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The late 19th century saw a turn away from a dominant Germanic influence in classical music, and three prominent composers – Ives, Debussy and Dvorak – each sought to develop a musical language that was both unique and reflective of their countries.



Their music will be featured during the first performance of 2010 by the Bryan Symphony Orchestra at Tennessee Tech University, set for 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 21, in Wattenbarger Auditorium.



On the program is the spacious and poignant Unanswered Question by American composer Charles Ives, as well as the 8th Symphony by Antonin Dvorak, who helped give voice to the strong instrumental and dance traditions of Bohemia.



“Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 is his most masterful,” said BSO Music Director Dan Allcott. “It is full of Czech character, and comes from an incredible time of confidence from him, preceding his visit to the United States and showcasing his ability to write a great piece in his own national style. Through his later teaching here, he gave us our own foundation for creating uniquely American music. Dvorak understood ‘source’ music which, in the case of the United States, often included Native American songs, hymns, band music and African-American spirituals.



“Within about 10 years of Dvorak’s teaching visit to America you have the blossoming of Charles Ives, who loved the juxtaposition of the new with the old. In The Unanswered Question, you hear that in two distinct parts – a glacially slow melodic background created by the strings which are interrupted by a ‘questioning’ solo trumpet and an ‘answering’ flute quartet who seem to be coming from a different concert hall altogether. It’s as beautiful a piece as it is philosophical, and sounds as new today as it did in 1908.



“I see a direct lineage from Dvorak to Ives,” Allcott said. “Ives could give us the sound of the New World thanks in part to Dvorak, who found beauty and originality in the music of the people – and re-interpreted it in the classical style. That’s an interpretation that has remained relevant to composers for more than a century now – composers who include our own Charles Faulkner Bryan, whose work resonated as much with the music he heard in the hills of Tennessee as with the music of the European masters.”



Also on Sunday’s program is Claude Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsodie, or “first rhapsody,” a piece for solo clarinet and orchestra. The solo part will be played by Sara Rupe (pictured right), this year’s winner of the Joan Derryberry Memorial Concerto Competition.



A National Merit Scholar and winner of the Music Teachers National Association Solo Competition on the state level in 2007, Rupe is a junior at TTU, where she studies with faculty member Anne Thurmond, frequently playing alongside her in the Bryan Symphony.



The Derryberry Competition was inspired by former TTU first lady Joan Derryberry, an accomplished concert pianist. As a student in her native England, she played a concerto with a professional orchestra as a last-minute stand-in, and she said that experience contributed so much to her personal and artistic growth that she wanted to provide a similar opportunity to the students she worked with years later at Tech.



While reservations for Feb. 21’s performance are already limited, there will be tickets available at the box office several hours before the performance begins at 3 p.m., thanks to subscribers who release their seats to the reservation line over the weekend. To be added to the standby list, call the box office at 931-525-2633 now or visit the ticket window in person beginning at noon on Sunday. Tickets are $28 for adults, $24 for seniors 65 and up, and $8 for students.



The Bryan Symphony Orchestra, a member of the League of American Orchestras, is the only professional symphony in a rural area of Tennessee. Wattenbarger Auditorium is the concert hall of the Bryan Fine Arts Building on the TTU campus. Learn more about the BSO’s programs by visiting its web site at www.bryansymphony.org.