I am hoping that it is just his advisers trying to make him look serious and Presidential.
Someone Here pointed out that the opening of the Obamamercial featured the flugelhorn. On listening again I am not so sure. It sounds a bit like a French horn to me though if it was a French horn I am sure Fox would have run with the story by now.
The flugelhorn is of course famous for the opening bars of Aaron Copland's sublime "Fanfare for the Common Man", or so I thought. When I was at music camp in the 1970s we played this piece for our final concert (I played the trombone) and the opening fanfare was played by the flugelhorn player. He was also the Australasian Junior Euphonium Champion. He was my music camp bestie and then this slutty flautist got his attention and it was clear that I was a "third trombone" and so spent the rest of the time practicing on my 'bone alone - well I was 12. I still have a photo of him, me and that girl in concert.
Someone Here pointed out that the opening of the Obamamercial featured the flugelhorn. On listening again I am not so sure. It sounds a bit like a French horn to me though if it was a French horn I am sure Fox would have run with the story by now.
The flugelhorn is of course famous for the opening bars of Aaron Copland's sublime "Fanfare for the Common Man", or so I thought. When I was at music camp in the 1970s we played this piece for our final concert (I played the trombone) and the opening fanfare was played by the flugelhorn player. He was also the Australasian Junior Euphonium Champion. He was my music camp bestie and then this slutty flautist got his attention and it was clear that I was a "third trombone" and so spent the rest of the time practicing on my 'bone alone - well I was 12. I still have a photo of him, me and that girl in concert.
Anyway. Checking out the wikipedia entry Here it lists, inter alia, the trumpet and French horn as the main instruments playing the fanfare. You can see a video of this piece being played Here. I see that it is indeed played mainly by trumpet and French horn without a flugelhorn in sight. In case you are wondering the flugelhorn looks like this. It was allegedly invented by Alfred Sax who invented the.... guess what?
The Copland is one of my favourite pieces of music, especially as the theme of his Third Symphony and everytime I have listened to it down the years I have imagined the opening bars being played by a solo flugelhornist. I hope that this doesn't represent the first of many disappointments that Obama's presidency might bring.
Flugel means wing in German and it is not inconceivable that had Obama grown up in Germany (and hence have been a secret Nazi. Maybe he was! We need to be told the truth etc.) his nickname would have been flugelhorn as that is the German equivalent of "wing nut"or "jug ears"*.
We'll soon have this resolved though as the Copland piece is sometimes played at the Presidential Inaugration ceremony (e.g. Clinton's first). If I can take my eyes off President Obama for a minute I'll see if I can spot a lone flugelhornist. Possibly standing on a grassy knoll.
* Okay, I made that bit up.
The Copland is one of my favourite pieces of music, especially as the theme of his Third Symphony and everytime I have listened to it down the years I have imagined the opening bars being played by a solo flugelhornist. I hope that this doesn't represent the first of many disappointments that Obama's presidency might bring.
Flugel means wing in German and it is not inconceivable that had Obama grown up in Germany (and hence have been a secret Nazi. Maybe he was! We need to be told the truth etc.) his nickname would have been flugelhorn as that is the German equivalent of "wing nut"or "jug ears"*.
We'll soon have this resolved though as the Copland piece is sometimes played at the Presidential Inaugration ceremony (e.g. Clinton's first). If I can take my eyes off President Obama for a minute I'll see if I can spot a lone flugelhornist. Possibly standing on a grassy knoll.
* Okay, I made that bit up.
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