Great American West Suite, The
General Info
Year: 2013
Duration: c. 10:53
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Pepper
Cost: Score and Parts - $85.00 | Score Only - $8.00
Movements
1. Waltz on the Range - 2:46
2. Desperado, Billy the Kid- 4:28
3. The California Stage (In the Days of '49) - 3:39
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Mallet Percussion
Percussion, including:
- Bass Drum
- Snare Drum
- Crash Cymbals
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Expertly scored in three movements, this appealing commissioned work is based on traditional cowboy and western folk tunes. The first movement, Waltz on the Range, begins with a majestic opening based on The Dying Cowboy, which introduces a pastoral setting of the well-known Home on the Range theme, scored as a gentle waltz. The second movement, Desperado, draws on the exploits of legendary villain and folk hero William Bonney (Billy the Kid). This movement includes the tune The Ballad of Billy the Kid set with a Spanish flair, which is then contrasted with a funereal sounding Streets of Laredo.
The final movement, The California Stage (In the Days of ‘49), celebrates the discovery of gold in California. This last movement includes tunes such as The Days of ‘49 and The California Stage Company. Filled with memorable melodies and attractive harmonies, the piece features interesting lines for each section, well-conceived percussion scoring, and effective contrasts of tempo, meter, and dynamics.
-Program Note The Instrumentalist, March 2014, p. 32.
Here is another magnificent score by the well-known composer dedicated to the Old West. Like his popular Cowboy Symphony, this piece is based on traditional cowboy and western folk tunes. Home on the Range; The Dying Cowboy; The Ballad of Billy the Kid; The Streets of Laredo; The Days of '49 and The California Stage Company provide a rollicking mix of beauty and fun.
=Program note by publisher
Media
State Ratings
- Georgia: III
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
Works for Winds by This Composer
- All Ye Young Sailors (as arranger) (2005)
- American Riversongs (1991)
- American Sketches (2014)
- As I Walked Through the Meadow (2019)
- At the Old Camp Ground (2017)
- The Band in the Square (2006)
- The Cat's Pajamas (2018)
- Caribbean Rondo (2009)
- Come to the Fair!
- A Cowboy Symphony (2008)
- Early One Morning (as arranger) (2005)
- English Country Settings (1997)
- Fantasy on a Fiddle Tune (2005)
- Great American West Suite, The (2013)
- In the Forest of the King (2000)
- La Bonne Aventure (2010)
- Legends and Heroes (2003)
- Minka's Sleigh Ride (2007)
- Music for the King's Delight (2007)
- Overture on a Minstrel Tune (1979)
- Prairie Songs (1998)
- Prospect (1983)
- Red River Valley, The (as arranger) (2001)
- Song of the Mountain Horn (as arranger) (2013)
- Songs of the Plains (2015)
- Suite of English Country Dances (2022)
- Suite of Old French Songs (2015)
- The Thunder and the Roar (2004)
- Travelin' Music (2018)
- The Voyageurs (2002)
- A Walk in the Morning Sun (2010)
- Winds A' "Whispering" (as arranger) (1920/2009)
- Yorkshire Folk Song Suite (2016)
Resources
None discovered thus far.