The lead character, Mr. Holland, can be seen working on the piece (at the piano and on scraps of sheet music) throughout the film. At the end of the film, the music comes to represent Holland's "opus" – as the many generations of students that he influenced come together to play his symphony for him – during the film's resolution.
The arrangement is unusual in that it features many instrumental voicings that are not typical of traditional classical music, but rather, are more typical of contemporary American rock. For example, the song includes a full rock drum kit, an electric bass guitar, and an electric guitar.
The song also features several effects that are only made possible by contemporary instruments, such as the left-handed glissando ("slide") on the electric bass guitar, the distortion pedals used on the electric guitar, and the introductory drum fill that begins the song’s major movement.
Additionally, the piece features a driving rhythm throughout, and is rarely without percussion. All of these characteristics are hallmarks of American rock, and help to emphasize that the piece should be perceived as an American work – just as the title portrays.
Referencesedit
^Mr. Holland's Opus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) at Discogs
^"Michael Kamen: The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms / Mr. Holland's Opus". Presto Music. DECCA 467-631-2. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
^Gary S. Dalkin (April 2001). "Michael Kamen: The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms , also featuring Mr. Holland's Opus – An American Symphony". MusicWeb (UK) (review). Retrieved 16 March 2024.
External linksedit
An American Symphony on YouTube, Militärmusik Oberösterreich orchestra, November 2019
May 02, 2024
american, symphony, articles, similar, name, american, symphony, disambiguation, holland, opus, symphonic, piece, played, 1995, film, holland, opus, written, american, composer, michael, kamen, 1997, grammy, best, instrumental, arrangement, lead, character, ho. For articles of a similar name see American Symphony disambiguation An American Symphony Mr Holland s Opus is the symphonic piece played at the end of the 1995 film Mr Holland s Opus It was written by American composer Michael Kamen and it won the 1997 Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement The lead character Mr Holland can be seen working on the piece at the piano and on scraps of sheet music throughout the film At the end of the film the music comes to represent Holland s opus as the many generations of students that he influenced come together to play his symphony for him during the film s resolution Contents 1 Music 2 Analysis 3 References 4 External linksMusic editThe score was recorded by the London Metropolitan Orchestra for the film and issued in a 8 1 2 minute version on the original motion picture soundtrack 1 It was the second work on Kamen s 2001 album The New Moon in the Old Moon s Arms a symphonic poem played in an 18 minute version by the BBC Symphony Orchestra Simon Mulligan piano Leila Josefowicz violin Michael Kamen English horn Pino Palladino bass guitar Phil Palmer guitar Andrew Charles Newmark drums conducted by Leonard Slatkin 2 The 18 minute version consists of five movements 3 IrisCole s TuneMarking HomeworkRowenaFinale The score calls for two flutes one oboe one English horn two clarinets in B flat one bass clarinet in B flat two bassoons one contrabassoon six horns in F three trumpets in B flat three tenor trombones one bass trombone one tuba a percussion section with timpani drum kit suspended cymbal bass drum cymbals tam tam glockenspiel and wind chimes one electric guitar and one bass guitar one piano one harp and strings Analysis editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed March 2024 Learn how and when to remove this message The arrangement is unusual in that it features many instrumental voicings that are not typical of traditional classical music but rather are more typical of contemporary American rock For example the song includes a full rock drum kit an electric bass guitar and an electric guitar The song also features several effects that are only made possible by contemporary instruments such as the left handed glissando slide on the electric bass guitar the distortion pedals used on the electric guitar and the introductory drum fill that begins the song s major movement Additionally the piece features a driving rhythm throughout and is rarely without percussion All of these characteristics are hallmarks of American rock and help to emphasize that the piece should be perceived as an American work just as the title portrays References edit Mr Holland s Opus Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at Discogs Michael Kamen The New Moon in the Old Moon s Arms Mr Holland s Opus Presto Music DECCA 467 631 2 Retrieved 16 March 2024 Gary S Dalkin April 2001 Michael Kamen The New Moon in the Old Moon s Arms also featuring Mr Holland s Opus An American Symphony MusicWeb UK review Retrieved 16 March 2024 External links editAn American Symphony on YouTube Militarmusik Oberosterreich orchestra November 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title An American Symphony amp oldid 1220055235, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
