http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/music.shtml

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James Madison University - Madison - The Magazine of James Madison University - Spring 08 - Index

i had the same feeling listening to Portraits
in Bluestone.”
That Portraits in Bluestone is so evocative
is no mistake. Composer Balmages
intentionally composed the piece to reference
specific aspects of Madison and the
shenandoah Valley. He writes, “The first
movement, written solely for strings and
piano, takes the listener back in time to
when the university was founded. it is
based on open harmonies to convey the
simplicity of the times.”
This simplicity also brings up my memories
of how i saw the world when i first
set foot on campus as a freshman in 1981
— everything seemed simple. also in that
opening movement, a pulsing and repetitive
piano cadence begins and continues
during the entire first movement as the
music develops dramatically around the
pulse. Balmages writes of this feature, “it
conveys movement and steadfastness at
the same time — much like the university
itself. it is constantly moving forward, yet
remains committed to its original mission
while everything around it changes.”
also present in the first movement, but
only vaguely, is the melody of Shenandoah.
Balmages writes that, “the allusion
to Shenandoah is a reminder of the university’s
home. The first movement draws
on short segments of the theme throughout,
yet never presents the melody in its
entirety.” By hinting at the melody to
Shenandoah in the first movement Balmages
manages to create the fleeting
presence of a memory just out of recollection.
This is a haunting yet comforting
addition that strongly evokes a feeling of
place. You have to hear it.
The second movement is performed by
a cappella choir, and at the preview performance
in october the audience was
figuratively and literally “in” the music.
Because Portraits in Bluestone draws upon
the extensive potential of the university’s
school of Music by employing the
full string section from the symphony
orchestra, a large mixed choir, and the
Wind symphony along with antiphonal
brass, no room was left on Wilson Hall
stage, so the choir was spread along the
side walls of Wilson almost all the way
back to the balcony. The audience was
surrounded by the choir and the effect
was mesmerizing and awesome. even
if you’re not interested in choral music,
being immersed in the sound of so many
sPeCIALrePOrT
‘It resembles every
reason that I chose to
attend James Madison
University and why, to
this day, I am honored
to be a graduate.’
— Brian Balmages (’98), composer
talented singers surrounding you is
incredible. The choir sang the university’s
first alma mater, Blue-Stone Hill, whose
words were authored by dr. John W.
Wayland, head of the history department
at the normal when it opened in 1909.
Really, you have to hear it.
and then, there is the third and final
movement. This is the point in the performance
when october’s audience members
holding back their emotions could
no longer. The movement opens with
chimes played in the same pulsing pattern
as the piano in the first movement. after
a fanfare comes a solo flute playing the
main theme of the movement. although
i’d never heard the piece before, this
theme was strangely familiar. Balmages
writes, “This theme is particularly significant
because of the way it is constructed.
The entire melody is based on the first
four-measure phrase, which also happens
to be the retrograde inversion of the first
phrase to the current JMU Fight Song.”
as the third movement continued to
build in complexity and excitement i had
to remember to breathe. it’s huge. Then
in a most mysterious way excerpts of
Shenandoah begin to appear again. Hearing
these bits coming through reminded
me of the feeling i used to have driving
back to Harrisonburg on interstate 81 as
a student after having been away for the
summer. as the sights would get more
familiar and the exit signs for Harrisonburg
would appear, i would begin to
feel an overwhelming contentment and
full-spiritedness that no other location
inspires in me. Finally, Balmages pulls
out all the stops. He writes, “as the music
passes one of its two major climaxes, the
Shenandoah theme is presented in its
entirety for the first time by a solo horn.
This is a major point in the work, as it
has been hinted at for so long, yet finally
has a chance to come to the forefront.”
When Shenandoah appeared fully formed
set against a grand climax i could see the
entire audience almost shudder as one.
The sensation of hearing Shenandoah only
hinted at in the first movement and then
completely played in the third is a wonderfully
stirring convention. You have to
hear it.
Finally, all the voices, strings and
antiphonal brass come together as the
tempo increases dramatically. Building
for the final climax, the music gains tremendous
power and seems to be straining
against the confinement of Wilson Hall.
it is at this point when the music is most
evocative of Madison today. The intrinsic
optimism of the brass seems to herald not
just the unusually fast surge of Madison’s
prominence as a university, but also the
promise of a bright future that new graduates
feel stretching out before them. Balmages
writes of this finale, “it resembles
every reason that i chose to attend James
Madison University and why, to this day,
i am honored to be a graduate.”
The applause in Wilson went on for
quite a long time. as the audience finally
simmered down and i began to collect
myself, it hit me how appropriate it is to
celebrate Madison’s centennial with such
an inspiring musical piece. as an alumnus
i have always felt that living in the
moment is a particular trait that Madison
students possess. Current students exhibit
the same sense of being here now that i
felt as a student and still feel. and while
the university’s Centennial Celebration
rightfully is focused on looking back on
Madison’s history and looking forward to
the next century, truly understanding the
Madison experience requires celebrating
the noW. and, boy, does Portraits in
Bluestone accomplish that. You’ve got to
hear it.
The third movement of Portraits in
Bluestone will be performed during the
James Madison day Program on March
14 at 10 a.m. in the Convocation Center.
Virginia gov. Tim Kaine will deliver the
keynote at this — the main event — of
the weeklong Centennial Celebration.
Portraits in Bluestone will then be
played in its entirety later that day at 3:30
p.m. in the Convocation Center. Both are
open to all. if you can’t make it to campus
on the 14th, you can hear a recording
of the october performance at www.jmu.
edu/centennialcelebration/music.shtml/.
Really, you have to hear it. M
sPRing 2008 17
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