The Spirit of the Olympics on CD
M. Zachary Johnson
May 09, 2005
Have you ever noticed that during occasions with a special spiritual significance people's taste in music improves? The longest-lasting and most striking example of this is Christmas time, when people who are otherwise content with whatever deejays put on the radio turn to music that is more beautiful, more refined, more tenderly expressive, and emotionally deeper. A similar sort of thing happens on Independence Day.
And a similar thing happens during the Olympics. Much of the music played at the Olympics consists of national anthems, which even for small or backward countries are invariably noble and majestic. Other music used for ceremonial purposes and, of course, to begin and end portions of television broadcasts, runs in a similar emotional vein. Most of the music one hears during the Olympics evokes specifically the emotion of *pride*.
Occasions like Independence Day and the Olympics bring out the best in people. They are a kind of catalyst that makes people want to fully embrace an exalted view of the world and a noble, heroic view of man. And on those occasions, only certain music will do.
The famous trumpet music played so often during broadcasts of the Olympics, often called the "Olympic Fanfare" or "Olympic Theme," is "Bugler's Dream" by Leo Arnaud. The thundering kettledrums, the clear, bright peal of the brass instruments, the majestic rhythm, the dense harmony, the surprising chords, and the simple but well-organized major-key melody make the piece grand, electrifying, and proud.
Leo Arnaud was born in France in 1904 and immigrated to the US in the 1930's. He settled in Hollywood, where he wrote music for motion pictures and conducted the Hollywood String Orchestra. In 1958, conductor Felix Slatkin commissioned him to write a piece for the album "Charge!"; Arnaud created the "Charge Suite," which includes "Bugler's Dream." That same year, a representative from ABC heard the music and purchased the rights to use it for coverage of the Olympics.
The Cleveland Symphonic Winds play the "Charge Suite" brilliantly on a recording titled "Stars and Stripes: Marches, Fanfares, and Wind Band Spectaculars." Leo Arnaud himself plays percussion in this recording. The other pieces on the album are similarly inspiring; they include Percy Grainger's beautiful and well-known "Lincolnshire Posy" and, of course, Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever."
Another recording that includes the "Bugler's Dream"--in what seems to be a somewhat better arrangement--is "NBC Presents: Summon the Heroes." Here, the Boston Pops Orchestra plays a compilation of music used at the Olympics; the album includes John Williams's "Summon the Heroes" and "Olympic Fanfare," Leonard Bernstein's "Olympic Hymn," and Vangelis's theme from "Chariots of Fire." As one Amazon.com reviewer puts it, "From the opening strains...we listeners are transported to a world far removed from our own, a world where epic feats are routine and glory and honor are everywhere." Amen.
To purchase these albums visit:
http://www.tiadaily.com/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=995
And a similar thing happens during the Olympics. Much of the music played at the Olympics consists of national anthems, which even for small or backward countries are invariably noble and majestic. Other music used for ceremonial purposes and, of course, to begin and end portions of television broadcasts, runs in a similar emotional vein. Most of the music one hears during the Olympics evokes specifically the emotion of *pride*.
Occasions like Independence Day and the Olympics bring out the best in people. They are a kind of catalyst that makes people want to fully embrace an exalted view of the world and a noble, heroic view of man. And on those occasions, only certain music will do.
The famous trumpet music played so often during broadcasts of the Olympics, often called the "Olympic Fanfare" or "Olympic Theme," is "Bugler's Dream" by Leo Arnaud. The thundering kettledrums, the clear, bright peal of the brass instruments, the majestic rhythm, the dense harmony, the surprising chords, and the simple but well-organized major-key melody make the piece grand, electrifying, and proud.
Leo Arnaud was born in France in 1904 and immigrated to the US in the 1930's. He settled in Hollywood, where he wrote music for motion pictures and conducted the Hollywood String Orchestra. In 1958, conductor Felix Slatkin commissioned him to write a piece for the album "Charge!"; Arnaud created the "Charge Suite," which includes "Bugler's Dream." That same year, a representative from ABC heard the music and purchased the rights to use it for coverage of the Olympics.
The Cleveland Symphonic Winds play the "Charge Suite" brilliantly on a recording titled "Stars and Stripes: Marches, Fanfares, and Wind Band Spectaculars." Leo Arnaud himself plays percussion in this recording. The other pieces on the album are similarly inspiring; they include Percy Grainger's beautiful and well-known "Lincolnshire Posy" and, of course, Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever."
Another recording that includes the "Bugler's Dream"--in what seems to be a somewhat better arrangement--is "NBC Presents: Summon the Heroes." Here, the Boston Pops Orchestra plays a compilation of music used at the Olympics; the album includes John Williams's "Summon the Heroes" and "Olympic Fanfare," Leonard Bernstein's "Olympic Hymn," and Vangelis's theme from "Chariots of Fire." As one Amazon.com reviewer puts it, "From the opening strains...we listeners are transported to a world far removed from our own, a world where epic feats are routine and glory and honor are everywhere." Amen.
To purchase these albums visit:
http://www.tiadaily.com/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=995
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