Melting Pot Overture for Band

Melting Pot Overture is for Middle School or New Horizons Bands and Narrator and it was made possible by the Melting Pot Overture Commissioning Consortium that consists of eleven groups.

This overture is divided into three sections, each based upon different poetry with a common theme, “the unity of people on earth”. The work uses folk songs from different ethnic origins in combination with each other to create a composition reflective of the title. A slow introduction leads into a spirited allegro after the narrator speaks the ending of Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus”, which appears on the pedestal of the statue of Liberty. This is followed by a slow section where the composer’s poem, “I’m From America”, is spoken over the music. The final section is also a spirited allegro where the composer’s poem, “We Are One”, is spoken among a set of variations on a Quapaw Indian Song.

The following is a list of the songs used in this work and their location.

Sunrise Call (Zuni Indians) – woodwind solos m. 1-28, canon m. 9-17

Bluebird (Korea) – low instrument answer to woodwind solos m. 1-28

Rocka My Soul (Negro Spiritual) – m. 28-43

Pretty Pena (Mexican) – m. 43-60 in high instruments

Arirang (Korean) – m. 50-68 in low instruments

Shalom, Chaverim – m. 61-68 in low instruments

My Lord, What a Morning (Negro Spiritual) – m. 79-86 in low instruments

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Negro Spiritual) – m. 79-86 in high instruments

Santa Lucia (Italian) – m. 87-103

Hymn To The Sun (Aztec) – m. 104-115

Face Dance song (Quapaw Indians) – m. 116-153, 177 – end

Rice Harvesting song (Vietnamese) – 159 -175

Sunset Song (Zuni Indians) – m. 159 -178

To see and hear this composition, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Melting_Pot_Band/Melting_Pot_Band.html.