On the Five Whitwell Symphonies

I composed my first work, a piano concerto with band, when I was aged 18

and a student at the University of Michigan. The score no longer exists1 but as I

recall it was filled with the enthusiasm of a young student who had been hearing

great masterpieces for the first time. Consequently, stylistically it ran the gamut

from Bach to Wagner – as my friends quickly pointed out. There was one melody in

in particular which several students pointed out was identical with a melody in the

second movement of the Berlioz Requiem. This is something all composers of

diatonic music fear, that they will think of some melody only to find later that it had

been used by some earlier famous composer. In this case the interesting thing was

that at age 18 I am quite sure I had never heard the Berlioz Requiem. Nevertheless,

into the trash the score went.

It was more than 30 years before I thought of composing again, this time at

the urging of my friend Frederick Fennell. I had recently heard one of those

extraordinary madrigals by Gesualdo and so I decided to make a paraphrase on it.

The result I felt was not good enough to put my name on it, so I gave the composer’s

name as Solil la Qui. There had been a series of much discussed articles in the

Instrumentalist Magazine under the name of Solil la Qui and in one issue the editor

even published an anonymous photograph identified as the non-existent writer. I

reasoned that if the non-person had published articles, and a photograph, he

deserved to have written a composition.

For several decades I memorized and conducted new compositions of the

most complicated nature, and premiered more than 40 of them, and observed their

almost universal failure to communicate with the listeners. One composer expressed

his lack of concern, observing that in 200 years listeners would understand his

music. Subsequently, I decided that should I begin to compose in earnest my goal

would be to compose music which communicated to the listener in the most simple

and direct way possible.

1 One melody alone survives as the beginning melody of the second movement of my 4th symphony.

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David Whitwell, Symphony Nr. 1, “The Viennese Legacy” (1987)i. Chaconneii. Adagio

When I was serving as Associate First Horn in the US Air Force Symphony

Orchestra and Band, in Washington, DC, I frequently had the occasion to perform

authentic background music in one or another of the famous hotels where political

dinners were held. It could be quite interesting, as on one occasion when I was able

to observe a vibrant conversation between Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy,

but at the same time I never forgot that I was not a guest but rather an anonymous,

unseen musician in the balcony. And against this ignominious status the

performance often required considerable skill, as performing quantities of Strauss

Waltzes I had never even heard with no rehearsal.

All this came to mind after I had been conducting somewhere in Europe

when one bitterly cold day in Vienna, late at night, I saw a solitary horn player,

poorly dressed for the weather, struggling in the face of the strong wind and snow

with his horn case on his back. This poor musician had no doubt been performing

some festive music at the Hofburg, helping provide entertainment music for the

aristocrats of Vienna who were now riding home in their chauffeured limousines. It

was thinking of him that brought this music to the surface and at the time I thought

of it as the “dark side” of the Viennese waltz. The two movements are a continuous

development of a single waltz melody.

Sample score pages of this Symphony and a recording can be found on my new website, www.whitwellbooks.com

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Reviews of Symphony Nr. 1

I have listened to your Symphony several times – Congratulations David!!

I like it very much indeed. As I have told you several times – I consider you the most talented student I ever had. But I did not know of your talent as a composer.

William D. RevelliAnn Arbor, MI, Nov. 8, 1987University of Michigan

Thanks for your compliment of sharing your performance of your own “OPUS ONE” with me.

To me it was first class all the way -- in concept, in execution and in listening. How on earth have you kept your talent as a composer under a bushel for so long!! Congratulations!

Mark HindsleyUrbana, IL, Nov. 11, 1987University of Illinois

I certainly enjoyed hearing your symphony. The trouble is that I like the work; the first movement is especially good. Now what do I do with a “Post-Brahmsian” composition written in 1987?

I hope you don’t mind my “joshing” a little. The symphony, especially as an Opus One, is really very good. It fills a void in the wind band repertoire and therefore is a very valuable work for student organizations.

Leon BlyStuttgart, Germany, Nov. 12, 1987

I have given your “Opus 1” at least a dozen hearings. I’ve played it in the morning, in the evening, driving to and from. I really like it. It is outstanding. Being a work of traditional content doesn’t detract a bit. I find myself drawn to the work more every time I hear it. You have a wealth of ideas in the Chaonne. And the order of their succession is perfect. I’ve played it for several friends and they all agree on the unique quality of the work as a whole. No one failed to notice the depth of feeling in the chorale-portion of the Adagio. The lyricism is absolutely heart-warming!

Robert Bailey (professional trombonist)Minneapolis, MN, Oct. 19, 1988

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Thanks for the tape of your Symphony. I enjoyed listening to it, even so you say it sounds like old music; but it is written so perfectly well for a combination of wind instruments, so it really sounds! My sincere congratulations.

Karel HusaIthaca, New York, April 12, 1989

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David Whitwell, Sinfonia da Requiem (1988)i. Requiem aeternam (Rest eternal)ii. Tuba mirum (The trumpet shall sound)iii. Dies Irae (Dreaded Day, Day of Ire)iv. Lacrymosa (Mournful day)v. Libera me (Deliver me from everlasting death)

In 1968 my wife and I moved to Vienna in order for me to study conducting

at the famous Akademie of Musik. We both felt that if we were going to live in

Vienna we wanted to live in Vienna, right in the middle and not out in the 25th

district. We were fortunate to find a small apartment on Kartnerstrasse just one

block and a half from the great cathedral, Stefansdom, which is the heart of the city.

From the first moment I stepped into this apartment I had a strong feeling of

the presence of Mozart. Of course I immediately attributed this to the basic

excitement of being, on my first trip to Europe, in the city of Mozart, Haydn,

Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler. But this feeling of the presence of Mozart in this

apartment continued for the entire year. Of course when my mind was otherwise

involved in perhaps conversing with my wife, or studying scores, etc., the “Mozart

Effect” was not apparent. But in moments of reflection the feeling returned. It was

always there.

Twenty years later, in 1988, I read a new small book by Robbins Landon

called The Last Year of Mozart’s Life. In this book he had reproduced a map of

central Vienna dating from about the time of Mozart’s death. In these old

European cities the basic blocks of building remain the same but the streets tend to

change names over the centuries. It was, therefore, only when I saw this older map

that I realized that my apartment was in the same building and on the same floor as

the apartment in which Mozart died! The reader will understand the utter sense of

shock as I thought back on those feelings of 1968. Indeed for some weeks I had the

circumstances of the death of Mozart constantly on my mind.

To free myself from this obsession I decided, as a kind of exorcism, to write a

Requiem for Mozart, who did not have one performed when he died. Fortunately I

was on sabbatical the Spring of 1988 and could devote myself completely to the

composition of this my second symphony, the Sinfonia da Requiem. There are a

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number of curious things about this work, beginning with the fact that the act of

composition was almost without a sense of labor. Indeed some movements came to

me faster than I could write them down. As an inexperienced composer I found this

rather startling but I attribute it to the fact that my feelings were so unusually

focused. It is when the feelings are not engaged that composition becomes difficult.

The performance of this Sinfonia da Requiem has always had a strong

impact on the audience, especially in concerts throughout Europe. I attribute this to

the music drawing upon the listeners’ own love of Mozart and thoughts of his early

death. Indeed, on more than one occasion I have turned to face the audience at the

end of a performance of this work in Europe to find numerous audience members

crying.

Sample score pages of this Symphony and a recording can be found on my new website, www.whitwellbooks.com

Reviews of Symphony Nr. 2

Surely one of the best things of the evening was the sound of this work, characterized by an impressive power in its most emphatic moments. The American ensemble took advantage of the open gallery of the Cloister, to create pleasant stereophonic effects by locating the trumpets and trombones on the sides of the flight of steps that hosted spectators. The saxophone soloist [Bill Wilson] in the Lacrymosa created a very beautiful and successful effect, while in the Libera me (with the sky imperturbably perturbed) a tranquil melody of conciliation and thanksgiving was lifted up to the divinity.

Brescia Oggi (Italy), July 15, 1989

In the Sinfonia da Requiem, composed in memory of the last days of the great composer, Mozart, allowed the composer, David Whitwell, to place himself into the very moving last days of Mozart, who, as is well-known, composed a Requiem on his deathbed which, however with superhuman effort, he was not able to finish. Whitwell rendered the tragic and hectic of those last December days of almost 200 years ago in a grandiose manner. In the next to last movement, the "Lacramosa," the public experienced a wealth of tone and rhythm after an earlier movement, the "Dies Irae," the trumpets, horns, and trombones captured a defiant reaction against the

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deadly disease. In the final movement, the "Libra me," a measured movement, besides a monumental finale the heartache of the composer over the all too early death of the talented Mozart was expressed. The audience experienced the real ability of this orchestra where it was able to produce the finest nuances of tone at the softest dynamic levels.

Markgrafler Tagblatt (Germany), July 19, 1989.

The Requiem was then performed a full orchestra strength, a Mass which was composed by Whitwell after he had occupied himself intensively with the last years of Mozart. In addition to the four parts of the Catholic Liturgy (Introitus, Dies irae, Tuba mirum and Lacrymosa) there sounded a fifth movement, a "Libera me," which is to be found first in Verdi. Also reminiscent of Verdi was the dramatic power of the Dies Irae movement, which captures the terror of the Last Judgment with musical means.

Badische Zeitung (Germany), July 19, 1989

The Sinfonia_da_Requiem, the second piece of the evening, was composed by the conductor of the ensemble, David Whitwell, in honor of and to commemorate Mozart. The five movements are constructed in the formal manner of the Requiem Mass, with the first movement featuring the brass. The "Tuba Mirum" can be compared to a funeral march which received an almost dramatic character through punctuation and tonal repetition.Rhythmically, the "Dies Irae" was fascinating by the colorful use of lively timpani. The "Libra me" impressed with its full, round brass sound

Sudkurier (Germany), July 18, 1989, appearing also inSchwabische-Zeitung (Germany), July 18, 1989

The Sinfonia da Requiem was the most expressive and important composition on this concert and a substantial composition. We admired both the transparent instrumentation, with much solo playing, as well as the use of the full range of the wind orchestra and found the work very challenging musically.

Gemeindeblatt (Bozen, Italy), May 16, 1991

Just a brief note to tell you how much I enjoyed your Sinfonia da Requiem. It is absolutely the best writing for winds that I’ve heard in 20 years! Bravo!

Prof. Jerry D. Luedders, Oct. 24, 1988California State University, NorthridgeChair, Music Department

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I listened to it in my office yesterday, and again last night at home. I happen to be a sucker for Romanticism, so I enjoyed it very much. I don’t think you need apologize for the harmonic language. There is so much garbage written in contemporary language that good music using any language is welcome. Congratulations.

Dr. William Toutant, Nov. 9, 1988California State University, Northridge Dean of Fine Arts

Thank you for the tape of your Opus Two, Sinfonia da Requiem – which is indeed a very fine work. I have listened to the tape several times and am convinced you have a real talent for composition. I do hope some publisher will publish it if you are so inclined. It can be a most worthy addition to the band’s repertoire. Congratulations!

William D. Revelli, Nov. 18, 1988Ann Arbor, MI

Thank you for your great composition. I had a deep impression in hearing the Sinfonia da Requiem.

Wolfgang Suppan, Nov. 22, 1988Graz, Austria, Hochschule fur Musik

I am amazed, impressed and proud of you.Mark Hindsley, Nov. 27, 1988Urbana, IL

This is a very moving concept, and I thought your players performed with love and obvious respect and affection for you.

Tim Reynish, Dec. 1, 1988Manchester, EnglandRoyal Northern College of Music

Congratulations. Your Requiem is truly beautiful. Such mastery for a second composition – the counterpoint, the gorgeous part-writing, the clean, clear forms, the wonderful colors and voicings and, of course, the deep understanding of the instruments – a most moving and genuine experience. It reveals your many years of study and devotion to your craft. All music, every minute. Beautiful. Have your started Op. 3 yet?

Ted Hegvik, Dec. 11, 1988Philadelphia OrchestraWest Chester, PA

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My heartiest congratulations to you for such a fine work. It has pathos – emotion and passion – musicality and heart – qualities almost unheard of in today’s works for wind instruments. I was moved by the music and look forward to the day when I can study the score.

I felt the first movement set the scene very well; the second prepared me for the real excitement of the third (probably my favorite); the fourth is a necessary calm; and the final movement pulls it together for a very satisfying close.

Serious band conductors will be in your debt for this composition. It adds a much needed quality (for lack of a better word) to today’s repertoire.

Gilbert Mitchell, Dec. 31, 1988Alexandria, VAFormer Conductor, US Army Band

To put it mildly I am delighted with the composition. In my opinion, it is not only a worthwhile work, but it was beautifully performed.

I hope that you have found a publisher for the number. It is worthy of publication. There is so much mediocre band music published today that this is like a breath of fresh air.

George S. Howard, Dec. 31, 1988San Antonio, TXFormer Conductor, USAF Band

I thought you might like to hear from a performer of your work. I first performed the Sinfonia da Requiem under the direction of Mr. Ronald Johnson, on Dec. 6, 1988. My part was bass drum.

This composition evoked many emotions in me, even at the time I was actually playing it…. I felt triumph, despair, but most importantly a sense of hope, even in its sense of finality.

I was on the vergo of tears during the moment between the last chord and before the audience began applauding.

Thank you for giving me a chance to be a part of such a wonderful, beautiful expression of yourself.

Kate Wilson, April 3, 1989Cedar Falls, IAStudent, University of Northern Iowa

Enclosed is a program of the first complete performance of your Sinfonia da Requiem in Europe. I played three of the movements already in February for a conductor’s clinic, where it was enthusiastically received. We used four of the movements for a couple of concerts at the 17th Harrogate

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International Music Festival in England. The work got a lot of very positive comments after the performance here in Stuttgart and the students really enjoy playing it.

Leon Bly, April 18, 1989Stuttgart, GermanyStuttgart School of Music

I have your Sinfonia da Requiem. I have waited so long for the music and now that I have it I am filled with joy. I thank you for it.

In the Spring I will perform this work at the Pfarrkirche in Bozen and in the Cathedral in Brixen, which will be a live broadcast on the Italian National Television.

Gottfried Veit, Sept. 3, 1990Bozen, Italy

During the past month I have listened to many tapes and reviewed many scores in my search for the repertoire I wish to program with the National Music Clinic Conference in Philadelphia next February, 1991.

During my search for the band’s repertory, I have listened and listened to the tape you kindly sent me of your Requiem Symphony. This is truly “my kind” of music and I truly love it.

Hence, I write you to ask if you can provide me with parts and score. I am anxious to program it and believe it would be received with great enthusiasm by the audience.

William D. Revelli, Sept. 7, 1990Ann Arbor, MI

I had the opportunity to hear this work daily while on tour with the Wind Ensemble in Europe. The composition was met with unbridled enthusiasm by every audience and I grew to appreciate the work more and more with each performance. This reaction is not always the case with new compositions.

Jerry D. Luedders, March 1, 1991Northridge, CAChair, Music Department

Thank you for all you did for us at the CBDNA Conference. In special congratulations to your deep feeling composition in honor of Mozart. We get fine inspirations through this work.

` Wolfgang Suppen, March 4, 1991Graz, AustriaHochschule fur Musik

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The performance of your Sinfonia da Requiem was the greatest success and will long be remembered by the players and the large audience.

Gottfried Veit, May 20, 1991Bozen, Italy

Maestro Fulvio Creaux, Conductor of the Band of the Guardia di Finanza of Rome will soon conduct your Requiem Symphony for Mozart and he will send you a tape of it. Before the end of 1991 also in Brescia in our Teatro Grande, the Sinfonia will be played. They are already studying it.

Giovanni Ligasacchi, July 4, 1991Brescia, Italy

By separate post I have sent you a cassette tape with the last concert of the Gazzaniga Town Band which performed your Symphony in Memory of Mozart, which I enjoy very much.

Marino Anesa, August 3, 1991Soronno, Italy

We all love your “Sinfonia de Requiem” and look very much forward to the performance in two weeks!

Felix Hauswirth, Nov. 17, 1991Cham, Switzerland

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David Whitwell, Symphony Nr. 3 “Meditations on Hamlet” (1989)

i. “When churchyards yawn, and Hell itself breathes out”ii. “Thoughts Beyond the Reaches of our Souls”iii. “Good Night, Sweet Prince”

This Symphony came to mind after I attended a performance of

Shakespeare’s famous play. Although the symphony was never intended to reflect

the play itself, the music came to mind after three lines of text seemed to stay with

me. The lines associated with the third movement, “thoughts beyond the reaches of

our souls,” seemed to me to require the natural voice and so I tried to use singing in

a natural way, not as an effect as one usually finds in band music. Surely it is a

reflection on American music education that in the premiere the faculty, other

students and public were absolutely astounded that band members could sing.

Only the last movement, with its little Renaissance march, has a more direct

association with Shakespeare.

Sample score pages of this Symphony and a recording can be found on my new website, www.whitwellbooks.com

Reviews of Symphony Nr. 3

My husband and I would like you to know how very much we enjoyed your composition you shared with us Friday night.

We appreciate the fact that you dared to dignify it with noble simplicity while enriching it with moving harmonies.

It truly gave us an experience “beyond the reaches of our souls.”George & Fern Gaines, Oct. 24, 1989Northridge, CAMembers of the audience

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Congratulations for your Symphony Nr. 3!! It is a beautiful piece – I would like to play it next year with my band here in Zug. I think they should be able to handle it – its not too difficult I think! I would like to conduct the European premiere.

Felix Hauswirth, December 19, 1989Cham, Switzerland

Thank you for sending me the tape of your new Symphony Nr. 3, “Hamlet.” I really do like it and I plan to program it in the future.

John M. Long, Feb. 12, 1990Troy, ALTroy State University

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David Whitwell, Symphony of Songs (1990)i. Song of Faithii. Song of Tranquilityiii. Song of Freedom

This Symphony came to mind after a period of reading about the lives of my

ancestors as they traveled West from Virginia to Tennessee during the 18th century.

Perhaps for genetic reasons, I found it very easy to close my eyes and put myself

among them and the consequent various emotions seemed to become the music of

this Symphony in the most natural way.

Sample score pages of this Symphony and a recording can be found on my new website, www.whitwellbooks.com

Reviews of Symphony Nr. 4

Your Symphony of Songs was a beautiful composition as the melodic idea were most impressive.

Tony Mazzaferro, March 23, 1990Fullerton, CAFullerton College

David, your 4th Symphony is beautiful!Felix Hauswirth, May 1, 1990Luxembourg

I wish you could know how much pleasure your gift has brought me. I really enjoy Classical music and Rachmaninoff, Beethoven & Dvorak are old friends of mine! Now I am happy to list Whitwell among them – your symphony is an absolute delight. There are no ho-hum parts to be endured while waiting for the good stuff!

It is full of sweet harmony and satisfying crescendos. I love it and congratulate you on a beautiful composition.

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Thank you, thank you, thank youBessie Shimmon, May 6, 1990Modesto, CA

I received the tape of Sinfonia Nr. 4. It is a beautiful composition as your others, which would be worth of being printed and sent through all the world.

Giovanni Ligasacchi, May 12, 1990Brescia, Italy

As I love romantic style music, I very much liked the music on the cassette. I congratulate you with your Fourth Symphony – beautiful harmony and lovely melodies.

Egil GundersenSkien, Norway

Congratulations on your new symphony. I listened fascinated to this noble and colorful music. Do you think we could play this symphony?

Wolfgang Suppan, May 17, 1990Graz, Austria

Thanks for the tape of your fourth symphony. The symphony is very nice, and Ilona likes it very much. You have given the band world another collection of lovely melodies and emotional music.

Leon Bly, May 21, 1990Stuttgart, Germany

Thanks very much for sending a recording of your fourth symphony, “A Symphony of Songs.” It is a beautiful work and one that I will get to in the hope of performing it in the near future.

John P. Paynter, May 24, 1990Evanston, ILNorthwestern University

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I think your Symphony Nr. 4 is the best thing you’ve done yet. I particularly liked the first movement. You amaze me! I didn’t know you wanted to be a composer. Have you wanted to be one all your life and postponed it until now?

Frank Battisti, June 15, 1990Boston, MANew England Conservatory of Music

Thanks for the tape. Very impressive. Somewhat like an English Shostakovich.

H. Robert Reynolds, June 19, 1990Ann Arbor, MIThe University of Michigan

I like your Symphony of Songs very much.Gottfried Veit, Oct. 10, 1990Bozen, Italy

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David Whitwell, Sinfonia Italia (1991)i. Dawn on Monte Rosaii. Sacro Monteiii. La Visione

During the Winter of 1990-1991 I was invited to serve as the President of the

Jury for an international piano contest in Italy, which was a very interesting

musical experience. One round required a short work of the pianist’s choice by

either Liszt or Scribian. Needless to say I heard a number of compositions which I

am sure few people alive have ever heard. Another round demanded a Beethoven

Sonata of the applicant’s choice. Since I knew all these sonatas my evaluation of the

students was rather immediate and unalterable. Nevertheless I often found myself

not in conformity with the rest of the jury. The jury consisted of 10 well-known

European piano teachers and myself, being intended to be a “normal listener.” We

voted like Roman emperors, with our thumbs. No written comments, little

discussion and then either thumbs up or down. If the majority was thumbs down

the student, who may well have spent months on this repertoire and flown from

around the world at his own cost, was immediately eliminated and indeed

disappeared. In several cases I found myself embarrassed when the vote was 10

thumbs up and 1 thumb down, or vise versa. In the case of an extremely musical

young lady from Finland who played a Beethoven sonata on a level of any world

artist I found myself with the only thumb up in the air. I later asked one of the

other members of the jury, an Argentinean, to explain this. “I don’t understand,” I

asked, “this young lady was very musical!” “Oh,” said my friend from Argentina,

“but a piano competition has nothing to do with music!”

It was not these experiences in the theater which resulted in the music of this

symphony, but rather my free time there which allowed my hiking in the mountains

of the area west of Milano.

Monte Rosa is the highest mountain in Italy, a very large and imposing sight

in all respects.

Sacro Monte refers to a small local shrine in the mountains near Varallo. It

consists of a series of tableaus of life-size figures carved by local artists depicting the

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final days of Jesus. When I visited it was in disrepair with the figures covered in

dust, all of which added to a sense of the ancient. While walking around this

outdoor shrine I heard distant church bells. These are heard again in this

movement together with the singing of the village faithful (represented by the

unison singing of the audience). Each time the audience sings they first hear the

pitch in the orchestral chimes, followed by unison band members playing the

rhythm to be sung, for example dotted quarter-note, eighth-note and half-note: Do-

mi-ne. It is quite amazing, for genetic reasons, how easily and confidently the

audience performs this (I do cue them). I also try it once before the beginning of the

symphony, mostly because announcing to the audience that we are going to rehearse

seems to engender great excitement. Having done so, I then play the symphony non-

stop. In other words, it would be aesthetically wrong to play the first movement and

then stop to rehearse.

Sample score pages of this Symphony and a recording can be found on my new website, www.whitwellbooks.com

Reviews of Symphony Nr. 5

I thank you for the score of “Italia.” It is a very interesting work, specially for Italy.

Giovanni Ligasacchi, Feb. 19, 1991Brescia, Italy

I received the tape of the Sinfonia Italia. It is a very important work, which makes honor to you.

Giovanni Ligasacchi, Juy 4, 1991Brescia, Italy

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I appreciated very much your composition and I made a copy that I registered in the archives of our Consorso Valsesia Musica.

The descriptive musical speech is at the same time evocative and meditative, is supported by an excellent instrumentation, and makes your work interesting and qualified. I hope I can perform it.

Giancarlo Aleppo, August 14, 1991Grignasco, Italy

Thanks for the tape of your fifth symphony. I am amazed at how rapidly you turn out the symphonies and still maintain such fine quality. (Just be careful not to write a tenth symphony unless your ancestry can be traced to the Soviet Union.) This symphony certainly captures the spirit of Italy.

Leon Bly, Sept. 29, 1991Stuttgart, GermanyStuttgart School of Music

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