Trumpet and Pipe Organ September 26, 2025 9:33 AMSubscribe
Fanfare for the Common Man This is a gorgeous version of the song.
Have a Fabulous Friday, everyone! posted by dfm500 (18 comments total)
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When I was in high school, a friend of mine decided to run for class president. Not as a declared candidate, as a write-in. On the day of the scheduled campaign speeches, several people hatched a plan. We had an inside man working the lighting in the auditorium. Someone snuck a fairly loud stereo backstage. All of the scheduled speeches are given, and just as the event is supposed to wrap up, the lights go off.
800 high school kids in the dark auditorium start to hear Fanfare for the Common Man. A spotlight hits, as four of us carry said dark horse candidate on our shoulders, to the stage. He gives the best speech of the day, and we play him off stage with Hail to the Chief on kazoos.
A few years ago I heard on a podcast that this was actually part of series of fanfares the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra commissioned. The rest faded into obscurity, but this one stuck, and for obvious reasons.
This rendition's use of a church organ, however, makes it feel a bit less like fanfare for the common man and more a fanfare for god. posted by pwnguin at 10:56 AM on September 26 [3 favorites]
wait did the guy win Mr/Ms Angry Bees?
Sadly no. IIRC, he did pretty well for not being on the ballot. And while he may not have won, I doubt anyone remembers anything else about that election. posted by Seven Hundred Angry Bees at 11:10 AM on September 26 [5 favorites]
One of the things that I've noticed with the masterworks of music is that their brilliance comes through irrespective of the interpretation. The trumpet and organ is lovely, but I'm afraid I'm missed hearing all the textures and timbres of the different brass and percussion in the original. However, the Fanfare is one of the pieces I think is among the the very best of western artistic expression, and there's very little that can be done to bury its genius. There are versions I prefer--sitting in a good concert hall listening to a live performance of a full professional orchestra's brass and percussion sections is my very favourite--but I generally enjoy them all. Here's Emerson, Lake & Palmer's version. posted by angiep at 11:37 AM on September 26 [10 favorites]
There can't be many ways to have fun that would top making a racket that magnificent in a huge echoing empty stadium in the sharp, dense Montreal air.
I wish I could have learned to play a pipe organ...
If you are in the US and want to take pipe organ lessons, someone from your local chapter of American Guild of Organists might be able to hook you up with a teacher. My kid took lessons for a couple of years as a teen and got pretty good, (certainly good enough to get through a standard church service or wedding), but ended up not excited about the repertoire (he doesn't love Bach, and we're not religious) and found it taking too much time away from his drumset practice anyway. posted by Daily Alice at 1:28 PM on September 26 [1 favorite]
I recall organist Virgil Fox commenting on the possibility of doing an organ concert without Bach. He said something like, "The audience will be disappointed, the organ instructors in the crowd will be aghast, and the Lutherans will be absolutely furious." posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:58 AM on September 27 [6 favorites]
This is beautiful and the notes that it was commissioned during WWII give it extra depth as I am reading The Splendid and the Vile about when Hitler focused on Britain. My late, great Aunt was an organist that studied at Peabody, she would approve.
Still, my brain feels it is a little short after listening to the Emerson Lake and Palmer version (very 70s vibe) many, many times as an adolescent. My aunt really didn¡¯t influence my taste in music then much at all. posted by childofTethys at 9:48 AM on September 27
A nice rendition, but the video description on YouTube marred my enjoyment of it. posted by ob1quixote at 11:33 AM on September 27
I really enjoyed that, thank you, and watching that somehow led me to a Gregorian version of Nothing Else Matters, which was also very enjoyable. posted by wicked_sassy at 12:45 PM on September 27 [1 favorite]
I think people are too used to the title and forget that "fanfare" has almost always meant "music for telling common people to step aside and pay attention because someone important has arrived." posted by straight at 12:18 PM on September 28 [2 favorites]
To flabdablet: thank you for this! I was introduced to EL&P early in my misspent youth. I didn't pay much attention to the band (I preferred other types of music) except to note the unfortunate passing of both Emerson and Lake. I knew nothing of their personal lives, and didn't know Keith had a son named in honour of Copland. Knowing that, I found the performance quite touching. posted by angiep at 12:52 PM on September 28
Two high school friends who were massively better musicians (drums, Hammond B3) than me talked me (beginner electric bass player) into an ELP jam session; all of us were serious ELP fans. To say I let them down is a massive understatement. posted by billsaysthis at 10:13 PM on September 28
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800 high school kids in the dark auditorium start to hear Fanfare for the Common Man. A spotlight hits, as four of us carry said dark horse candidate on our shoulders, to the stage. He gives the best speech of the day, and we play him off stage with Hail to the Chief on kazoos.
And teenage me has this song etched in his heart forever.
posted by Seven Hundred Angry Bees at 10:16 AM on September 26 [23 favorites]