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Attribution
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Description:
FUSTIAN MUSIC
In 2007, I was eating thrice weekly at a Mexican diner in Detroit. The food was tasty, and more important, it was cheap. This regimen seemed to influence my taste in music, because I wrote a Mariachi piece, and in the program notes to it, I expressed the opinion that I wouldn't care if the entire Southwest United States were given back to the people from whom it was stolen. If this happened, I maintained, the nation's food and music would certainly improve.
Then, my next-door neighbor had a heart attack. He's only slightly older than I, and he's squeaky-clean. If he narrowly escaped the clutches of the Grim Reaper, what hope is there for me with my louche lifestyle?
The first thing to go was all the high-cholesterol Mexican food, and I found that my new diet has likewise influenced my musical sensibilities. I began writing a lot of marches. Until now, I haven't posted any here as I assume that there's not much of an audience for military marches at this site, but I offer this one to my friends in Texas and all the red states.
At present, the hot topic in the US of A is immigration, and the US government is building a wall along its border with Mexico in hope of keeping out the invading hordes. Patriots who are splenetic over this issue will find solace in this music which depicts a time when the USA invaded Mexico and wreaked destruction on their cities.
The Siege of Veracruz took place from March 9 to March 29, 1847. On March 25, the Mexicans called for a cease-fire to discuss surrender terms. Mexican officials pleaded that the women and children be let out of the city, but heroic US General Winfield Scott refused, believing this to be a delaying tactic and kept up the artillery fire. After the surrender and occupation of Veracruz, US troops marched on to capture Mexico City. Accordingly, the coda of this march proudly waves our sacred national cloth.
The Trio uses the old (18th-century?) folk song "Green Grow the Lilacs." Before writing this march, I had never heard the tune, but I wanted to use it because, despite it being a waltz, I'm amused by the apocryphal etymology of the epithet Gringo, which is said to have originated during the 1846-47 war when the Mexicans often heard the invading Yanqui soldiers singing that song -- "Green Grow the Lilacs."
An old band director (the late Rex Hall, a fine composer, too) I once had said that when bands performed battle music like this (and the 1812 Overture) the drummers would fire shotgun blanks into barrels. (I doubt if that's now practiced anywhere except perhaps in Texas.) There are many battle marches that were once popular at Civil War reenactments staged throughout the USA. In this case, the effects were all synthesized in Sibelius notation software.
If it ever gets approved, the sheet music for this march will be available at my SibeliusMusic page, where you can watch the notes go by as the music plays.
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The Siege of Veracruz &mdash 06/18/08 - 09:58:44 PM
this amazingly impressive ..and knowin that you
wrote it ,made this all so precious ..the structure
so complicated as simple as it sounds for the
listeners but fo rme who suffer from writin over
sibelius I know what kind of hard work and brilliant
kind of work you did ...this just giant my friend
I certainly beg for more of these ... KUDOS and thnx
alot for sharin such gems !!!!! [ Reply to This ]
History &mdash 06/20/08 - 12:38:29 PM
I always find historical related pieces of music interesting, learning, and most of the ties they open up new doors from which I can learn and explore new venues in my own music. I've never been into military marches per say, but do understand the importance music has had throughout our bloody history.
As this is not my kind of music, I do hesitate speaking of the music in musical terms. I can only say, I do enjoy listening to this %u2013 although it gives me more of a carnival feel, even circus.
It's all very well performed and put together. Thank you. [ Reply to This ]
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wrote it ,made this all so precious ..the structure
so complicated as simple as it sounds for the
listeners but fo rme who suffer from writin over
sibelius I know what kind of hard work and brilliant
kind of work you did ...this just giant my friend
I certainly beg for more of these ... KUDOS and thnx
alot for sharin such gems !!!!!
[ Reply to This ]