Prairie Songs

Pierre La Plante

General Info

Year: 1998
Duration: c. 4:35
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Daehn Publications, through C.L.Barnhouse
Cost: Score and Parts - $76.00 | Score Only - $8.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo/Flute
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
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
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

Bass Drum
Bells
Crash Cymbals
Rattle
Snare Drum
Triangle
Wood Block
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

From the composer of American Riversongs comes this accomplished concert work based on two Midwestern folk tunes. Ranging from beautifully plaintive to exuberantly rustic, the piece achieves a great deal musically without being technically difficult.

- Program Note from publisher

Prairie Songs is based on two songs from the Midwest. These songs were sung and known in Wisconsin and, therefore, seem appropriate for a piece celebrating the state's sesquicentennial (1848-1998).

The Pinery Boy, from the Eau Claire region of Wisconsin, is used in the opening section of Prairie Songs. The song tells the story of a young girl who set out in search of her lover, a raftsman working on the river. Her search ends when she learns from the captain that her lover has perished in the river. The young lady returns home and dies of a broken heart. Despite the tragic, and at times melodramatic nature of the verse, the melody is broad and expansive in scope (an octave plus three notes). The setting of this tune in Prairie Songs is intended to convey a feeling of grandeur and beauty of the (land before time).

The second section of the piece quotes "The Turkey Song" which some authorities believe originated in Kentucky and moved west with the settlers. It is found in various collections of childrens' folksongs, including those of Pete Seeger and Jill Trinka.

Common melodic patterns between the two songs make them sound as though they are related. The two themes are presented concurrently in the maestoso section just prior to the coda (allegro).

The Pinery Boy
"Oh a raftsman's life is a wearisome one,"
"It causes many fair maids to weep and mourn."
"For the loss of a true love that can never return."

The Turkey Song
"As I came over yonder's hill"
"I spied a mighty turkey."
"He flapped his wings, and he spread his tail"
"and his feet looked awful dirty."

Commissioned by the Central Middle School Band, Waukesha, Wisconsin, Laura Kautz Sindberg, conductor, with assistance from the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission.

- Performance notes from score

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

Alabama: Class C
Georgia: IV
Indiana: ISSMA JUNIOR BAND GROUP II
Kansas: III
Louisiana: III
Michigan: Junior High AA
Minnesota: III
New York: Concert Band III
North Carolina: III
Ohio: OMEA High School Band B
Oklahoma: III-A
South Carolina: III
Virginia: III

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Western Illinois University (Macomb) Concert Band (Matt Thomas, conductor) - 9 October 2023
Metropolitan Winds of Toronto (Ont., Can.) (Travis Grubissi, conductor) - 27 May 2023
North Dakota State University (Fargo) University Band (Sigurd Johnson, conductor) - 28 April 2023
Banda de Sabaneta (Antioquia, Colombia) (Rubén Darío Gómez, conductor) - 15 May 2022
Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti) Campus Band (Nathan Heed, conductor) - 5 April 2022
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Concert Band (Jefferson Gentry, conductor) - 2 April 2021
Miamisburg High School (Miamisburg, Ohio) Symphonic Band (Ryan Wintersheimer, conductor) - 14 May 2019
Colonel Gray High School (Charlottetown, PEI) Grade 10 Concert Band (Roger Jabbour, conductor)- 25 May 2017
Three Oaks Senior High School (Summerside, PEI) Grade 10-12 Wind Ensemble (Krista Bryson, conductor) - 7 December 2016
North Boone High School (Poplar Grove, Il.) Symphonic Band (Marybeth Kurnat, conductor) - 7 May 2012

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

La Plante, P. (1998). Prairie Songs [score]. Daehn Publications; New Glarus, Wisc.
Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. 2002. Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Volume 4. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 359-364.