Friday, November 07, 2008

"OCTOBER"

I WROTE ABOUT THIS PIECE TWO YEARS AGO. (click here)

The first time I heard this piece, I was sitting in the stands, watching High School Marching Competition. From almost the first note, I cried like a baby. X-mrs. bulletholes looked over at me and said "What the hell is the matter with you?". The Band adavanced, and when they played it again that evening, I cried again.
After the show, I told the Director how his Musicians had moved me to tears, not once but twice.

"Which child is yours?" he asked.
'Oh, no, you don't understand" I said 'my child plays for a different Band."

It was one of my first posts. I seldom click on a You-Tube when I see it posted, and I doubt anyone really wants to hear this all the way through, but if you will listen to the last minute, and the way the Composer presents the last 2 notes of "October", you will know what November (click here) is all about.




Keep in mind that this is done by High School Students.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice ..... reminds me of Forrest Gump background music.
Talented kids!
Quack, Quack!

petra michelle; Whose role is it anyway? said...

It is hard to believe this was performed by high school students.
And yes, I listed to the last note.
Beautiful!
For me, it was nostalgic and brought me back to my college days at Rutgers. Nostalgia is in the air. November always feels that way. My favorite time was walking along campus with my friends in the fallen leaves. A beautiful post, Es.

Barbara said...

Really good music. These are not your normal high school musicians obviously!

Anonymous said...

Some people never seem to ask themselves: "do you think I'm mad for liking slow marching band music?" Those people are cold heartless freaks in my opinion, for nobody with a living, beating heart in his or her chest... etcetera. Slow marching band music is the most fucking moving music ever made, I think! I told Unremitting Failure I once stood on a street corner on a cold November day listening to a brass band playing Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' and barely being able to keep me from blubbering. I'm no longer ashamed.

Well, maybe I'm a little mad after all, for I also like (though not to tears) German hunting songs, Swiss jodl music and both Tahitian fisherman and Russian Orthodox Monk chants. But that doesn't change the fact that I really liked this post and I listened to maybe a minute of the YouTube film, quietly. (I usually don't click them on for I don't want to antagonize my colleagues any more than strictly necessary.)

Martijn

bulletholes said...

Hey rod, good to here yuor Quackin' here in these parts!
Pie! Yeah, i think the compoeser really nailed the feel of fall on this.
Hi Barb! The recordng is an All-State Band, but I know you have seen my Band posts from the early days, and any High School Marching Band will impress you one way or another.

Martijn, man, you got it! I get all teary just watchin' them take the field, now that I know what its all about!
my daughters old High school Band left last night on an 800 mile bus Trip for Nationals. The work and dedication its taken them to get there is unbelievable.