Category Archives: Arranging

Renée Fleming Brings Opera to 100 Million at Super Bowl XLVIII

Posted on February 3, 2014 by usmusicscholar

“Grammy Award-Winner and Soprano Superstar” Renée Fleming brought her silky but power packed voice to Super Bowl XLVII in an artistic performance featuring both vocal command and expressive taste. It was a banner moment for Fleming and a pop culture … Continue reading →

Posted in Arranging, Football, meter, Renée Fleming, Sports, Super Bowl | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tears Bursting in Air: Michael Gandolfi’s 4-Verse Setting of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Posted on March 24, 2013 by usmusicscholar

At the close of Michael Gandolfi’s Chesapeake: Summer of 1814 the audiences rises with the instrumentalists and chorus to sing the first and best-known verse of Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Sitting in Row G, Seat 14 on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arranging, Composers, Gandolfi, melody, Music, Spangled History | Leave a comment

Star Spangled Cantata—Michael Gandolfi’s Chesapeake: Summer of 1814

Posted on March 9, 2013 by usmusicscholar

On March 17 & 19, 2013 the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of music director Laura Jackson will premiere Chesapeake: Summer of 1814 by Boston-based composer Michael Gandolfi (b. 1956), written on an “historical design” by Dana Bonstrom … Continue reading →

Posted in Anacreontic Song, Arranging, Composers, Gandolfi, Hail Columbia, melody, Music, Patriotic Songs, Yankee Doodle | Leave a comment

Adding a Beat to the Banner: Beyoncé, Whitney & the Magic of 4/4 Time

Posted on January 26, 2013 by usmusicscholar

The hubbub about Beyoncé’s “to lip synch or not” performance of the national anthem at Obama’s second inauguration aside, everyone I’ve spoken with and read LOVED her performance. Soul superstar Aretha Franklin told ABC News that Beyoncé “did a beautiful … Continue reading →

Posted in Arranging, Beyoncé, Football, melody, meter, Music, Performers, rhythm, Sports, Whitney Houston | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A ‘World Premiere’ Recording of “The Star Spangled Banner”?

Posted on January 6, 2013 by usmusicscholar

It’s an audacious claim to offer the premiere recording of the United States National Anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” in January 2013! Certainly, the song is already more than well known and often performed. It has been recorded by such vocal … Continue reading →

Posted in Arranging, melody, Music, rhythm, Spangled History | Leave a comment