Program Notes: Victory At Sea
Richard Rodgers [1902-1979]
arr. Robert Russell Bennett [1894-1981]

1. Song of the High Seas
2. Submarines in a Calm Sea
3. Beneath the Southern Cross
4. The Guadalcanal March
5. The Sunny Pacific Islands
6. The Approaching Enemy
7. The Attack
8. Death and Debris
9. The Hymn of Victory

When Richard Rodgers was approached by NBC in 1951 to compose music for a proposed television documentary telling the story of World War II from the standpoint of the Navy, he said he would accept only if he could have Robert Russell Bennett do the orchestrations. By that time Bennett had worked with the Rodgers and Hammerstein team on Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The King and I to great acclaim. Little did Mr. Bennett realize the daunting task that was ahead of him. Rodgers provided twelve themes to be used to create music for the twenty-six half-hour programs. The resulting massive thirteen hour score is one of the finest and most successful of its kind ever composed. Bennett ground out an astounding five thousand pages of manuscript in a little over a year. Even though the series has not been seen recently, the music has taken on a life of its own and remained in the public consciousness through recordings. Interestingly, for the soundtrack itself, Bennett had the privilege of conducting the great NBC Symphony Orchestra – the orchestra created for and regularly conducted by the legendary Arturo Toscanini.

This wonderful symphonic scenario for concert band by Mr. Bennett utilizes nine of the twelve basic themes composed by Rodgers. The work begins with The Song of the High Seas, the recurring theme of the series evoking boundless waves of water and the resolution of the mighty ships that sailed upon them. The menacing Submarines in a Calm Sea announces the presence of a prowling U-boat which gives way to a sweeping tango Beneath the Southern Cross, suggesting the different kind of war being fought in the South Atlantic. (This melody was later adapted by Rodgers and became known as No Other Love.) The rousing Guadalcanal March proclaims the call to battle in contrast to The Sunny Pacific Islands which depicts GIs at work and play on conquered islands and coral reefs where combat has ceased and routine has set in. A brief passage of The Approaching Enemy leads to The Attack culminating in a dramatic use of thundering percussion. Death and Debris featuring solo trumpet suggests the melancholy and dismay in the aftermath of battle–death, destruction, and the drifting remnants of disaster. The stately Hymn of Victory segues to a return of the opening theme to conclude the piece, and a reminder of what President Roosevelt declared–the inevitable triumph–Victory at Sea.