Leechburg High School - Minetas Yearbook (Leechburg, PA)

Page 9 text:

LQ HE theme of our publication in this mo- mentous year of 1948 is music. Music plays a great part in the everyday life of the people of all nations. In this book we will concern our- selves with American music and the American way of life. People say that America has no great music because her people do not sing. They cite countries such as Italy, Bohemia, or France where the farmers, artisans, tradesmen and all the others sing their native folk music. This may be true but you must remember that the United States is yet a young country. This granted, it still has produced famous composers such as Stephen Foster, Aaron Copeland, johnny Mercer, and Ethelbert Nevin. Foreigners say, when they hear the jazz of Harlem or the blues of Lower Basin Street, that our music is modern. It cer- tainly is. It is modern in every sense of the word and it is written to keep up with a modern, farseeing country. Our country has an improv- ing gallery of folk music. Such songs as Turkey in the Strawn, Old Black Ioen, and Carry Me Back to Old Virginnyv have become American classics. The United States has an ever growing 1 mfs, list of symphonic composers. Aaron Copeland known for his Appalachian Springi' and Lin- coln Portraitv. F erde Grofe, who arranged for Paul Whiteman and has since written the Grand Canyon Suitev, and Howard Hanson, director of the Eastman School of Music, heads the list of classicists. In popular music we find Iohnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, and Frank Loesser. These men need no introduction to the American public. The artists who perform this music run from Spike jones to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Boston aggregation is the Hnest of its kind and the Jones aggravation is the finest in its field. In between these two are superb music makers as Stan Kenton, the Boston Pops, Guy Lombardo, and the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra. Among our greatest vocal artists are Jeannette MacDonald, Peggy Lee, Nelson Eddy, and Bing Crosby. All of the above-mentioned people contri- bute toward making America a more musical and progressive country. In closing I would like to quote from Shelley Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memoryf,

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This year's Minetas is prepared along the lines of a classical symphony. Our symphony is unusual in the sense that five move- ments are used instead of the conventional four. The work begins with the usual slow movement, Maestoso. It means majestic and we use it to denote the faculty and school board. Movement number two has the title Andante. We use this term, which means slow and distinct, to describe the movements of the students throughout the school. The third movement, Allegro, gives a description of the ac-- tivities of the students. Allegro means fast, lively and refers to the general hum and bustle when the clubs meet or the band is practicing. The fast movement is the fourth or Presto Vivace movement. This term is exceedingly well suited to sports because it means speed and more speed. The term literally means quick and lively. Our symphony concludes with the Finale. This term means end, finish, there is no more. The Finale section deals with the pictures and activities of the seniors. In the above few paragraphs, I have given you the layout of this year's publication in a nutshell, or should I say concert shell. Now, with the conductor ready, let us begin the Leech- burg Symphony No. I, opus 1948. 6