Instrumentation:   3.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.1 - Timp+3 - Strings

​

Duration:                10 minutes

​​

Demo Recording:   CLICK HERE​

​

Score:                       Please contact Dan to order a perusal score.​

​​

​

​

​

Program Notes:

​

Commissioned by the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory, North Carolina, this piece was written to convey the spirit of the Appalachian

landscape that lies just to the north and west. Appalachia in North Carolina is rich with folk music traditions, so I chose old, traditional ballads collected by Francis Child and Cecil Sharp that were historically sung in these regions to incorporate into this tone poem. I chose these particular tunes because their melodies were beautiful and moving, and they provided a rich basis for me to compose a full-length orchestral work. The tunes are “Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies,” “Young Hunting,” and “The Golden Vanity,” and they are frequently used by modern folk singers who sing and arrange them in their own unique styles.

 

The first tune I chose, which forms the basis of the main theme of this piece, is “Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies,” which warns young

women against the whims of the men who were trying to court them. The second tune, “Young Hunting,” tells a dark story of a love triangle, and the third tune, “The Golden Vanity” tells the tale of two ships from nations in conflict and a cabin boy who offers to sink the other ship, does so,but does not receive the glory he deserves.