GETTING REACQUAINTED WITH HIGH SCHOOL BAND
DIRECTOR, J. HOWARD REYNOLDS, 50 YEARS LATER
Walter L. Elden, P.E. (Ret)
Ever since my high school band, under the direction of J. Howard
Reynolds, had
performed a particular fanfare in our state
competition, I had been haunted with trying to remember the name of the
work, so I could get a recording of it. At the time we performed
it, the required element of marching was a requirment
to be demonstrated in the state competition. The event was held in the
Orange Bowl, in Miami. In addition to our full high school band, we
integrated into our field performance our elite all girl Marching Cadet
Corp. They were patterned after the military cadets at West Point, even
had uniforms which looked like theirs. The major music we performed was
a fanfare, introduced to us by Director Reynolds. I can remember it to
this day as it was stirring, lots of brass and drums, the whole nine
yards. But then, after leaving high school I forgot what it was titled.
For over 50 years I struggled trying to recapture its title, but to no
avail.
Then, one day, I remembered that Director Reynolds had been seen
leading the Iowa State University band during a half time football game
show on TV, so I began trying to get in touch with him by contacting
the ISU band offeices. Well, one thing led to another until I finally
found a WEB page about him and from
there contacted him by email.
Upon getting reacquainted with him again, I learned that during
his career, since I had last seen him in 1950, he had been Director of
Bands and Head of the Department of Music at Louisiana Tech University
from 1962 until 1972, and Director of Bands at Iowa State University
until 1980. From 1980 to 1985 he was Director of Youth Music for the
Municipality of Jerusalem, resident Conductor of the Israel National
Youth Band, and Music Consultant for The Music Foundation of Chicago
and the Rothschild Foundation, Israel. Reynold’s early public school
experience was in Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana, where his bands
consistently won superior ratings in both concert and marching.
Well, as Jimmy Reynolds and I got
reqcquainted, I brought up the fact I had been trying to resurect the
title to the fanfare our band had played in the Orange Bowl at State
marching context. Well, at first he did not recall it, but after I
reconstructed the opening using a music software program and sent it to
him, he played it and remembered it.
My Reconstuction of the Forgotten
Fanfare Played in the Orange Bowl in 1950
This is what he wrote me about it:
"Mystery solved due
to your ingenuity in providing the clue!
It was from Das Rheingold, the first of the ring trilogy of Wagner.
It is a relatively insignificant part of the opera but
occurs at the end of the band arrangement of "The Invocation of
Alberich" from Das Rheingold. I learned about it at LSU as
an undergrad in 47 and guess it stayed with me until Miami. I had
completely forgotten about it and it took several minutes to reconnect. Thanks Walter!"
Later, I was able to located a recording made of it by the Auburn
High School band, at this WEB address:
"The Invocation of
Alberich" from Das Rheingold"
http://www.auburnschools.org/ahs_band/year/1979.html
Now, if you can load this and go to the 5:29 minute point on the
recording, the actual FANFARE begins there. This 1979 version was done
pretty well by the Auburn High School Band. Boy, finding this was worth
the effort and time I put into searching and trying to remember it. The
key was I was able to write down enough of the opening bars of music to
enable Jimmy Reynolds to remember it and send me the title. That was a
great reward.
Here are some photos I Director J. Howard Reynolds, starting with him
in 1950 as our high school band Director, and until recently.
1950
1954
2005
I wish to highlight Mr. Reynolds here, as he had a profound influence
on the positive direction my life took, starting meeting him in the
Miami Edison High School Band and Orchestra experiences, and then how
his being and mannerisms shaped my philosophy about life, beginning
then. Some of the characteristics he exhibited which influenced me were
these:
1. I was greatly
impressed that at age 24 he had achieved marriage, a
Navy Commission and tour or duty, both BS and MS degrees from LSU and
Michigan, respectively, and a home high fidelity system
2. He demanded
excellence in our performance of music
3. He demanded
that we dress well and looked good in our band uniforms
4. He was a
disciplinarian, and that appealed to me
5. He was
organized and projected that he knew what needed to be done
and led us to achieve it
6. I loved his
music conducting style. The way he used his hands and
arms to bring out music effects
7. Lastly, he was
a young man at the time, dressed extremely well and
look good. A leader to be proud of.
Since last seeing him, back in 1950, and can look back and see that I
applied many of these traits in my engineering career work. I wonder
how many other students he had a similar positive effect upon. Many I
expect.
For more uptodate information about Director Jimmy Reynolds, go to this
WEB page: