The AMERICAN FRONTIER SUITE SERIES

is a series of medleys of music popular in North America and the United States throughout the first century and a half of its history, spanning the years from mid-1700s through the 1920s.

The Purpose Of This Series

SailingShips200x134 The purpose of these suites is to preserve for modern concert band players and audiences these tunes that were popular during different eras of the history of America. Some of the tunes in the earlier suites date from before the United States became a nation, and many of them were popular in areas that were not (or were not yet) a state in the Union.

Regardless, these timeless melodies are all a part of our history, and they should be heard and preserved for future generations. The American Frontier Suites series brings to both players and audiences alike a tremendously entertaining way to experience, preserve, and honor our musical history.

The Contents of Each Suite

PushingWestward 200x117 Each medley in the series is comprised of four to six tunes from the particular era depicted in the title of that particular suite. For example, in Suite #1, “The Revolutionaries,” we have “The Girl I left Behind Me,” “Free America,” “Yankee Doodle,” and two more tunes, all very popular in revolutionary-war-era America.

As of early 2016, there are nine volumes of these suites available; we have plans for more than 20 volumes when the series is complete.

Preserve our Musical History

Help your musicians learn about and preserve this historic music, and bring this musical history to your audiences. Add these American Frontier Suites to your library today.

Currently Available

The links below are to the suites we have available for purchase on this site now. If you would like information about the other suites – which will be coming soon – please use our CONTACT US page to ask about them.

LISTING OF ALL SUITES and CONTENTS

Below is a list of all suites that will be posted here, along with the tunes included in each suite.

American Frontier Suite Volume I – The Revolutionaries

The Girl I Left Behind Me (Imported from England’s “Brighton Camp,” Probably written in 1758)
Barbara Allen (Traditional, Pre-1665) (Samuel Pepys wrote about this song in his journal in 1665)
Free America (a.k.a. “The British Grenadiers” but used by Patriots as a battle song; new American words written by Joseph Warren; origin can be traced to a tune “The New Bath” in Playford’s dance books of the 1600’s.)
Yankee Doodle (Traditional, Pre-1770)
Chester (William Billings (1746-1800), 1778)

American Frontier Suite Volume II – The Seamen

Sailing, Sailing (Traditional)
Blow The Man Down (Traditional, Pre-1800)
Columbia, The Gem Of The Ocean (Thomas A’Becket, 1750)
Drunken Sailor (Traditional)
Sailor’s Hornpipe (Traditional)
Eternal Father, Strong To Save (William Whiting, John Bacchus Dykes, 1860)

American Frontier Suite Volume III – The Appalachian Frontier

Simple Gifts – Joseph Bracket (1848)
Sourwood Mountain (Traditional, Pre-1915) (or Foggy Foggy Dew? 1815)
Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair (Traditional, pre-1870)
Polly-Wolly Doodle (Introduced by Daniel Decatur Emmett’s Minstrels in the 1840’s)
Shenandoah (Traditional)

American Frontier Suite Volume IV – River Valley Suite

My Old Kentucky Home (Stephen Foster, 1853)
Down In The Valley (Traditional) (or Blue-Tail Fly, 1840)
Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes (Ben Jonson (L) 1616, Music Unk, post 1770)
The Arkansas Traveler (Various attributions, pre-1850)
Carry Me Back To Old Virginny (James A. Bland, 1878)
Old Dan Tucker (Daniel D. Emmett, 1843)

American Frontier Suite Volume V – The Builders

John Henry (Traditional, Recorded by Billy Murray, 1910)
The Erie Canal (Thomas S. Allen, 1905) (Erie Canal built 1817-1825)
I’ve Been Working On The Railroad (Traditional, pre-1850)
Paddy Works On The Erie (RR) (Traditional, pre-1850)
Casey Jones (T. Lawrence Siebert (L), Eddie Newton (M), 1902)

American Frontier Suite Volume VI – Pushing Westward

Oh, Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie (Rev. Edwin H. Chapin, 1839)
Red River Valley (Traditional, Pre-1830)
I Ride An Old Paint (Traditional, Pre 1880) (?)
Bound for the Promised Land (M. Durham, 1835)

American Frontier Suite Volume VII – Gold Rush Days

My Darling Clementine (Percy Montross, ca. 1880)
Sweet Betsy From Pike (Traditional, pre-1850)
Oh, Susannah (Stephen Foster, 1847)
Coming ‘Round The Mountain (Traditional, pre-1880)

American Frontier Suite Volume VIII – Brother Against Brother

Garry Owen (Traditional, Pre-1800)
Rose of Alabama (S.S. Steele, 1846)
When Johnny Comes Marching Home (Patrick Gilmore, 1862)
Aura Lee (George Poulton and W. W. Fosdick, 1861) (Love Me Tender)
The Battle Cry of Freedom (George Root 1820-1895)

American Frontier Suite Volume IX – A Nation Divided

Bonnie Blue Flag (Harry McCarthy (L), 1861; Music: traditional Irish)
Tenting Tonight On The Old Campground (1864, Walter Kittridge)
Marching Through Georgia (1865, Henry Clay Work)
Darling Nelly Gray (1856, Benjamin R. Hanby)
John Brown’s Body; William Steffe (M), ca. 1855)

(Suites listed in red are not yet written)

American Frontier Suite Volume X – Showdowns and Roundups

American Frontier Suite Volume XI –Saloons and Barn Dances

American Frontier Suite Volume XII – The Deep South

American Frontier Suite Volume XIII – Southern Rivers, Sunny Fields

American Frontier Suite Volume XIV –The Spanish West

American Frontier Suite Volume XV –The Gilded Age

American Frontier Suite Volume XVI –The Gay Nineties

American Frontier Suite Volume XVII –The Dawn of a New Century

American Frontier Suite Volume XVIII – Tin Pan Alley

American Frontier Suite Volume IXX –The Irish Americans

American Frontier Suite Volume XX – Songs From Naples

American Frontier Suite Volume XXI – The War to End All Wars

How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (After they’ve Seen Paree) (1914, Walter Donaldson)
If You Were The Only Girl in the World (1916, Nat Ayer and Clifford Gray)
Alabama Jubilee (1914, George L. Cobb & Jack Yellen)
It’s A Long Way to Tiperrary (1912, Jack Judge)

American Frontier Suite Volume XXII –Travels, Trenches, and Tears

American Frontier Suite Volume XXIII –Winding Up the Big One

American Frontier Suite Volume XXIV –The Lost Generation

American Frontier Suite Volume XXV – Saturday Evening in the Park

American Frontier Suite Volume XXVI –The Roaring 20’s

Transpositions Available for Each Part in the ENSEMBLE CONCERT BOOKS SERIES

This chart describes each transposition available for each voice in the Ensemble Concert Books Series, along with a list of most of the instruments that can be appropriate for playing that part. This will give you a good idea of which books to order, based on which instruments you have. The preferred instruments for each part are highlighted in red.

SOPRANO 1:

In C. This part includes both the high octave, suitable for flute, piccolo, and violin, and the low octave, suitable for oboe or brass instruments in C.
In Bb. This part is suitable for trumpets, (soprano) clarinets, and soprano saxophones.
In Eb. This part is suitable for and voiced for the Eb soprano clarinet. It can also be played by an Eb sopranino saxophone. If necessary, it can be played by an alto saxophone, but it will not be in the right register, and it would be good if the alto sax player could play it an octave above the written notes.
In F. This part will be available only on request. Please allow six weeks for us to produce it. It is available in the event that a French horn or F trumpet is the only instrument you have to play this voice, and it will require a horn player with a good high range to play it.

SOPRANO 2:

In C. This part is voiced for oboe and violin. It is possible for a flute to play it as well, but this part will frequently be in the lower range for a flute and therefore might lose some power.
In Bb. This is the part to get for (soprano) clarinets, trumpets, and soprano saxophones.
In Eb. This part is voiced for alto saxophones and alto clarinets. It can also be played by an Eb soprano clarinet, but should be played an octave below the written notes.
In F. For French Horns.
In Alto Clef. For violas. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks for production.

ALTO:

In C. For violin, viola, or any other C-pitched instrument playing treble clef n the alto range.
In Bb. For soprano clarinets. It can also be played by a trumpet, as it has higher-octave cue notes for those notes that go below the range of a trumpet. It can also be played by tenor saxophones and treble clef baritone horn, but that player should play an octave above the written notes.
In Eb. For alto saxophones, and alto clarinets.
In F. For French Horns.
In Alto Clef. For violas, and those rare (and strange) trombone players who prefer to read alto clef. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks to produce it.
In Bass Clef. For trombones and baritone B.C. players. This part will usually be in the higher end of the range of these players, but not uncomfortably so.

TENOR:

In Bb. This is for tenor saxophones and baritone horns who play treble clef.
In Eb. This can be played by alto saxophones, although it will be somewhat low in their register.
In F. For French Horns. This is not the preferred instrument for this part, but they CAN play it.
In Tenor Clef. For violas, and others who prefer tenor clef. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks to produce it.
In Bass Clef. For trombones, baritone horns, and cellos. It can also be played by bassoons when needed.

BASS:

In Bb. For Bass clarinet and contra-bass clarinet. Also for Bass Saxophone and brass band type tuba/bass players who read Bb treble clef bass parts.
In Eb. For baritone saxophones and Eb Contra-alto Clarinets.
In F. For experienced horn players only. This part is only available on request. Please allow six weeks to produce it.
In Bass Clef - High. For string bass players.
In Bass Clef - Low - for tubas and bassoons.

MISCELLANEOUS PARTS:

Piano. If you cannot fill in all five other parts, adding a piano player may give you all the extra harmony notes you need.
Drum Set. While not required, adding a drum set to your performances, especially when you are using ten or more players, will definitely enhance the presentation.