Patriotic Assembly Song of the Week

"Arkansas"

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Musician of the Week
Henry Mancini

MONDAY
Music Example:  Pink Panther Theme

Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, who is best remembered for his film and television scores. 

Enrico Nicola Mancini was born, April 16, 1924, in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, and was raised near Pittsburgh.  When he was only 8 years old, his father made him take piccolo lessons, and when he was 12, he had to take piano lessons.Henry and his father played together in a band called “The Sons of Italy”. 

Today’s listening example is “The Pink Panther Theme Song”.  Mancini wrote this song in 1963.  He told the animators he would write it at a tempo they animate for.  When it was all done, the cartoon was timed perfectly to the music, even the parts where someone got hit or something blew up.  

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TUESDAY
Music Example: The Baby Elephant Walk

Great musicians must have great imagination and creativity. In writing for movies and TV shows, Henry Mancini demonstrated his imagination by transforming character traits into musical expression, such as a feisty panther, or a toddler size baby elephant. 

In 1943, after roughly one year at Julliard, his studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. He initially served in the infantry, later transferring to an Army band.

In 1952, Mancini joined the Universal Pictures music department where he contributed music to over 100 movies including “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “The Glenn Miller Story”.  

"Baby Elephant Walk" is a piece of music written by Henry Mancini in 1961 for the movie Hatari!   Mancini combined brass instruments and woodwinds to convey the sense of a toddler that is large and plodding, but filled with the exuberance of youth. The catchy, jazzy tune has made it one of Mancini's most popular works.  'Baby Elephant Walk’ is an example of ‘musical kookiness’.  Get this tune in your head and it sticks there. 

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WEDNESDAY
Music Example:  Peter Gun Theme

Henry Mancini was a pioneer of the inclusion of jazz elements in the late romantic orchestral film and TV scoring prevalent at the time.  Mancini left Universal-International to work as an independent composer/arranger in 1958.  

Henry Mancini composed the "Peter Gunn Theme" for a 1958 TV series about a successful private investigator.  The title character, Peter Gunn, is a well-dressed private eye whose hair is always in place and who loves jazz.  He is a suave and sophisticated professional with a reputation of being one of the best investigators and trustworthy.  

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Mancini’s imagination inspired him to create a musical representation of Peter Gunn.  The music is jazz that feels heavy and weighted, portraying the strength of the man. Mancini wrote a persistent bass line ostinato--a repeated pattern--to provide the foundation for the music and give it a feeling of determination.  The melody, played by trumpets, trombones and saxophones, portrays a feeling of both challenge and sophistication.  This music is great for a big jazz band to play.   

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THURSDAY
Music Example:  "Moon River" from BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

When Henry Mancini met the write/producer of “Peter Gunn”, Blake Edwards, the two formed a life long friendship.  In fact, they worked together on over 30 films over the span of 35 years.  The two worked together on iconic films such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “The Pink Panther”, “The Great Race” and “Victor Victoria”.  

Today’s Listening Example is from the movie “Breakfast at TIffany’s” starring Audrey Hepburn.  In the movie, Audrey Hepburn sang the song herself, sitting with a guitar on the fire escape of a New York apartment, and the result was charming.  “Moon River” is a 1961 award winning song that has been arranged in different ways by many artists.  The slow, gentle waltz is so popular, it has been used in the field of music therapy, as a test sample in studies of peoples’ memories of popular songs. Mancini composed exactly the right melody to suit the dreamy, waif-like, good-time girl, Holly Golightly.

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FRIDAY
Music Example:  "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet"   (A Time for Us)

Henry Mancini wrote one of his most beautiful melodies for a 1968 film based on the famous play by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.  Mancini’s "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" was also known as "A Time for Us".  This award-winning song was a number one pop hit in 1969.   The 1968 film was different from earlier ones because it used actors closer to the age in Shakespeare’s play. 

The music is an expression of both the hope and despair found in the two star-crossed lovers from Shakespeare's classic love story. The “Love Theme” begins with piano and orchestra playing the theme; then a choir sings “A Time for Us”.   The music is written in a minor scale which contributes to the feeling of drama and emotion.  It also leads the listener to expect an unhappy ending.  

The simple melody and rhythm reflect a music style of the Renaissance. The melody soars with passion, then takes a downward direction.  Like the other songs we’ve studied this week, Mancini’s “Love Theme” is an example of his ability to help make films believable, by using his imagination to write music that expresses characters and their feelings .