1940 he toured Latin America as a member ofthe North American

Wind Quintet. Etler was enabled by Guggenheim Fellowships he

received in 1940 and 1941 to turn to composing and teaching fulltime. Shortly thereafter he received two commissions from Fritz

Reiner, then conductor ofthe Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, for

symphonic works. Etler held teaching positions at Yale, Cornell,

the University of Illinois, and Smith College, where he served on

the faculty for twenty-four years.

Although Claude Paul Taffanel was born in Bordeaux, France, his

musical life began and ended in Paris. He received first prize in

flute upon graduating from the Paris Conservatoire in 1865 and

was hired as flute soloist with the Opera comique and the Pasdeloup

Orchestra the following year. Among Taffanel’s many pupils was

Philippe Gaubert, whose fame as a flutist eventually equaled that

of his teacher. Together they wrote a flute method book, Methode

complete deflute, that is still used today.

Taffanel’s Quintetfor Winds was written for the Society of Wind

Instruments, which he founded. In three movements, the work gives

evidence of his skill as a composer and his discernment of tonal coloration, particularly in the second movement, which is a showcase of

French romanticism and features a pastoral horn solo. The third

movement, Vivace, abounds in virtuosity and tests the technique of

the performers much in the same way as does Mendelssohn’s

Mid-summerNights Dream or Dukas’ The Sorcerer'sApprentice.

Program notes by Elmer Booze

The Fifty-sixth Season of

This is thefinal concert ofthe National Gallery's 1991-1998

season. Concerts willresume on October 4, 1998, with a THE WILLIAM NELSON CROMWELL and

performance by the National Gallery Orchestra, j? LAMMOT BELIN CONCERTS

George Manos conducting.

National Gallery of Art

Forthe convenience ofconcertgoers

the Garden Cafe remains open until 6:30.

The use ofcameras or recording equipment during

theperformance is not allowed.

2211th Concert

NATIONAL GALLERY CHAMBER PLAYERS

WIND QUINTET

GEORGE MANOS, artistic director

LAWRENCE INK, flute

STEVEN LAWSON, clarinet RONALD L. SIPES, oboe

PHILIP C. MUNDS, French horn DANNY K. PHIPPS, bassoon

Sunday Evening, June 28, 1998 

at Seven O’Clock

West Building, West Garden Court

Admission Free
PROGRAM

Antoine Reicha Quintet No.5 in B-flat Major

(1770-1836) from Six Quintets, Opus 88 (1811-1817)

Andante cantabile; Allegro non troppo

Andante

Minuetto: Allegro

Rondo: Allegro

INTERMISSION

Alvin Etler Quintet No.2

(1913-1973) (1957)

Andante con moto

Allegro commodo

Andante

Vivace

Claude Paul Taffanel Wind Quintet inG Minor

(1844-1908) (c. 1880)

Allegro con brio

Andante

Vivace

Since the enthusiastic public reception ofits first concert in 1995,

the National Gallery Chamber Players Wind Quintet has 

becomea regular feature of the Gallery’s popular Sunday evening

concerts. Under the guidance of Gallery music director George

Manos, the ensemble explores and presents masterpieces ofcham­

ber music which are not often heard, as well as the standard classics

for wind quintet.

Flutist Lawrence Ink is

a master sergeant and principal flutist

with The United States Air Force Concert Band at BollingAir Force 

Base. Originally from Rockville, Maryland, Mr. Ink joined the Air

Force in 1978. He received

a bachelor of music degree from the

Eastman School of Music,a master of music degree from the Uni­

versity of Maryland, anda doctor of musical arts degree in music

composition from the Peabody Conservatory. His teachers were

James Galway, Bonita Boyd, and Joseph Mariano. In addition to his 

busy schedule of chamber and orchestral performances, he is an 

active composer and arranger.

Oboist Ronald Sipes, who studied with Marc Lifschey, received

his bachelor and master of music degrees from the San Francisco

Conservatory of Music. He has played principal oboe in the

Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilley Leon (Valladolid, Spain), the New

World Symphony, and the Orquesta del Estado de Mexico. Since

moving to the Northern Virginia area in 1994, Mr. Sipes has played

with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the

National Gallery Orchestra, the Washington Opera, and the The­

ater Chamber Players.

Clarinetist Steven G. Lawson,a chief master sergeant whose

military career began in 1975, is concertmaster and woodwind su­

pervisor ofthe United States Air Force Concert Band at Bolling Air

Force Base. In addition, he is principal clarinetist with the Air Force

Symphony Orchestra as well as clarinetist and non-commissioned

officer-in-charge ofthe Air Force Woodwind Quintet. He attended

California State University at Northridge, where he wasa student

ofCharles Bay. Currently pursuing the completion ofhis bachelor of

music degree in clarinet performance at the Shenandoah UniversityConservatory of Music, Chief Lawson resides with his daughter in

Bryans Road, Maryland.

Senior Master Sergeant Danny K. Phipps is the principal bas­

soonist with the United States Air Force Concert Band at Bolling

Air Force Base. He is also principal bassoonist ofthe Air Force Sym­

phony Orchestra, the Air Force Wind Quintet, and the Air Force 

Chamber Players, of which he is officer-in-charge.A graduate of

the Curtis Institute ofMusic in Philadelphia, Sergeant Phipps has

his master’s and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Catholic

University ofAmerica.

French Hornist Philip G. Munds occupies the chair of assistant

principal French horn in the Baltimore Symphony.A native ofNapa,

California, anda graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of

Music, he performed with the San Francisco Symphony and as prin­

cipal hornist of the Santa Cruz, Modesto, and Berkeley, California

Symphony Orchestras. From 1989 to 1997 he was associate princi­

pal horn of the United States Air Force Band. He has also played

with the National Gallery Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, and

the Alexandria Symphony. He resides in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Antoine Reicha was born in Prague, but is counted among the

French composers of note, having taken on French citizenship in

1829.A prolific composer of chamber music with twenty-eight

wind quintets to his credit, he was appointed professor of counter­

point and fugue at the Paris Conservatory in 1818. His many stu­

dents included Berlioz, Liszt, Franck, and Gounod. In addition to

chamber music, Reicha composeda large body ofsymphonies, con­

certos, piano works, and operas.

As with all ofReicha’s quintets, the Quintetin B-flatMajor, Opus 88,

No.5 begins witha slow introduction, marked Andante cantabile. It

serves to introduce the tonal qualities of all five instruments. The

Allegro non troppo that follows adheres to the classical sonata form, 

with an exposition, a development, anda recapitulation. However,

Reicha takes an unorthodox approach to the handling ofthemes, in

that whena theme is repeated its pitches may change, while the

rhythm remains the constant factor. This novel approach irritated

some of Reicha’s contemporaries, but it has gained acceptance

through repeated hearings. In the second movement, Andante, the

triple rhythm gives the impression ofa minuet. It is the third move­

ment, however, which is marked Minuetto:Allegro. As in all ofReicha’s

quintets, this isa fully developed scherzo witha contrasting middle

section, or trio. The finale, Rondo: Allegro, sportsa theme that mys­

teriously evaporates and then unexpectedly reappears within the

context ofa delicate and transparent instrumentation.

Alvin Etler, whose musical proclivity was evident at an early age, 

composeda number ofworks during his high school years in Battle

Creek, Michigan. One such composition,a suite for wind quartet,

was performed in NewYork by the Georges BarriereWind Ensemble.

After completing his studies at the University ofIllinois, Etlerjoined

the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1938 as an oboist. During