Winter 2026 Concert Program
Saturday, January 3, 2026
The Fredonia Hotel, Nacogdoches, TX
Octet No.2 in Eb, Josef Mysliveček (1737 - 1781)
I.Allegro spiritoso
II. Largo sotto voce
III. Rondo: Allegretto
Consort for 10 Winds, Spittal (b.1963)
I. Jeux
II. Aubade
III. Sautereau
Brief Intermission
Seascapes, Op.53, Ruth Gipps (1921 - 1999)
Dixtour for Wind Instruments, George Enescu (1881 - 1955)
I.Doucement mouvementé
II. Modérément
III. Allègrement, mais pas trop vif
Program Notes
Octet No. 2 in Eb (Mysliviček)
Josef Mysliveček (1737-1781) was a Czech composer who spent the majority of his career in Venice and Naples. Born to an impoverished family of millers, he originally intended to join the family business, but found a passion for composing in his mid-twenties. Due to his lack of royal connections, Mysliveček became one of the first self-employed composers in Western history and was among the most prolific composers of his time. He is best remembered for his Italian operas, such as Il Bellerofonte (1767) and Demetrio (1773), and his numerous instrumental works. Unfortunately, Mysliveček fell out of favor with the public after the unsuccessful premiere of his opera, Armida (1780), and was unable to regain his previous notoriety. He died in poverty at the age of 44, but remains a large figure in Eastern European history, as evidenced by the fictionalized telling of his life, Il Divino Boemo (1884) by Jakub Arbes, later turned into an opera of the same name by Stanislav Suda in 1912.
Mysliveček composed the Octet No.2 in Eb (1770) as part of a set of three wind octets during a year-long trip to his familial home in Prague. For unknown reasons, he did not publish these works (they were recently discovered and published by music historians in 1962). The second octet is elegant and regal, and would have been considered experimental for the inclusion of clarinets and Mysliveček’s use of soloistic playing and extended range for the horns.
Consort for 10 Winds (Spittal)
Robert Spittal (b.1963), from Cleveland, Ohio, is a Professor of Music at Gonzaga University in Washington. He has composed works for band, orchestra, chamber ensembles, and musical theater. Spittal is best known for his “inventive” and “accessible” compositions, such as Lament - For a Fallen Friend (2012) or Be Thou My Vision (2017). In addition to composing, Spittal has conducted the Clarion Brass Choir, the Spokane Symphony, and the Mosaic Chamber Ensemble. His mentors include Eugene Corporon, Michael Haithcock, Frank Battisti, and H. Robert Reynolds.
Consort for Ten Winds is a three-movement work for a double wind quintet meant to invoke the spirit of Classical French music. Spittal dedicated the piece to his mentor, Eugene Corporon. The first movement, Jeaux (“play”), is characterized by a quick tempo and exuberant flourishes in the upper woodwinds. The second movement, Aubade (“dawn”), is more intimately composed and intended as a nod to the choral traditions of the 17th century. Finally, Spittal concludes the work with Sautereau (“leaping”), an excited race to the finish with figures that jump and tumble across the ensemble. Due to the popularity of this piece, Spittal later arranged both the second and third movements for full wind ensemble: Pacem – A Hymn for Peace (2005) and Tarantella Forsennato (2009).
Seascapes, Op.53 (Gipps)
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999) was a British composer, conductor, oboist, and pianist. She studied at the Royal College of Music with Gordon Jacob and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and at the age of 26, earned a doctorate in music from Durham University. Gipps briefly taught composition at Trinity College in London, the Royal College of Music, and Kingston Polytechnic at Gypsy Hill. Additionally, she founded three professional ensembles: the Portia Wind Ensemble (1950s), the London Repertoire Orchestra (1955), and the Chanticleer Orchestra (1961). As a conductor, Gipps prioritized inclusion of professional women musicians and the performance of works by living composers. In 1967, Gipps was named the chairwoman of the Composers’ Guild of Great Britain. She is best remembered for her seven concerti, five symphonies, and several chamber works.
Seascapes, Op.53, is a single-movement work which lasts approximately seven minutes. Gipps was inspired by a trip with friends to the coastal town of Broadstairs in Kent in 1958. The work begins with fluttering figures in the upper woodwinds, which remind the listener of a salty sea breeze rolling off the waterfront and whipping through narrow streets, lined with short weather-beaten buildings. As the visitor nears the water’s edge, the sky is overcast and calm. Stately figures in the low voices invoke the stability of the crescent-shaped cliffs that protect the unassuming alcove. The final chord of the work leaves the music unresolved, as though suggesting the visitor will return.
Dixtour for Wind Instruments (Enescu)
George Enescu (1881-1955) was a Romanian composer, performer, and conductor. As a child, he performed piano and violin for the Viennese court and at only seven years old, made history as the youngest student (and first non-Austrian) to be admitted to the Vienna Conservatory. After graduating, at the age of twelve, Enescu traveled to France to enroll in the Paris Conservatory. In the 1920s, he traveled to the U.S. to perform as a conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, and in 1948, he accepted a teaching position at the Mannes School of Music (NY).
The Dixtour (“Dectet”) for Wind Instruments was composed in 1906, a few years after Enescu graduated from the Paris Conservatory. The piece lasts approximately twenty minutes and is divided into three distinct movements. The first, Doucement Mouvementé (“gently eventful”), is characterized by rich, flowing lines, like overlapping waves in the Seine River. Conversational figures echo through the ensemble and create a sense of anticipation. In Modérément (“moderately”), Enescu invokes the rolling landscape of the region, with stripes of leafy vines leading to limestone structures. Like the warmth of the sun’s rays, the tonal center is constant and comforting. Finally, in Allegrettement (“quickly”), the mood becomes celebratory with delicate figures bubbling to the surface. The frequent juxtaposition of triple and duple figures adds to the excitement, and the piece concludes with a burst of energy.