Legends of Washington Music

West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol

Tim and I celebrated Labor Day a day early by attending the National Symphony Orchestra's concert held outside the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, September 4th. 

Waiting for the concert to begin

We packed a picnic supper of cheese, crackers and grapes before heading down to the National Mall to spread our blanket on the west lawn of the Capitol, along with hundreds of other music lovers. 

Lots of music lovers

This "Legends of Washington Music" concert featured music by John Philip Sousa, Duke Ellington and Chuck Brown, three composers with wildly different styles but all born right here in Washington, D.C.

Concertgoers faced the Capitol's American flag during the concert's opener, The Star Spangled Banner

 

Steven Reineke, National Symphony Orchestra's conductor

Prior to performing several pieces written by the "American March King" John Philip Sousa, the conductor of the NSO, Steven Reineke, informed us that Sousa was born just a stone's throw from the U.S. Capital in 1854.  Soon after the Civil War ended, Sousa's father enlisted him in 1868 in the U.S. Marine Band as an apprentice musician at the young age of 14.  Sousa remained in the Marine Band until 1875 and returned to the band as its conductor in 1880, staying for another 12 years. 



Tim & I with the NSO in the background

We listened to the NSO perform "Circus Gallop" from The Irish Dragoon, one of Sousa's fifteen operettas, and the Presidential Polonaise, written by Sousa in 1886 at the request of President Chester Arthur and with the intent to keep visitors moving briskly through the White House receiving line.  Sousa composed the official march of the U.S. Marines, Semper Fidelis, which we were delighted to hear.  Of course, my personal favorite is his Stars and Stripes Forever with its killer piccolo obbligato. 

Tim & I with the Capitol in the background

Stars and Stripes Forever is a march Sousa composed on Christmas Day in 1896 that an act of Congress a hundred years later on December 11, 1987 would designate as the National March of the United States.



Mercedes Ellington in silver sequins

Next on the program were works composed by Duke Ellington, another Washington, D.C. native born here in 1899.  His granddaughter, Mercedes Ellington, introduced each piece performed by the NSO, including It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) and Sophisticated Lady.  It's interesting that, although Ellington's name is now synonymous with jazz, Ellington himself called his music "American Music"--not jazz. 



Oops!  Sorry for the blurry photo!  I must have been dancing at the time.

Finally, Chuck Brown joined the NSO to perform a medley of his favorites: "That'll Work," "Harlem Nocturne," and "Bustin' Loose."  Chuck Brown is known as the godfather of Washington's Go-Go music, a type of funk music that developed in the D.C. area in the mid-to-late 1970s.  In fact, "Busting Loose" has been adopted by the Washington Nationals baseball team as the tune played to celebrate each Nationals home run.

During the intermission, the National Symphony Orchestra packed up their instruments to yield the stage to Chuck Brown and his band. You, too, may enjoy Chuck Brown's unique brand of music, if you click on Tim's video...

All in all, it was an incredible night of listening to beautiful music under the stars that shone on our nation's capitol!