summer serenade program

Jerod Tate | Shakamaxon
II. Moccasin Game

Gustav Holst | St. Paul’s Suite in C major (Op. 29, No. 2)
I. Jig: Vivace
II. Ostinato: Presto
III. Intermezzo: Andante con moto
IV. Finale (The Dargason): Allegro

Edward Elgar | Serenade for String Orchestra in E minor, Op. 20
I. Allegro piacevole
II. Larghetto
III. Allegretto

Benjamin Britten | Simple Symphony, Op. 4
I. Boisterous Bourrée
II. Playful Pizzicato
III. Sentimental Sarabande
IV. Frolicsome Finale

Ralph Vaughan Williams | Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Henry Purcell arr. Albert Coates | Suite for Strings From the Dramatic Music of Henry Purcell

Jerod Tate: Shakamaxon (Moccasin Game)

Shakamaxon is the historic Lenape Indian village that bordered the current city of Philadelphia. It was there, under an old elm tree, that Chief Tamanend was a signatory to the 1682 treaty between William Penn and the Lenape Indians. The old elm tree blew down in a storm in 1810, and is now the location of a park named Penn Treaty Park. Shakamaxon is a remembrance of that old village and the tree under which the treaty was signed.

The second movement is very energetic and rhythmic and abstracts Lenape Skin Dance and Moccasin Game music. Moccasin games can be very intense and have always fostered healthy competition within American Indian communities. This movement is meant to depict the natural banter of the game, and to honor the determination and perseverance of the Lenape people.

Shakamaxon is dedicated to Sharon Nolte and the descendants of Chief Tamanend.

Program note by the composer.

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