Description
The Red River Valley
Volume Six in this series features music popular during the years the nation was Pushing Westward, in the middle and later 1800s. The suite starts off with a lively hoedown type introduction, then modulates into four tunes popular during this era, including:
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Oh, Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie — A Cowboy’s lament, written by the Reverend Edwin H. Chapin in 1839, a familiar tune even today.
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The Red River Valley — Another ever-popular tune people recognize today, this tune dates back to before the `1830s.
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I Ride an Old Paint — This tune evokes the spirit of the Old West to such an extent that famed composer Aaron Copland borrowed it for his “Saturday Night Waltz” in his suite Rodeo.
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Bound For The Promised Land — Very driving and exciting, this tune captures perfectly the rugged beauty of 19th century American westward push.
Here are the program notes the MCSB has used for this piece:
In this sixth volume of his “American Frontier Suites” series, composer/arranger David Miller brings us four familiar tunes that were popular in the middle 1800s, as the American Frontier pushed ever westward.
In our first musical stop of this medley, you’ll mosey along with some of the old cowhands as they sing “Oh, Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie,” then we amble on up to north Texas for a stop at “The Red River Valley.” Onward into cattle country, we hear the cowpokes’ song, “I Ride An Old Paint,” and we wind up driving oxen as the wagon train rolls westward, as we hear “Bound For The Promised Land.”
All these tunes are tied together with a newly-composed western-flavored theme you’ll hear right at the beginning; you’ll hear snippets of this theme between the tunes, and hear it again at the end, to wrap up the piece.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we hope you enjoy the performance of this work in David Miller’s “American Frontier Suites” series, volume six, Pushing Westward.
This piece has been carefully scored to be a challenging Grade 3, and would be another ideal piece for state contest lists.
It will also make an ideal easy-to-master showcase piece for your next concert.
Listen:
This work will make an ideal easy-to-master showcase piece for your next concert.
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