School scores

Published June 24th, 2008

CITY EDITOR

Music teachers generally agree that Robert Sheldon is one of the most performed composers of wind band music today.

It would be a kudo if a school could entice Sheldon to write a song in its honor.

The fact is, Sheldon has written two songs for Boca Raton Community Middle School.

The second just debuted last month at a concert honoring the newly constructed middle school, said Band Director Michael Fraley. The performance, held in the auditorium of Boca Raton High School, combined the talents of the Boca High Band with the musicians from Boca Middle.

To find out how and why Sheldon wrote two pieces for Boca Middle, one must ratchet back to 1987 when the master composer was a little-known band director at a school in northern Palm Beach County.

“He was friends with the former band directors here,” said Fraley.  “They commissioned him to write a song for the school, which he did.  It was called ‘Ocean Ridge Rhapsody.’”

It was performed in 1987, said Fraley, “and it was never played again.”  He said he discovered the published copy of the song in an envelope in a file at the school.  It had never even been opened.

Fraley thought it would be great to perform the song again after some two decades. The bands from Boca High and Boca Middle learned the intricate number and performed together for the dedication of the new theater at Boca Raton High.

“We did it and we made a recording,” said Fraley.  “We mailed Sheldon the video, and we were emailing back and forth. I asked him if he would write another piece for our band.”

Fraley didn’t hold out a lot of hope. “During the past 19 years, Sheldon has become the pre-eminent composer of music,” he said, “and is concert band editor for Alfred Publishing Company, perhaps the largest publisher of music.”

But Sheldon agreed to do it.

That was a couple of years ago.  In the interim, Fraley emailed staff, parents and friends looking for input for the song. 

Then, on May 9, 2008, Fraley issued the email everyone was waiting to get. “Thanks to your input and ideas, it has been completed.” Not only did Sheldon write it, but he also came to Boca Middle to conduct the bands.

What premiered that night in Boca was “An Iberian Fantasy: The Villas of Boca Raton,” by Robert Sheldon.

“’An Iberian Fantasy’ was inspired by the resort architecture of Addison Mizner, whose Mediterranean-style estates launched a ‘Florida Renaissance’ and inspired architects across North America,” said Fraley.

“Mizner identified each of his Boca Raton villas with Spanish names, three of which are captured in this musical collage. ‘El Mirasol’ (sea and sun) is a fanciful Flamenco-style opening; ‘El Solano’ (the east wind) presents exotic colors and romantic themes and ‘La Guerida’ (the bounty of war) ends the piece with an aggressive and energetic statement.”

Fraley said he hopes the piece “will be published and distributed worldwide for it is truly a fantastic piece of music.”

Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.