Cowboys, The (arr Bocook) (Grade III)

From Wind Repertory Project
John Williams

John Williams (arr. Jay Bocook)


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General Info

Year: 1972 / 1988
Duration: c. 4:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Alfred Publishing
Cost: Score and Parts - $77.00   |   Score Only - $12.00 (Alfred)


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III

(percussion detail desired)


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The Cowboys ... is a typical example of John Williams’s capacity to enrich a film story with an almost narrative musical score. Through music, we are transported to the Old West and experience the joys and hardships of cowboy life.

Taken from the 1972 motion picture The Cowboys starring John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Browne, the music complements the story of a 60-year-old Montana cattleman who enlists (and ultimately mentors) ten schoolboys as cowboys after the regular ranch hands have left with Gold Rush fever. The 400-mile cattle drive provides the boys with a different and harsher schooling as they learn the rigors of the job and have to deal with rustlers. The music conveys the high spirit of wild horses and their taming. Jollity around the campfire is contrasted against the loneliness of the open range. The plains have a beauty, though, which is reflected in the song of a lark. The hard work of the cattle drive, including the fording of the wide, muddy river and dealing with many fears and threats, succeeds in maturing the boys into men.

- Program Notes by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Wind Ensemble


Media

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State Ratings

  • Virginia: III


Performances

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Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources