The music of Don Gillis; Additional selections

You're listening to music by Don Gillis. This is Don give us saying Welcome to the final program of the 13 week cycle of making up this series of broadcasts of my music brought to you each week by the national educational radio network. This 13th program will include two scores a movement from my Star-Spangled symphony called prayer and him for a solemn occasion and my Rhapsody for harp and orchestra with the distinguished harp as Edward Vito as soloist. You may be wondering why a symphony would be called the Star-Spangled symphony. Most of my symphonies have subtitles to go along with their numbers such as five and a half a symphony for fun. And my number 8 subtitled A dance symphony. But this one doesn't have a number at all just a name. It would have had a number but had I numbered

it it would have had to be listed as Symphony Number nine and after Beethoven's Ninth Symphony who can stand the comparison as far as the title is concerned the Star-Spangled title came because I used a fragment of The Star-Spangled Banner as a theme for the first movement. Arthur Fiedler gave the world premiere of The Star-Spangled symphony in San Antonio Texas. The public was very enthusiastic about it so much so that the final movement had to be repeated. And they gave Mr. Fiedler a standing ovation. The press on the other hand didn't like it at all and used up a whole season supply vituperative invectives about it so I can paste those clippings in my scrapbook that's for sure. The movement we're going to hear is the slow movement subtitle prayer and him for a solemn occasion said solemn occasion being the memory of men whose courage and leadership wrought our country into being. And this performance they were tested a calmer over on was under the baton of the composer prayer and him for a solemn occasion. B.

Prayer on him for a solemn occasion from the Star-Spangled symphony with the orchestral to calm overall conducted by the composer has been the opening music on this 13th program of the music of Don Gillis. Next I work for harp and orchestra. For me it was a most exciting day in 1982 at the black school theatre in New York City. When I conducted a folk concert of my music with the NBC symphony orchestra and perhaps

the most exciting part of that excitement was the appearance of the world renowned harp as it would be taught to be soloists in my newly written music. I had completed the score only a few short weeks before and most of you know I didn't agreed to play its first performance. And after rehearsals with the orchestra there we were together on the stage waiting the signal to begin through the kind permission of the American Federation of Musicians. We were able to include that very performance on our series here. The Rhapsody for harp and orchestra with Edward Vito as soloists in the world premiere performance by the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its composer Don Gillis. To him.

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And. You know if you're very out of the audience of the Moscow theater in New York City on the occasion of the world premiere of the Rhapsody for harp and orchestra with Edward B to a soloist and the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its composer Don give us this music brings to an end our concert for this week and also for the series at the end of a cycle of 13 weeks the usual duration of any given radio series. It is customary to pay tribute to the people whose helpfulness has made possible the broadcasting of said series. I do this gratefully myself when I realize

a special debt of gratitude I owe to Walter Toscanini for his generous permission to use his electronic facilities at Riverdale in New York. I'm grateful also to John Corbett the technical curator of the Toscanini archives whose assistance has been invaluable on this series. I think to go to the American Federation of Musicians for their cooperation in allowing me to program a number of NBC performances of my music and to bring Marvin b c for his assists and the area of radio production. I am especially grateful the national educational radio network for wanting to use the series on the air and of course most grateful to you the audience for being with us each week. I mean look at all the way around have had so many helping hands and bringing my music for me to you. I hope to be back with you soon with still more of my music and not Aidan Gillis revisited type show either one filled with all of the music that we just didn't have time to include on this first 13 weeks. So as they say in radio watch your daily paper for time and station until next time this is done.

It was saying so long. This is the National Education all radio network.