Wednesday's Internet Edition, March 10, 2010.
|
| MUSIC HISTORY — Pictured is the Castulo Perez Orchestra about 1906. Perez had a blacksmith shop on the corner of Sixth and Alice Streets. He was the organizer and leader of the first Kingsville orchestra. The photo was taken south of the original school in Kingsville at Third and Alice. (Photo courtesy of the South Texas Archives at Texas A&M University-Kingsville) |
Professor Emeritus,
Texas A&M-Kingsville - There exists a 1906 photograph of the “first Kingsville Orchestra,” the Castulo Perez Orchestra. The image probably would not evoke the idea of an orchestra for those who, when they hear the word, think of Lawence Welk or the New York Philharmonic.
Mr. Perez’s group consisted of only seven musicians: two guitarists, one bugler, two euphonium players, a flutist, and – the key figure for labeling it an orchestra – a violinist.
For, as Nancy KingSanders, professor of music at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, explains, “the usual definition of an orchestra would be the presence of bowed strings, as opposed to the usual definition of a band, which is comprised mostly of wind instruments.”
The presence of Castulo Perez’s orchestra demonstrates how, from the beginnings of Kingsville history, not just music but orchestral music has been considered important.
Both Nicholas Valdez, who headed the dance band The Blue Notes, and Willie Garza of the Man’s Shop recall the importance of private lessons in violin and other instruments given by Professor Chavira to Kingsville children during the years before World War II.
Trained in his native Mexico, he put strong emphasis on the ability to read music before he would even begin to teach his students to play.
An applied music course entitled “Orchestra” appeared in the 1925 inaugural catalog of the South Texas State Teachers College. The same year Professor A. H. Engle created the first College Orchestra with 12 players, including five bowed strings: four violins and one cello.
As the institution widened its scope to become the Texas College of Arts and Industries, the orchestra, under varying directors, steadily grew in size.
A writeup accompanying its photograph in the 1930 Javelina Yearbook reports glowingly that the group performed “the works of Beethoven, Tschaikowsky, Schubert, Thomas, Grainger, and other writers for the orchestra. Each succeeding year finds the Orchestra adding at least one of the less commonly played instruments, the goal being to eventually establish symphonic instrumentation.”
By 1941 the Orchestra consisted of 29 members under the direction of Erwin Ernest, including nine strings, eight woodwinds, twelve brass, a tympani, and a piano. It performed for chapel programs, college plays, commencement, and various clubs and organizations in Kingsville. The highlight was its annual spring concert. That same year is the group’s last appearance in the school’s annuals. Kingsville historian Kathryn Evans says too many players, particularly the men, were in the military.
After the war music instruction became important in the KISD schools. Several townsfolk remember their various music teachers fondly. Mr. Willie Garza says that Austin Middle School began teaching strings in the sixth grade.
In 1949 what was apparently the first H. M. King High School yearbook came out. Thus, it is impossible to trace the earliest appearance of an orchestra at the school. By 1952 El Toro shows an orchestra consisting of 55 members: 36 strings, 9 woodwinds, 8 brass and 2 percussion. Leading the five cellists was Gilberto Munguia. Chosen a member of the Texas all-state orchestra 1953-1955, he went on to become the world-famous cellist that he is today. Eddie Garcia, who played bass for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and for Ray Price’s country and western band, was an outstanding musician from the 1960s.
Some form of an orchestra existed at H. M. King until at least 1971. The group offered an annual spring concert and performed on special occasions throughout the year. Many of its members were selected by audition for all-region or all-state orchestra. The present school music director, Rolando Molina, played the trumpet in the orchestra during the mid-1960s. He recalls Wilbur L. Gregg, who was one of the principal directors during the period, as a man with a military carriage whom students feared but who made them want to meet his high musical standards.
George Bronaugh was the other principal high school orchestra director. But by the mid-1970s the high school band had taken a central position in the musical curriculum, and instruction in strings faded away. With the current emphasis on passing state-mandated tests, students simply do not have time to be involved in more than one elective, Mr. Molina explains.
A second college orchestra saw a slow birth in the 1960s. Its origins lay in a string ensemble that began about 1959 and a chamber symphony created in 1960. A Chamber Orchestra appears in the 1964-1965 Javelina Yearbooks. It went quickly from 22 to 31 players. Retired Professor Robert Scott, who launched the summer musicals program in 1964, felt confident to begin with “Carousel.” The music-only Carousel Waltz and second-act ballet are all important to the play, but the presence of an orchestra with 21 players made it easy to perform.
The full-fledged A&I Civic Symphony made its appearance in the 1966 school annual. With 51 players, it drew not just from students and faculty but from the community and the surrounding region. The Civic Symphony continued under the direction of Dr. Merton Johnson through 1974, when it passed to the direction of Professor Dan Duncan. Although the number of players varied, in its peak year the Civic Symphony had 64 players: 38 strings, 10 woodwinds, 12 brass, and 4 percussion. By 1972 the Winds of Symphony was created from the woodwind section.
The Symphony annually presented three major concerts and a children’s concert, as well as played for the Fine Arts Festival, the annual opera, and two summer musicals. In 1973 it presented a pops concert at the Henrietta King Memorial Center. A number of chamber concerts were also offered by members at various times.
Across the years the orchestra premiered a number of pieces, particularly by A&I faculty members. The 1970 yearbook notes that its “standard symphonic repertoire included works by Brahms, Berlioz, Prokofiev, and Hadyn.” Staples for the children’s concert were “Peter and the Wolf” and “Tubby the Tuba.” But with the changing fortunes of the university, the Civic Symphony disappeared, and Kingsville residents became dependent on the occasional appearance of an orchestra as part of the Kingsville Community Concert Series.
In 2006 Professors KingSanders and Yutaka Kono stepped in to fill the void that the city had suffered so long. They submitted a proposal to the Texas A&M University-Kingsville administration to develop an orchestra that would serve the larger community and provide university students an exceptional learning experience. College players sign up for the orchestra as an organized course. Other players come from the community or are hired as needed.
The resulting Kingsville Symphony Orchestra gave its first performance on Feb. 25, 2007, with Mark Rogers as conductor. The orchestra had 58 players. The ambitious program presented Franck’s Symphony in D minor and excerpts from Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin,” sung by the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Chorale.
The Kingsville Symphony Orchestra now launches its second season. It plans two concerts this fall, the first on Sunday, Oct. 7, and the second as part of La Posada on Saturday, Nov. 17, the same day as the King Ranch Hand Breakfast. On Sunday, April 20, 2008, there will be a spring concert, followed by a children’s concert on Monday, April 21, sponsored by the King Ranch Family Trust. The final concert will be an Independence Day celebration on Friday, July 4. All four public concerts will be held in Jones Auditorium at 3:00 p.m.
Season tickets are now on sale at the university’s music department. Prices for all four concerts are $60, $30, and $15.
In addition to the people cited in the article, Dr. Gunn would like to thank Elda Ayala of the South Texas Archives and Mabel Pippin, H. M. King High School librarian for their help.