Hammer and Rail
General Info
Year: 2015
Duration: c. 2:15
Difficulty: II (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: FJH Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $55.00 | Score Only (print) - $6.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F
Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:
- Bass Drum
- Bells
- Brake Drum
- Chain, Dropped
- Crash Cymbals
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Wood Block
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
John Henry, a former slave, worked on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in the years following the Civil War. While drilling a hole through Big Bend Mountain in West Virginia, Henry was challenged to a worker’s duel – his hammer versus the steam drill that threatened the jobs of many of the men he called friends. From the moment the race ended, the legend of Henry beating the drill only to die with his hammer in his hand grew in story and song. This Old Hammer developed into a work song – a song where the rhythms served to synchronize physical movements in groups such as the grueling hammering common working on the railroad.
Whether or not the legend told through the song is completely accurate, Henry symbolizes several true and classic ideals: dedication to one’s obligations, supporting the people around you, and seeing a project through to the end – important principles in any walk of life. Through his decisions and actions, Henry confronted deeper issues still relevant today – namely protection in the workplace, human dignity, and justice. His story is further a reminder that while we are living in an age of technology, some things still need a decidedly human touch to be authentically created.
- Program Note from publisher
Commercial Discography
None discovered thus far.
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Dubray MIddle School (St. Peters, Mo.) 7th Grade Intermediate Band – 27 February 2016
Works for Winds by This Composer
- American Visions (2008)
- Apollo Arise (2018)
- As Joy Ignites (2020)
- As Moonlight Falls (2021)
- Canticles of Hyperion (2021)
- Chasing Mercury (2019)
- Country Sketches (2014)
- Dancing Under the Stars (2013)
- Dream Chaser (2012)
- Eyes of the Dragon (2014)
- Fanfare of Joy (2017)
- Fanfare on Themes of Davenport
- Festival and Ballad for Winds (2011)
- A Festival Celebration (2020)
- Festival Espirit (2013)
- Festival of Flight (2017)
- Flourishing Noels (2013)
- The Forge of Freedom (2018)
- A Frontier Fought and a City Found (2010)
- Hammer and Rail (2015)
- I Bought Me a Band (2012)
- Irish Jig for Young Feet (2009)
- Journey to the Prairie (2010)
- Jubilant Flourishes (2012)
- The Last Stagecoach Heist (2012)
- Let Them Soar! (2014)
- Lonely Travelers (2020)
- Metro Dances (2018)
- Monsters of Myth (2013)
- Moravian Dance (2011)
- Peat Fire Flame (2019)
- Pirates! (2009)
- Promise on the Horizon (2022)
- Rattlesnake Rhumba (2017)
- Renaissance Round (2018)
- Resilience (2021)
- The Rising Kingdom (2016)
- Rising Winds From the Valley (2011)
- A Scottish Sunrise (2015)
- The Shady Grove (2017)
- Siege of the Dark Castle (2011)
- Songs of Soldiers (2017)
- Sonic Ascent (2013)
- Sugar Plum Samba (2016)
- Tales of a Medieval Warrior (2010)
- Triumphant Flourishes (2019)
- The Warrior's Path (2021)
- The Wellerman Come (as arranger) (Traditional/2022)
- A West Highland Fanfare (2011)
- Winds of Joy (2019)
- Winds of a New Day (2012)
- A Winter Flourish for Wenceslas (2019)
- Yankee Fanfare (2013)
Resources