radio network.