Aldo Rafael Forte
Aldo Rafael Forte is Composer/Arranger with the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band at Langley AFB, Virginia, and
Adjunct Professor of Composition at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. Born in Havana, Cuba, Forte
came to the United States at the age of nine. He was exposed to music at an early age by his father, a professor of mathematics and
amateur classical guitarist and guitar maker. The composer spent his formative years in Huntsville, Alabama. Forte has studied
composition with Ross Lee Finney, William Presser, and Robert Jager. He holds music degrees from Tennessee Technological
University and the University of Southern Mississippi. Forte has composed a variety of works ranging from chamber pieces to
major compositions for band and orchestra. He has received composition fellowships from the Cintas Foundation and the Alabama
State Council on the Arts as well as commissions from such groups as the Southwest German Radio Orchestra, the premier tuba
ensemble Symphonia, and various university bands and ensembles. His works have been performed and recorded by such diverse
groups as the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the Southwest German Radio Orchestra, the Filharmonie Bohuslav Martinu Orchestra
of the Czech Republic, and by various universities and professional bands including those of The University of Georgia, Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, The University of North Texas, Kansas State University, the Mobile Symphonic Pops Band, the USAF
Heritage of America Band, and "The President’s Own" United States Marine Band, among others. His music has been heard at such
places as Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City, the J.F.K. Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and at numerous
music conventions including MEA conventions in Kansas, Maryland, and Virginia, and the Mid-West International Band and
Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. In 1999 his music was performed by All-State Bands in Texas, Tennessee, and New Jersey.
Forte is a member of ASCAP and is the recipient of several ASCAP Special Awards. His music is recorded on Mark Records, Bayer
Records (Qualiton Imports), and Klavier Records, and others. Among the publishers of his music are TRN, Ludwig, Kjos, and
Masters Music Publications.
The Works of Aldo Forte
Van Gogh PortraitsMovements:
The Potato Eaters, the inspiration for the first movement, is a very dark painting from the artist’s early period employing primarily the
colors black and dull yellow. It depicts a poor family of peasants eating a simple meal of potatoes in a dimly lit room. Van Gogh spent
some time as a missionary in the Borinage region of Belgium and was drawn to the plight of these peasants whose lives, like his own,
were burdened with many cares. The music reflects the painting’s tragic and somber mood. The sound is mostly dark and the
instruments are largely confined to their lower tessituras. The "Van Gogh motif" is stated by the solo euphonium in bars 2-5 and
again in bars 52-55.
La Berceuse is the lighthearted and rollicking second movement of the set. It draws its inspiration from the
portraits of the maternal Madame Roulin, the wife of Van Gogh’s postman, which the artist painted during his stay in Aries. Van
Gogh believed that this image of a mother beside her infant’s cradle could serve as a consolation to the lonely, a reminder of happier
days. I, however, take the painting at face value: a rather chubby woman with a "matter of fact" snooty expression and dressed in
green with orange hair stands out against a background of green oriental wallpaper accented with light colored flowers. In one of his
letters, Van Gogh makes a reference to "the counterpoint of reds and greens" to be found in these portraits. The music contrasts the
"chubby woman" theme, first introduced by low brass at the beginning of the movement, with the oriental flavor depicted through
quartal harmonies, parallel fourths, and pentatonic scales. Piquant solos for trombone, tuba and Eb clarinet are rudely interrupted by
trombone glissandi and bass drum strokes, reminding one of a "nagging" mother-in-law continuously interrupting a conversation! The
Eb clarinet solo should indeed be played in a "nagging" style! The "Van Gogh motif" appears in a full tutti statement in bars 71-74 of
this movement.
The Zouave, the third and shortest movement, features the percussion section. Zouaves, soldiers of North African
origin, were first brought to European awareness by Napoleon. Their brightly colored uniforms with flamboyant red pants were
incorporated into many field units. In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh makes a reference to having found a Zouave model to
paint. The music begins slowly with the traditional rhythms of the zouave cadence and gradually speeds up to a feverishly fast
tempo. The tom toms symbolize the sound of the zouave’s large boots on the brick floor. The snare drum exemplifies the military
nature of the soldier, while the use of a Chinese cymbal hints at the middle eastern origin of the zouave. Many of the rhythms found
in the movement forecast those found in the finale of the composition. Brass instruments make a brief appearance beginning in bar
62, intoning a somewhat inverted statement of the "Van Gogh motif".
The fourth movement, The Drawbridge, was inspired by Van
Gogh’s painting of the Langiois bridge. This is the most exposed and delicately scored movement of the work. It features the
woodwinds, primarily the clarinet section. A variety of water sounds are explored including the sound of rippling waters (solo
clarinet 1), the constant motion of water (trills in solo clarinets 2 and 3), and water splashing on the shore (suspended cymbal). This
texture is further enhanced by the impression of a fog horn played by the bass clarinet. These and other water sounds contrast with
crescendos and diminuendos in the brass section symbolizing the opening and closing of the bridge. After a development of these
ideas depicting somewhat turbulent waters, the solo clarinet 1 intones the "Van Gogh motif" (bars 26-31). Afterward, the movement
ends calmly with a return to the water sounds.
I have always respectfully referred to Van Gogh as "the artiste". Thus, I have chosen
to call the last movement of the work, Finale - Self Portrait of the Artiste. This last movement was actually the first to be written. It
is a musical essay on the last and one of the greatest of the self portraits. Van Gogh painted this work while recuperating at the
mental asylum in Saint-Remy, France only months before his suicide. In keeping with the compulsive and restless ornament of the
painting’s background, the music features sudden changes in emotion (labeled on the score) ranging from anger and confusion to
jubilation and a tragic and transfixed catatonic and hypnotic state. During this section featuring the hypnotic state (bars 47-77) there
are several ostinati stated simultaneously which seem to be "stuck in time". Eventually the anxiety of the music builds to a
cacophonous climax and the "Van Gogh motif" is stated one last time in a chaotic and dissonant manner (bars 140-148). Quick tutti
16th notes (bars 149-151) depicting the suicide bullets lead to a slow and glorious section symbolizing the artistic legacy of Van
Gogh. The work ends with a bright and spirited coda.
It is my fervent desire that this composition will inspire its listeners and performers to become better acquainted with the work of that great Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh.
I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Captain Larry H. Lang for asking me to compose this work, for his advice and intuitive insight, for making the music come to life for the first time in such a superbly musical and outstanding way, and for the magnificent world premiere recording of my composition on "Portraits", his first CD with the USAF Heritage of America Band.
Grateful acknowledgment: To the entire USAF Heritage of America Band for their wonderful premiere performances of Van Gogh Portraits; to 1st Lt. Douglas C. Monroe for his guidance and suggestions on the paintings; to Tom Godfrey for his superb copy work; to my brother Carlos Forte and his wife Nancy, in whose home I was first introduced to Van Gogh’s vast and varied artistic output; to James Nierescher for historical information on Zouaves; To Jerome Auman for suggesting the "opening and closing of the bridge"; and to Vincent Van Gogh himself for his "inspiring" paintings.
Synergy! Concerto for Band Riddle of the Sphinx, TheMovements:
The Riddle of the Sphinx begins with INTRODUCTION - DAWN OF LIFE. The material stated in this section (bars 1-19) forms the basis for the entire work. Of particular importance are the gradually descending sustained tones Bb, Ab, Gb, Db, followed by an ascending Eb as well as the ascending motif of F, C, and Eb. Three solo instruments (piccolo, flute, and alto sax) intone rather frenetic and jerky short motifs symbolizing the movements of a human fetus. Gradually the movements become more profound and involve the entire ensemble. LIFE is announced by triumphant horn calls (bar 21) over a cacophony of percussion. This is contrasted by a tense polytonal section (bars 29-34) signifying the trials and tribulations which will face all human beings after life begins. A short timpani solo (bar 34) gives way to THE SPHINX music. A theme in low hollow open fifths (bar 38) portrays this archaic being while the modal music which follows (bar 48) is indicative of the ominous nature of the Sphinx. An incessantly repeated polychord on an active rhythm (bar 57) becomes the transitional chord to the first of the three ages of man. After a complete break, we arrive at CHILDHOOD (bar 60).
CHILDHOOD is largely about the playfulness and unpredictability of this first age of man. This section is lightly scored and features exposed solo work for various instruments. We even hear the vibes (bar 84) "posing" as a music box putting a child to sleep. Tritones symbolize the mischievous nature of kids. Later the solo oboe (bar 115) intones the "love theme" over the motif of the Sphinx. The music builds in excitement with an accelerando (bar 151) and we are led to the second age of man.
ADULTHOOD (bar158) is the fast section of the work. This energetic music symbolizes the fast paced "hustle and bustle" of man in the years of adulthood. This section is largely built on the eighth note ostinato of Bbs and Abs which sets the pace at the beginning of the section (bar 158), an idea which was briefly stated in the introduction of the work (bars 18 and 19). Temple blocks imitate the sound of a clock ticking away the minutes as man works to meet daily deadlines. After another brief timpani solo (bar 214), the tense polytonal music of the introduction returns once again (bar 224) to symbolize the struggles and obstacles faced in adulthood. The incessantly and actively repeated "transitional" polychord of the introduction is heard once again and this section ends in a powerful tutti under a fermata.
THE TWILIGHT YEARS (bar 238) is bold and majestic, symbolizing the wisdom of the elders. It contrasts a heroic melody, first intoned by the horns, with triplet fanfares for the brass. This mood is briefly interrupted by an oboe solo (bar 256) symbolizing the "nostalgia" for days of long ago. The "wisdom" music returns once again in a highly dramatic setting (bar 269). Suddenly the volume is reduced to a whisper and the three soloists of the introduction return as the "elders" begin "reverting" to their childhood ways (bar 277). The soloists are eventually accompanied by the Sphinx music (bar 283). A loud Bb (bar 289) gradually diminishes in volume and afterward the solo oboe once again intones the primary motif of the work (bar 295). Soft and solemn "funeral fanfares" (bar 296) signal the end of earthly life. However, soon there is "light" again. The music grows in volume (bar 300) as a brisk and jubilant Coda (bar 304) joyously recalls the themes of the work. Oedipus correctly answers the riddle and after one final brass statement of the Sphinx motif (bar 339), the work ends with the self destruction of the Sphinx in an "explosion" of gong and cymbals. Just as man goes through dramatic and contrasting changes in one lifetime, so does the music of The Riddle of the Sphinx encompass a wide variety of styles and transformations.
GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: To H. Dwight Satterwhite and his wonderful ensemble for giving me this fantastic opportunity and for making this work come to life in such a superb musical way; to my parents Aldo and Maria Forte for all their support and all that they did during my formative years to create a positive environment in which I could grow as a musician; to Dr. Satterwhite himself who, as my junior high school band director, gave me a terrific musical education; to my brother Carlos Forte for introducing me to the story of Oedipus and the Sphinx; to Jack Robbins and Robbins Music Center of Huntsville, Alabama for their generosity in providing me with a piano during my holidays; to Tom Godfrey for his superb engraving of the composition; and to the poet Carolyn Ruth Moser for "being there" to experience the creation of this work and for suggesting the "explosion" of the Sphinx.