In a moment of rare vulnerability and sadness, people should look forward to Frank Ticheli’s American Elegy and his arrangement of the classic Shenandoah. These two pieces really stick at the heart of depressed souls or people who have fallen on massively hard times. May the music help all who hear it have hope for all.
The first work, “American Elegy” presents a very low and perhaps muted temperament in light of those people who lost their lives in the Columbine shootings. It is a somber reminder that life can be taken at any moment and even though bad things happen, here we are in this world with hope still. Frank Ticheli first went about this project by asking if Columbine had an Alma Mater song that he could possibly quote. They didn’t have one. So, he wrote a song for SATB chorus and piano accompaniment that became the school song. Then, Ticheli went back and quoted that Alma Mater in the piece to further symbolize that this piece in particular was for them. In the end, the work shifts into a mighty tour de force to symbolize hope for the future.
Shenandoah is a glorious arrangement of an old traditional American folk song, originally named “Oh, Shenandoah” for crossing the Mississippi Valley and other nearby territories. It is beautifully arranged with the woodwinds and trumpet taking the tune the majority of the time with the lower instruments taking up chord and harmony support. The whole piece has a few climaxes but for the most part is a fairly muted volume that gently moves the listener’s ear. We need more of these once in a while.
