Variations on “The Banks of Newfoundland” and Other Works for a Beginning String Ensemble

  1. The Great Canadian Story
  2. Variations on the “Banks of Newfoundland” (Co-composed with Alex Eddington)
  3. Keel Row (Arrangement)

A) The Great Canadian Story, for String Orchestra (2012)– 3:00 (grade 2: medium easy)

B) Variations on the “Banks of Newfoundland”, for String Orchestra (2015) – 3:30

Co-composed with Alex Eddington, based on the traditional melody (grade 2: medium easy)

C) Keel Row, Traditional, Arranged by Ronald Royer, for String Orchestra, Piano and Spoons– 3:00 (grade 2: medium easy)

(Piano and Spoons are optional)

Night Music: Echoes of Film Noir

Ronald Royer, composer | Alexander Panizza, piano

Notes from the Composer: Night Music for piano (2021) was created during the Covid-19 pandemic. Feeling nostalgic, I was drawn to night themes and music from the past. The composition is in the form of a piano sonata, but each of the four movements also functions as an independent character piece. Night Music was written for and dedicated to the wonderful Argentinian/Canadian pianist Alexander Panizza. Due to Toronto’s restrictions concerning live concerts, it was composed to be premiered on the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra’s YouTube channel. Echoes of Film Noir was inspired by the dramatic, gripping, and multi-layered music commonly found in this genre. Film noir was commonly set in dark locations and shot in black and white. In creating music for my fantasy nighttime crime drama, I used a traditional sonata allegro form for the structure. The movement starts with a first theme representing a hardboiled detective, followed by a second theme representing a “femme fatale”. The rest of the movement allows for the music (and the story) to develop, build to a climax, and come to a conclusion. I invite listeners to create their own stories.

 Audio recording and video by Alexander Panizza This video was sponsored by the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra and was made possible in part by support from the Toronto Arts Council, and the SOCAN Foundation.

Websites:

https://www.spo.ca https://alexanderpanizza.com/ https://ronaldroyer.com/

Audio recording copyright 2021 Alexander Panizza and Ronald Royer Video copyright 2021 Alexander Panizza Music copyright 2021 Ronald Royer —

 

Dances with Percussion

Instrumentation:

Solo timp.ds./2(2=picc).2.2.2./4.2.3.1./2perc.pn./strings

Date: 2018

Duration:  10:43

  1. French Overture and Danzon – 6:20
  2. Fantasy on a Sarabande – 6:30
  3. Rondo Jig – 7:40

Dances with Percussion (Dedicated to Jean Norman Iadeluca), for Timpani, Drum Set and Orchestra

Dances with Percussion was composed for and is dedicated to timpanist Jean Norman Iaduleca in honour of his 70th birth year and his 47th year performing with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO). Jean Norman’s great friend and long-term colleague at the HPO, Ernie Porthouse, conceived the idea of commissioning a timpani concerto in his honour. Because they have performed together so often over the years, including 560 duo performances, Jean Norman decided Ernie should be included as a drum set soloist. Ernie successfully approached HPO music director Gemma New and Executive Director Diana Weir with the project, and then approached me. I immediately said yes to this intriguing project. It is quite unusual to combine timpani and drum set as soloists with an orchestra, and I was eager to create a piece that showcased the possibilities of this combination. As well, I was delighted to work with Jean Norman, Ernie, Gemma and the HPO.

Deciding how to approach a concerto for timpani, drum set, and orchestra was challenging. I wanted to allow Jean Norman and Ernie to realize their aspirations for the design and concept of the concerto. I also hoped the work would reflect their love and passion for music, as well as touch on their wonderful sense of humour. Jean Norman wanted the timpani part to focus on melodic playing and musicality within a more classical framework. Ernie wanted the drum set part to include a variety of Latin American and jazz rhythms (including Afro-Cuban jazz elements). Gemma was interested in having the piece complement a program of dance music by Bernstein, Copland and Márquez.

The first movement combines elements of a Baroque era French Overture and a Latin American Danzón. The opening is inspired by typical French Overture rhythms, but then a timpani and drum set cadenza is included. The following fast section starts with a typical French Overture fugato but is based on Latin American Danzón rhythms, which are developed throughout the movement. In the middle of this fast section, the music also includes an Afro-Cuban Montuno, a repetitive rhythmic figure played by the piano.

The second movement is a fantasy based on a Baroque era Sarabande dance rhythm. The music begins with a contemplative mood before the timpani enters with a stately and sensitive Sarabande theme. After a series of “classical” variations, the Sarabande theme transforms into a jazz waltz, starting with a solo clarinet followed by a timpani jazz solo. The full orchestra helps to build to the climax, before the original Sarabande theme returns to conclude the movement.

The third movement combines a classical era rondo [ABACA] and a Celtic Jig, with Latin American dance rhythms for extra flavor. The movement starts with the timpani playing a march-like jig theme and progresses to the other soloist playing a traditional Irish bodhrán drum. The piccolo plays a traditional Celtic folksong from Nova Scotia aptly named Drummer Boy. The timpani theme returns before moving into the B section featuring a Celtic folksong from Ireland named the Rakes of Kildare. Latin American elements are mixed in, including the drum set playing Afro-Cuban Abakuá rhythms. The first timpani and Drummer Boy themes return and progress to the C section based on a Scottish folksong called Lannagan’s Ball. The rhythm of this theme is slightly changed to give the music a more Latin American feel. The final A section is varied by speeding up the Drummer Boy theme and to end with upbeat and virtuosic music for the soloists and orchestra.

Land of Shining Waters

Instrumentation: 

2+1.2.2.2./2.2.1.1./timp.1perc./strings

(flute 2 is optional, tuba part can be played by a bass trombone)

Composed: 2018

Length: 6:00″

Notes:

I composed Land of Shining Waters as a musical tribute to the history of the city of Peterborough, Ontario. The first section of the composition starts with a slightly mysterious feel representing the mists of time. A slow and majestic theme follows, paying homage to First Nations’ peoples who first settled in the area.

The second part of the composition celebrates the founding of the city of Peterborough in 1825, when Peter Robinson directed the settlement of a large group of Irish immigrants in the area. The music is based on two traditional Celtic folksongs. The first folksong, Drummer Boy, is from Nova Scotia and is played by the piccolo. The second folksong, Rakes of Kildare, is from Ireland. It is first played by a solo bassoon, and then by other instruments, including a solo violin. In the last section of the piece, the Drummer Boy theme returns, but faster, creating an upbeat and exuberant ending.

Land of Shining Waters was commissioned by and is Dedicated to the Kawartha Youth Orchestra and music director Michael Newnham in celebration of the Kawartha Youth Orchestra’s 15th anniversary.

Fantasia on Canadian Carols/Fantaisie sur des Airs de Noël canadiens

Instrumentation: 

  1. 2(2=picc).2(2=ehn).2.2./2.2.0.0./timp.1perc.hp./strings

    (harp is optional, alternate part combining timpani and percussion for 1 player)

    Other Versions: Orchestra with or without SATB Choir or SA Children’s Choir; Chamber Orchestra with Choir or Children’s Choir; and String Orchestra with Choir or Children’s Choir

Composed: 2016

Duration: 10:00″

Notes:

I was interested in writing two orchestra works, one for Christmas and another to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Canada in 2017. Finally, I realized I might be able to combine both these ideas into a single work, a Fantasia on Canadian Carols. I realized that I only knew of the Huron Carol. In the summer of 2015, I started to research the history of Christmas carols in Canada, which took me on a fascinating discovery of Canadian holiday traditions. I found three categories: carols that travelled from Europe and remained the same; carols that travelled from Europe and evolved into a Canadian variant; and new carols composed in Canada. I also discovered some uniquely Canadian Christmas music, including “Santa Claw” songs, found in the Maritimes.

I started talking about my idea to friends who gave me the idea of writing two versions, one for orchestra and the other for choir and orchestra. I chose to base my Fantasia on a group of four older traditional carols representing three areas of Canada: Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. I decided to title this work in both our languages since two carols are sung in English and two in French.

The Huron Carol

The Huron Carol is considered to be the first Canadian Christmas carol, probably first sung in 1641 or 1642, and written by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Ontario. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people to a French folk song Une Jeune Pucelle (A Young Maiden). The lyrics of this carol combines the birth of Jesus with Huron religious concepts. Today, this carol is commonly heard with the English lyrics written by Jesse Edgar Middleton in 1926.

Il est né, le divin Enfant

Il est né, le divin Enfant (He is born, the divine Child), is originally a traditional French carol, but travelled to Canada to become part of French-Canadian Christmas celebrations. Ernest Gagnon, an important 19th century collector of French-Canadian folksongs, used this carol in his Cantiques populaires pour la fête de Noël (1909), a wonderful collection of French Canadian Christmas carols for choir and organ. The melody in this version is slightly different than the original French carol.

The chorus of this carol has strong musical connections, “He is born, the Heav’nly Child, Oboes play; set bagpipes sounding. He is born, the Heav’nly Child. Let all sing His nativity.”

The Cherry-Tree Carol

The Cheery-Tree Carol is an old traditional English carol from the early 15th century. There are different versions of this carol, so it is not surprising that it found a new melody and lyrics in Canada. The important collector of folksongs from the Maritimes, Helen Creighton, collected a beautiful version from William Riley, who lived in the aptly named Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia. The lyrics tell an apocryphal story of the Virgin Mary, occurring while traveling with Joseph to Bethlehem for the census.

La Guignolée

La Guignolée or La Guiannée, is a French medieval tradition that travelled to French Canada with the first French settlers. It became popular in Quebec, parts of the Maritimes (including New Brunswick), and a few French-Canadian communities in the United States. Occurring on either Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, the singing participants went door to door asking for food and drink, plus donations for the poor. The backside of the pig was considered a prize, and if not available, the group would ask to take the eldest daughter or even threaten to burn down the house. According to Marius Barbeau, the great 20th century collector of French folksongs, the rowdy group was followed by an old buggy (to contain the gifts), and all the dogs of the neighourhood. Ernest Gagnon discovered the catchy melody from the area around Montreal and Quebec.

Commissioning and First Performances

The Fantasia on Canadian Carols was commissioned and premiered by the International Symphony Orchestra (Douglas Bianchi, conductor) joined by the International Symphony Singers (Dr. David Troiano, conductor) on December 2, 2016 (Clyde Township, Michigan) and December 3 (Sarnia, Ontario); the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (Ronald Royer, conductor) on December 3 (Scarborough, Ontario); Symphony New Brunswick (Michael Newnham, conductor) joined by the Louisbourg Choir (Monique Richard, conductor) on December 3 (Saint John, New Brunswick), December 5 (Moncton, NB) and December 6 (Fredericton, NB); and the Brantford Symphony Orchestra (Philip Sarabura conductor) on December 10, 2016 (Brantford, Ontario).