The music of Don Gillis; Thomas Wolfe, American

You're listening to music by Don give us. The music you're now hearing is a fragment from the score for narrator and symphony orchestra called Thomas Wolfe American. The feature work on this the third broadcast of our new series I Am Done give us and most happy to be your commentator on this weekly program which is brought to you through the facilities of the national educational radio network and by your favorite station the one you're listening to right now. Each week I'm here to tell you something about the music I've written and to play as many scores as time permits. Before we hear Thomas Wolfe American Let's turn our attention to a brand new score one written just this past summer. It too is a bit of Americana for its title as Paul Bunyan an overture

to a legend. It was written on commission from conductor William Yarborough especially for a performance by his Summer Festival Orchestra in northern Michigan. Through the courtesy of the American Federation of Musicians we are able to bring you this the premiere performance as William Yarbrough conducts his orchestra and Paul Bunyan and overture to a legend. Bruise. Where where where. Or who. When you.

Meet. Me I. Find it. It would. Eat. AND SLEEP FOR. Me. Why indeed.

Someone. Playing with. William Yarborough has just conducted the orchestra of the festival on Wheels in northern Michigan in the premiere performance of Paul Bunyan and overtures to a legend as the opening music on this the third program of music by Don

give us. For our major work we'll hear music now for narrator an orchestra called Thomas Wolfe American. The word you will hear are all taken from writings of Thomas Wolfe about America. And drawn from his principal novels and short stories. The work was commissioned by Dr. Thor Johnson for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and had its premiere performance by that orchestra in 1949. In the performance we're here now. Dr. James Christian fole will conduct the orchestra of the revised Music Center in Transylvania music camp and provides North Carolina. And Clive McLean will be our narrator in Thomas Wolfe American. Were.

Some things will never change and. Some things will always be the same. Lean down your ear upon the earth and listen. If you will throughout the land there read the hackles of the Rocky

Mountains play as a blank in naked radiance and make your resting upon the highest CEOs now behold the strong towers and said he is of the good greenies one like stardust through the field of night that spreading constellation to the north is called Chicago the glazes and that is the lake that is built and Dam says a clenched fist. Are all the cities of our Eastern. And there is Boston ringed with the bracelet of The Shining the towns

and all the lights that sparkle on the rocky and then stations of New England southward and a little to the west is our intense history. The splintered firmament the towered island of Manhattan. We round about her soul that is grain that is like a matter of a hundred towers and Sydney southward and then lend a by a foot or two. Behold the dollar glare of that we don't see a southward further still the twin constellations Baltimore and Washington westward but still within the borders of the good greenies that night time go and smolder of hellfire is Pittsburgh near St. Louis. Hot and humid in the corn field that lay of the land southward 600 miles or so you'll see the crescent

of old New Orleans and here west and south again. The Jimmy glitter of the cities of the Texas morning turned. See you're resting still atop the rocky mountain and look another thousand miles or so across more blazing green of the Painted Desert and beyond Sierras rain they are to the west like a belt around the magic setting of its lovely Harbor is the fabled town of San Francisco. They know what Los Angeles and all the cities of the California sure observed the home of a surveyor as you might survey a few you make it your gardens or your backyard pack deities in it. It's your oyster. Yours to open if you will. Don't be frightened. Just make yourself at home refresh yourself at the feel of

things. If you're a pastor now and it's not so big. Only 3000 miles from east to west. Only 2000 miles from north to south. Yes go seeker if you will throughout the land make your resting store up on the highest peak of the hackles of the Rocky Mountains. Play isn't the blank the naked radiance of the moon. And know that not alone through moon like magic can man find America somewhere in their lives. They see theirs with light savage with hunger indestructible and everlasting. For it is a fabulous country. The only fact B-list country. It is the one place where miracles not only happen but where they happen all the time. Some things will never change. Some

things will always be the same. Lean down your rear upon the earth and listen. These are the things we remember of America. It is a place of exultant and strong joy. The place of the dark and brooding air of all the fierce colors of October where all the wild sweet winds hurrying of the leaves are hard falling to the earth of acorns. It is the place of autumnal moon is hung low when the rains at the cross the edges of a clean dry shocks and the opulence of an enormous pumpkin

on hard plastic here. This is the place of the wild unexampled winter's morning and the wind out of the snow that's been howling on my blog. It's the place of solitude in the branches of the spruce and hemlock filled with snow and the tragic and lonely beauty of New England. These are the things we remember. America is the place of the red barn and the sound a stable close and the right time here is a hole torn in a circus poster is the place of the stir and feathery stumble of the hens upon their rows. The running sweep of the moon lighted countryside. It is the place of the immense and pungent smell of breakfast. The country sausages and the ham and eggs the smoking wheat cakes and fragrant coffee and of all the hunters in the frosty thickets who

whistled to their lobby or to use it is the place where it's raining and the young British trees have quite contender bars on them and the burst of grass and the wild and sudden tenderness of the wilderness. It is the place of baseball players and the easy life. The song brings news of the glove in the crack of the back of the great batters fielders and pitchers. The shirts when you demand that the bleachers and the resinous smell of a warning. It is the place where they'd like to win always and boast about their victories. The place of quick money and sudden loss where the young man cry out in their throats and feel the savage vigor the rude strong energies.

The place where trains cross rivers a mile long Frakes of flares and steaming is on the tracks. The swing and Bob tottering lanterns on the yards. It is the place of dings and net wings and the sudden glare of mighty engines over sleeping places and the like. These are the things we remember. We're great boats are being a barber's great great ships are putting out to sea and where the river Secret River Range is whatever is going by. Is the place of loneliness and good fellowship of harshness and kind and of sin. And crime. A dozen elation and exult the hope. And the beauty so lovely and so overwhelming that the tongue is stopped by it.

In the language. This is the place of the immense barriers of corn and the abundance of wine rather. Than the good to buy. And always. America is the place of death and enraptured in the eye that locks the mouth but smiles and violence and the word of the stone and leave the door we never frowned and never never forgot these are the things we remember. Some things will never change. Some

things will always be the same. Lean down your ear upon the earth and rise. I think I speak for most men living when I say that now America is here is now and back I was on before and of this glorious assurance is not only in our living but our dream to be a company. I think that the true discovery of America is before us a true fulfillment of our spirit of our people of our mighty and immortal land is yet to come. And I think that all of these things are as certain as the morning inevitable as no gas seeker go throughout the land. Can you not see us now filled with an almost cringe less

hope and almost boundless optimism. Fierce with life savage with hunger and destructible and everlasting observe the whole of it. Get the feel of things. Don't be frightened. Just make yourself at home. For America is the one place where miracles not only can happen but where they do happen. Oh all the time. It's a right to work. This Is Us with. You're on

with this performance of Thomas Wolfe American playing with the symphony orchestra music center under the baton of Dr. James Christian for we have come to the end of another broadcast of music by Don give us. Earlier we heard his performance of Paul Bunyan an overture to a legend. A special acknowledgement is given to the American Federation of Musicians for permission to use the performances heard on our broadcast. Next week we'll hear the first part of my want to deliver comedy about the problems of a composer who desperately wanted to write an opera but couldn't. Your most cordially invited to join us for this operatic misadventure brought to you over your favorite station of the national educational radio network. And now this is done give us saying thanks for being with us. And until next week good bye. This is the National Education already.