1978 Santa Clara Vanguard

[Legolaus]

Last weekend I was going through some old recordings and I listened to 1978 Santa Clara Vanguard. I had completely forgotten how great this program was. Gail Royer was so far ahead of his time. Clean arrangements and execution. I really liked the opener "Overture for a New Era", very beautiful melody.

I was surprised as I listened to 1979 SCV that they kept most of the show from the previous year. I know this has been successful at other times (1979 and 80 27th and 1988 and 1989 SCV), but SCV won in 1978. I wondered what they were hoping to accomplish with a re-do the next year.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Legolaus

[Northern Thunder]

Not sure of the particulars about the 1979 repertoire choice, but it's interesting to look at the DCI finalists

of the 1970s. It seems that nearly every corps performed music that they had performed in previous seasons. Certainly SCV

featured music every year in the decade that they had played in previous years.

[scv guy]

I wondered what they were hoping to accomplish with a re-do the next year?

Repeating as DCI Champs.

[DCIHasBeen]

Last weekend I was going through some old recordings and I listened to 1978 Santa Clara Vanguard. I had completely forgotten how great this program was. Gail Royer was so far ahead of his time. Clean arrangements and execution. I really liked the opener "Overture for a New Era", very beautiful melody.

I was surprised as I listened to 1979 SCV that they kept most of the show from the previous year. I know this has been successful at other times (1979 and 80 27th and 1988 and 1989 SCV), but SCV won in 1978. I wondered what they were hoping to accomplish with a re-do the next year.

I thought the show was much better in the early part of the season ... They watered down the brass book a lot towards the latter part of the season

Drum book was the stuff of legend.

[IllianaLancerContra]

Not sure of the particulars about the 1979 repertoire choice, but it's interesting to look at the DCI finalists

of the 1970s. It seems that nearly every corps performed music that they had performed in previous seasons. Certainly SCV

featured music every year in the decade that they had played in previous years.

It was very common in that era to hold over parts of previous shows from year to year. In fact, it was expected by the audience - remember how much grief 27 took in 78 when they did not play 'Danny Boy'?

I really liked SCV's 79 opener (Verdi's Requium Mass). Boo nailed it on the DVD liner when he called it "Brutal"

[tommytimp]

Maybe I'm biased because I love the Phantom show from 78 so much, but the SCV horn book comes across as a little shrill to me. The drum book, however, is indeed the shiznits.

[Scerpella]

Last weekend I was going through some old recordings and I listened to 1978 Santa Clara Vanguard. I had completely forgotten how great this program was. Gail Royer was so far ahead of his time. Clean arrangements and execution. I really liked the opener "Overture for a New Era", very beautiful melody.

I was surprised as I listened to 1979 SCV that they kept most of the show from the previous year. I know this has been successful at other times (1979 and 80 27th and 1988 and 1989 SCV), but SCV won in 1978. I wondered what they were hoping to accomplish with a re-do the next year.

Repeats were commonplace. If you view 77 and 78 SCV, you will see Overture to a New Era performed with almost the precisely identical drill as well.

[Scerpella]

Maybe I'm biased because I love the Phantom show from 78 so much, but the SCV horn book comes across as a little shrill to me. The drum book, however, is indeed the shiznits.

Most of the shrillness I think is in the first 2 minutes. Overture to a New Era really challenged the lead sops and there are plainly heard major biffs in that part of the show. FWIW, Phantom had the same thinness at lead sop. BD and Scouts had the solid lead lines in 78 (of the top 4) Devils problem was intonation in 78. In 79 however that show was perfection.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Scerpella

[Legolaus]

I really liked SCV's 79 opener (Verdi's Requium Mass). Boo nailed it on the DVD liner when he called it "Brutal"

Agreed! Verdi's Requium was truly an awesome piece for the corps. It was interesting that I like parts of the arrangements of 78 and parts of 79 especially the Gayne Ballet stuff. The 79 hornline really did a nice job with the closer and Bottle Dance part.

[Jay B]

The Overture is my favorite opener, although I liked it better in the 77 along with my favorite closer Make my Garden Grow. It is really a great piece of music, stylistically almost like a long fanfare. By the way, I think they used piccolo sopranos in the Overture, which may explain the shrillness.