Last Sunday I had the opportunity to see the Cornell University Wind Symphony and the Ithaca High School Wind Ensemble perform. The music they performed blew me away, it was a magical experience. During the performance, the composer, David Maslanka, spoke about a few of the pieces and how he wrote these pieces. It was very inspiring. Overall, the piece I enjoyed the most from the Ithaca High School Wind Ensemble was Mother Earth, composed by David Maslanka. I enjoyed this piece greatly because it incorporated so many instruments into a harmonious piece of work. The students at Ithaca High School did a wonderful job on this piece. The piece I enjoyed greatly from the Cornell University Wind Symphony was Symphony No.8 composed by David Maslanka.  I would recommend that all Cornell students go see a performance by the Cornell University Wind Symphony as it is a very enjoyable, relaxing, and a fulfilling performance that incorporates emotional feeling and many instruments into its music.

Last Sunday, I attended the performance of the CU Wind Symphony and the Ithaca High School Wind Ensemble at Bailey Hall. This was my first time attending a performance by the CU Wind Symphony, and I was shocked at how good they sounded. I have always liked classical music. I used to play violin back in high school, and I am currently in Cornell Chorale. In addition, this semester I am taking Introduction to Western Music Theory, taught by Professor Spinazzola, who is the conductor for CU Wind. A few days before the concert, our class got a chance to meet David Maslanka, the composer of the majority of the pieces performed at the concert. Mr. Maslanka described to us his composition process, which involves a lot of visualization. He also mentioned that walking can help somebody to think better–a fact that I have also found to be true, as I often walk around when trying to come up with something to write for an essay. I was also surprised to learn that Mr. Maslanka often based his musical themes after the melody in other, older works. For instance, during the lecture, Mr. Maslanka handed out to each of us a copy of “Jesu, meine Freude,” an old chorale, and had us sing it. He mentioned that the melody of the chorale was present in his Symphony No. 8, as well as another piece he wrote, titled “Oh Earth, Oh Stars,” which he played a recording of in class. Although I could clearly hear the melody of “Jesu, meine Freude” in the piece that he played for us, I was surprised to so distinctly hear it again several days later when CU Wind performed his Symphony No. 8. By this point I could no longer remember what “Jesu, meine Freude” sounded like, but as soon as the second movement of Symphony No. 8 began, I immediately realized that I had heard that tune before. I was shocked that Mr. Maslanka would so obviously incorporate a different song into his own. I guess I always figured that original music would not include music from outside sources, but I suppose that there is only so much originality that exists in the world. Music can still be original even if it borrows from other songs, as long as it reworks it into something new. Although I could clearly hear the melody of “Jesu, meine Freude” in Maslanka’s Symphony No. 8, I could also tell that it was not the exact same song.

I find that it’s always nice to attend a CU Winds performance. I think most people who were in high school band look back on it fondly, so it’s become a nostalgic experience I indulge in once in a while.

Notably, the music department had arranged for a guest composer, David Maslanka, to write an original piece for the CU Winds in memory of a past music professor at Cornell. Mr. Maslanka had apparently been at Cornell for several days leading up to the concert, holding workshops with CU Winds in order to provide feedback on their interpretation of his compositions, as well as to attend the performance. Between two songs, Mr. Maslanka was invited up to the stage to speak.

He struck me as an odd guy. According to Wikipedia, he’s 73 years old, which surprised me right now; I thought he looked to be in his 60’s. Once he was on the stage, he kept his eyes on the ground and spoke quietly about his collaboration with the CU Winds. He then started going into some details behind his thought process and his inspiration for composing lately. He presented the idea that the world is chaos and music is peace, although this is a very rough TL;DR. I think this is almost definitely a cliche, but considering that Mr. Maslanka is pretty old, maybe all the time he’s spent thinking has revealed to him that this cliche actually is the truth. I enjoyed the image he described afterwards, of music being water flowing from the Earth. I think this kind of visualization, especially when it’s provided by the composer of the piece being performed, is nice to have in mind when performing music. Back when I used to (try to) play piano, I found it helped me be more expressive when I read what the composer was thinking or what they were inspired by when they wrote the piece I was playing. It must have been an invaluable experience for everyone in CU Winds to have Mr. Maslanka come work with them.

I saw the CU Wind Symphony and Ithaca High School Wind Symphony perform last Sunday in Bailey Hall. The music was more beautiful than I imagined. As someone who had little to no exposure to live classical music, I think that this experience broadened my ideas of what classical music entails. Now, when I see the term “symphony,” I have an exact picture in my mind of what that looks like.

Many governmental officials debate taking money away from art and music programs to fund other academic subjects. However, this experience has taught me that these programs are vital to supplement traditional subjects in school. Many children receive necessary emotional support from their participation in programs like orchestra or wind symphonies. At the beginning of the Ithaca High School’s performance, the conductor dedicated the opening song to a girl who had just lost her mother. Having the support and ability to make music with others might be a vital  way to cope with such a heartbreaking and difficult loss. Cutting funds for programs like this would take away the benefits that they provide to many students.

On the other hand, such programs also provide a safe, alternative way to destress and unwind from a demanding academic schedule. When the composer spoke to the audience about his inspiration for the collection of songs that were being played, he mentioned the idea of peace as a strong influence. His imagery of water enveloping the earth really helped me to place my mind in a peaceful state as I listened to the songs. I also thought about ways to keep peace on earth and in my life.

I am so glad I took the time to attend the Wind symphony. I feel as if I have grown from the experience. I definitely recommend it to anyone!