Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: http://read.jwpepper.com/i/111825
Program Notes Shortly after Antonio Vivaldi entered the priesthood at age 25, he was given the nickname il Prate Rosso (The Red Priest) because of his fiery red hair. Due to poor health, he was given a dispensation from saying Mass, and was assigned to teach music at the Pio Ospedale della Piet��, (Devout Hospital of Mercy) an orphanage for girls. The Sinfonia in B minor was composed for the orphanage and was most likely intended for use in the Holy Saturday service that ends the Lenten season. Vivaldi���s inscribed subtitle Al Santo Sepolcro (At the Holy Sepulcher) makes reference to the burial tomb of Jesus after his crucifixion. The harmonic language of the opening Adagio is quite thorny for Vivaldi. Here he creates a mood of utter sadness through the use of harshly dissonant suspensions. The following Allegro contains some of the same characteristics of the opening Adagio, and sustains its dramatic tone through a tightly constructed fugue that features minor seconds in the theme. About the Arranger Brendan McBrien grew up in Sunnyvale, California, where he began his musical training on the horn at age 10. Brendan is an active adjudicator, clinician, and frequent honor group conductor. He has served two terms as Vice President of Membership for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA). He has been the recipient of the Middle School Teacher of the Year award in the Irvine Unified School District, Secondary Teacher of the Year from the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators Association, and has multiple listings in Who���s Who Among America���s Teachers. Brendan is an active adjudicator, clinician, and frequent honor group conductor. He has served two terms as Vice President of Membership for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA). He has presented workshops at both the California Band Director���s Association and the California Music Educator���s Association state conventions as well as numerous presentations for the SCSBOA.