New Mexico March

[sloan]

Who wrote this and put Sousa's name on it?

[Carroll]

It does leave a bit to be desired. I do not love the euphonium part.

[sloan]

Be thankful you don't have to play the tuba part!

[Rick Denney]

Every preacher has his heresy.

Rick "and Sousa had a few" Denney

[GC]

Well, just to spread the joy a little further . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKgDrCSW ... re=related

[Rick Denney]

Yeah, the fake Indian theme that suddenly switches to a fake Latin theme really makes you hope the conductor calls for second endings only.

It fits pretty well on a comedy-themed program. It's easy to imagine it as the soundtrack for a cheesy silent movie in about 1912 or so.

"Wild Bill Hickock and his Famous Western Show!"

Rick "who has performed this march--several times" Denney

[chronolith]

I imagine that if your were stuck in the regular canon of Sousa material year in and out, this might be a welcome diversion.

[Donn]

Heretic? No.

Just not very good. There's so much great Sousa music, I think it eventually becomes more interesting to look for a bad one (this one, "Transit of Venus", etc.) But let it be enough to find them - we don't need to be playing them.

[Rick Denney]

Populist? Most certainly and by design.

As long as the population excluded Indian and Hispanic residents of that state (which are now and were then most of the residents of that state). Even then this music would have been thought cheesy.

For me, the welcome diversion from typical Sousa is Henry Fillmore.

Rick "suspecting that Sousa's reputation can withstand a little opprobrium" Denney

[Rick Denney]

The second guessing the Sousa of 1928 by the TNFJ is the epitome of futility. In the last 83 years much has changed. Or has it?

I have known New Mexicans old enough to have been aware of the world in 1928, who grew up there in the years that followed. They are neither Hispanic nor Indian (as the Indians call themselves when they are not trying to make us Anglos feel guilty, given that they don't have a name for themselves beyond "the people" and even that is too specific for the Navajo tribe). One was the mother of one of my oldest friends, and she was the daughter of a Harvey Girl. Residents of that state have always been sensitive to the cliches attached to New Mexico--one that it is Mexico and not part of the U.S. (which is astoundingly as much a problem now as ever), another that the Athabascan and Pueblo Indians of the southwest make music the same way as the eastern Indians that Sousa was parodying. They rolled their eyes at such cliches in the 1930's as much as they do today.

I'm sure Sousa was unaware of this.

But the heresy wasn't that. It was that the music is just plain bad.

Rick "hey, nobody's perfect" Denney

[scottw]

As it appears that this thread has almost played out, let me suggest there is another Sousa march that really should have died a quick death. We recently pulled out a copy of "Congress Hall" march for a summer series concert in historic Cape May, NJ. The march was written in honor of a hotel there bearing the same name and, in a word, is simply "dreadful". I doubt many have played it, as it is very hard to find [mercifully!]; don't trouble yourself to dig it out of the library! This one had to have been written on the back of a napkin on the steamer trip down there.
And, yes, I have played New Mexico, and that is also "dreadful". Anyone have any others to add to the honor roll?

[TubaRay]

This will probably stir the pot a bit. Since I have performed Stars & Stripes probably more than a thousand times(& it is IMO a great march), I believe I would prefer to play New Mexico March(at best, a mediocre one) on the next concert, as opposed to S&S. Just my opinion.

[ppalan]

don't trouble yourself to dig it out of the library!

After reading this entire thread, there were a number of comments that really grated on me. I just chose the quoted pieces because they were near the end. I don't mean to insult anyone or to imply that anyone doesn't do his/her best when performing but.........
....I'm a bit dismayed by some of the arrogance displayed by some responders to this thread. It is not for us as performing musicians to decide what's worth listening to for anyone else but ourselves. I've performed a great deal of music that I didn't especially like. We never know who's listening and what will appeal to them or spark their interest and imagination. Our job is simply to perform what's on the stand to the best of our ability.

This one had to have been written on the back of a napkin on the steamer trip down there.

So, allegedly was the Gettysburg Address.

Pete

[ParLawGod]

This is actually one of my favorite Sousa marches

[scottw]

don't trouble yourself to dig it out of the library!

After reading this entire thread, there were a number of comments that really grated on me. I just chose the quoted pieces because they were near the end. I don't mean to insult anyone or to imply that anyone doesn't do his/her best when performing but.........
....I'm a bit dismayed by some of the arrogance displayed by some responders to this thread. It is not for us as performing musicians to decide what's worth listening to for anyone else but ourselves. I've performed a great deal of music that I didn't especially like. We never know who's listening and what will appeal to them or spark their interest and imagination. Our job is simply to perform what's on the stand to the best of our ability.

This one had to have been written on the back of a napkin on the steamer trip down there.

So, allegedly was the Gettysburg Address.

Pete

Did I ever say I didn't play it to the very best of my ability? Just because, in my opinion, it is not a good Sousa march does not mean you don't play the hell out of it. Come on, man.
As to the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln and Sousa are 1 and 1.

[Rick Denney]

Our job is simply to perform what's on the stand to the best of our ability.

With all due respect, get over yourself. Nobody was advocating playing it poorly. There are many works of music that are offensive to my ears, and I've played a lot of them. If New Mexico March is okay, what about Symphony of Sitcoms? There is bad music out there, and if musicians on a musician's forum can't complain about it, then who is going to?

No marches were harmed in the making of this thread. Not even the bad ones.

Rick "who already has a job" Denney

[sousaphone68]

In St James Band we call them lollipops and Cartoon Symphony is the one I secretly like but I hate the boring bass parts we get in versions of westlife songs like you raise me up.
But you have to give the audience what they want as the band helps fund it self through paying public gigs.

[TubaRay]

We seem to be getting off topic, but I'd still like to add a comment to the sidebar. I have been known to complain bitterly over some choices for music.

The problem for me lies in two areas. One: Entertaining music doesn't have to be poorly written. Two: The same pieces don't have to be played every season. A little variety can really help. Secondly, music selection needs to take in to account, both the audience and the band. Music of the appropriate difficulty and that is well-written, but not too often played, can be both entertaining to the audience and enjoyable to perform. This can be true, even for guys like myself, who are accustomed to being paid to play, but join an amateur group for the purpose of getting to perform good, regular concert band literature. In my opinion, everyone who performs needs to be paid with at least some regularity. When I am being well-paid, I will play just about anything you want to hear. I even play the Chicken Dance. When I do not receive money, I feel a need to be paid with satisfaction in performing the music. Pure crap is pure crap. What is my motivation to perform it? The only one I can think of, is because the audience likes it. That can be enough for me, if I feel that proper attention has been given to the needs of the band members.

[TubaRay]

In my opinion, everyone who performs needs to be paid with at least some regularity. When I am being well-paid, I will play just about anything you want to hear. I even play the Chicken Dance. When I do not receive money, I feel a need to be paid with satisfaction in performing the music. Pure crap is pure crap. What is my motivation to perform it? The only one I can think of, is because the audience likes it. That can be enough for me, if I feel that proper attention has been given to the needs of the band members.

It's all a balancing act. Letting the pendulum swing too far either way will be a dissatisfying experience all around.

I can agree with that.

[scottw]

We seem to be getting off topic, but I'd still like to add a comment to the sidebar. I have been known to complain bitterly over some choices for music.

The problem for me lies in two areas. One: Entertaining music doesn't have to be poorly written. Two: The same pieces don't have to be played every season. A little variety can really help. Secondly, music selection needs to take in to account, both the audience and the band. Music of the appropriate difficulty and that is well-written, but not too often played, can be both entertaining to the audience and enjoyable to perform.
Excellent case in point: when performing with one such band at a community band festival [where we are each other's audience], the big number was TV Comedy Classics, another junior HS winner from Paul Murtha. For other community bands! That same piece might do for some concert-in-the-park stuff, but come on!
When I do not receive money, I feel a need to be paid with satisfaction in performing the music. Pure crap is pure crap. What is my motivation to perform it? The only one I can think of, is because the audience likes it. That can be enough for me, if I feel that proper attention has been given to the needs of the band members.
That is the point---when you play crap after crap after crap, you really have to fight --successfully--what ppalan thought I was implying, that you would not play it as well as you could because you didn't like the piece. Yes, you need to please your audience, but we need to be fed something of substance, too.