"Jazzed-up Circumstance" by Regina A. Harris Baiocchi

"Jazzed-up Circumstance" was composed in 1992 and commissioned by the St Elizabeth School – the school which the composer once attended as an elementary student - and for the school’s 8^th graders’ graduation. The composition was dedicated to composer’s nieces, Nique & Pebbles (née Aminah Hanan & Lanzie Howard).

As some might have been able to guess, "Jazzed-up Circumstance" is an arranged jazzy version of Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op. 39 No.1. Elgar's piece has been nicknamed “Pomp and Circumstance March” and is played at the graduation ceremonies of most U.S high schools and colleges. "Jazzed-up Circumstance" uses the slow melodic theme from the original march’s trio section as its only melodic material, and results in its more strophic structure in comparison to the other adaptation, which is the duplication of the trio section. To accommodate for the potential abruptness of the more “stripped” Jazz-up Circumstance, the composer wrote two four-measure chordal progressions over the dominant F to serve as intro and closing material. The most noticeable feature of the composition is the extensive use of 7^th chord harmonies and other extension tones.

There are several challenges in "Jazz-up Circumstance." First is the technical handling of the occasional 8th-note melody on top of the thick chords in the right hand: to pedal the piece with clarity, the players must hold the chord with the "stronger" fingers while playing the top line with "weaker" fingers. Young students with smaller hands may not be entirely equipped to play this composition. The thick chords of the right hand also bring nuance to the composition. Since the composer used great voice leading between harmonies, it is possible to identify the chords as the manifestation of multiple voices and bring out some of these voices to create more interest. Despite being jazzy, the rhythmic figures of the composition adhered to the original march’s simple rhythm and sound equally formal. However, the only new rhythmic element of quarter note triplets may be tricky to execute.

Musically, one of its challenges is to create a spacious, broad orchestral sound without harshness, and to manage the big range of dynamics with clarity while balancing the thick chordal texture. I recommend first listening the original version “Pomp and Circumstance March” and its derivative, the British patriotic song Land of Hope and Glory as examples for desired tone quality and sound projection. Then, I recommend singing out the melodies of this composition. It also could be quite helpful to connect personal memories to different sections of this composition to solidify and support interpretation. From the more technical aspects, besides imagining longer phrases/lines, using more arm weight with flatter fingers and slower articulation would allow a rich sound. The wrists need to be firm but not tense during the attack on the key and more relaxed during the release.

Additional note: since for a while it was ambiguous for me, I want to point out that the composer instructed all the left-hand part to be played an octave lower than written except for the spots she indicated loco.

Interestingly, the piece is not included in the composer's website. 

About the Composer:

Born in 1956, Regina Harris Baiocchi is an American musician, music educator, composer and writer of short stories and poetry. Her musical outputs include blues, chamber music, choral music, concert music, gospel, opera, and what she considers as her tour de force: Farafina. 

Regina Baiocchi "is a poet, author, and composer whose music has been performed by Detroit and Chicago Symphony orchestras, US Army Band, and internationally-acclaimed artists. Performances include concerts in Paris, Rome, and Bari, Italy, as part of Festival Incontri Musicali di Musica Sacra, and in Turkey and Unna, Germany at the Women Composers’ Library. Regina has written music for symphony orchestra; a libretto and one-act opera; hand drum concerto; marimba concerto; ballet; chamber music; liturgical and secular music; and vocal and instrumental, including for pipe organ." (3arts.org) 

Sources:

• Biography: Regina Harris Baiocchi
• Composer's website
• Image source: Regina Harris Baiocchi