Maryville College Tartanband prepares to give audience a ‘Scot Tattoo’ at Nov. 10 fall concert
Oct. 25, 2023
Despite the title of the program, there won’t be tattoo artists on hand to ink patrons at the Nov. 10 Tartanband performance taking place at the Clayton Center for the Arts.
Yes, said Dr. Eric Simpson — associate professor of music and director of bands at Maryville College — the name of the ensemble’s fall concert, “Scot Tattoo,” may imply that to the uninitiated, but “tattoo” is actually a musical term meant to give deeper meaning to the program’s theme.
“Most people think of a tattoo and know the traditional use of the word — designs on the skin,” Simpson said. “That’s the Polynesian etymology of the term, as I understand it. In Scotland or Britain, however, a tattoo is a kind of military musical performance. I think the biggest example of a military tattoo is the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which occurs annually. It’s lots of music and pageantry and such.
“Nov. 10th is the day before Veterans Day, and I felt like that needed acknowledgment in some way. ‘Scot Tattoo’ is the name of the tune from which ‘Taps’ is derived — as many people know, ‘Taps’ is the bugle call used by the military to signify ‘lights out.’ It seemed particularly fitting to use ‘Scot Tattoo’ as the name because ‘tattoo’ is a homonym.”
Works on the “Scot Tattoo” program, Simpson added, include “Fanfaire Politeia” by Dr. Kimberly Archer, composed for the President’s Own Marine Band for President Joe Biden’s inauguration; “Hymn and Fuguing Tune No. 1,” derived from Protestant hymnody and pioneered by the First New England School during the American Revolution, composed by Henry Cowell; three pieces from film scores — “The Great Escape,” by Elmer Bernstein; “Cadillac of the Skies” from “Empire of the Sun,” by John Williams; and “Glory,” by James Horner; John Denver’s folk classic “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” featuring vocals by Claire Pinkston ’25; the aforementioned “Taps”; “The Old Flag Never Touched the Ground,” originally created for a Broadway show and arranged by Simpson over the summer; “A People United” by Chris Sharp, which includes adaptations of “Battle Cry of Freedom,” “How Firm a Foundation” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic”; and Samuel Ward’s sweeping, majestic “America, the Beautiful.”
All of the selections, Simpson said, are meant to serve as both stirring renditions for long-time followers of the Tartanband, and an accessible entry point for those attending for the first time.
“It seems like a lot of people don’t go to concerts by academic groups because they think the music will be primarily classical and hard to listen to,” he said. “This concert is very much not that. It’s got marches, John Denver and movie themes, and it’s designed to be a concert that encourages people to think about our veterans, what they did for us, and what that says about our responsibility to each other — but not in a way that will tire the ears or the mind. And it’s free, and less than an hour long. It’s a perfect way to start a weekend and recognize Veterans Day.”
While the performance is the first public one this semester under the Tartanband tag, the students who make up the instrumental ensemble have been hard at work since the 2023-24 academic year began. The members have served as the Pep Band for MC Scots football games this fall, and those performances continue to help the players gel as collaborative performers, Simpson pointed out.
“We’re a little bit bigger this year, but we’ve grown professionally a great deal,” Simpson said. “Fall Break was a great example of that —we had a home football game, and there was 100% attendance and commitment from the band kids on a weekend during which a lot of students went home. I had a drummer from Florida change his flight so he could be back to play with the band at the football game. These are just really great students who want to do right by their school and their community, and that’s pretty cool.”
“Scot Tattoo” by the Tartanband will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts. Admission is free, and the concert is open to the public.