I. The Trail
The Chisholm Trail. 1000 miles of open range, badlands, rivers, and mountains that stretched north from Texas to Kansas. A team of 10 cowboys, a cook, and a horse wrangler would a drive a herd of as many as 2500 head of cattle at a time on the two-month journey up to Cowtown. This life of warm sunny days in the saddle and cool dark nights sleeping around a campfire beneath the stars became a major part of the legend of the American West.
THE SUITE
II. The Church and The Jailhouse (Hope and Despair)
It’s Christmas Eve in Cowtown. Soft music floats across the snow from the old church where friends and family have gathered in the warm glow of fellowship and flickering candles to celebrate the season of hope.
While on the edge of town, in the only cell of the small jailhouse, there sits a solitary prisoner. His head is bowed in despair as he is haunted by memories of the life and love that are lost to him forever.
III. The Nickelodeon (The Ravages of Time)
A brand new nickelodeon sits in the corner of the Cowtown saloon. A young cowboy winds it up, drops a coin in the slot, and it starts playing its merry tune. Over the years, the winds of time take their toll until the tune gradually becomes barely recognizable and the nickelodeon slowly grinds to a halt. It sits in the corner covered with dust and forgotten until one day, an old cowboy winds it up, again drops a coin in the slot, and, in one last glorious refrain, it plays its heart out. Older and less beautiful- yes, but not finished yet!
IV. Prairie Reminiscence
The icy prairie winds have brought in an early freeze. A rancher and his wife stand on the porch of the prairie home they built with their own hands and stare out at the terrible beauty of the blowing snow. They remember those who didn’t make it last year and pray that this winter will be short, that the house and barn will hold, and that theirs will be one of the lucky families again come Spring.
V. The Blacksmith and the Print Shop (Iron and Ink)
The blacksmith forge was a place of dark magic. Hard black iron was turned into molten red liquid, shaped by violent hammering and gentle tapping, plunged into a hissing bucket of water, and then returned to the belly of the fire breathing beast to ultimately be transformed into a horseshoe, a hinge, or a handle.
Across town the print shop practiced a lighter magic. Metal letters were carefully arranged one by one to form words and then placed into a frame. The frame slid into the press and by hand turning a flywheel, the letters were inked and printed onto paper that would become newspapers, school books, or wanted posters.
Iron and ink were as essential to building the Old West as were bullets and badges.
VI. Rosie Dreams of the Herd
Rosie the cow settles down in her stall for the night. She looks around the empty old barn and remembers the other animals that used to be there: the friendly horse, the funny goats, the nosey chickens. Now it’s just her. She closes her eyes and lets her mind drift back to her younger days. Once again she is running with the herd, dancing under the stars, and heading 1000 miles north up the Chisholm Trail to Cowtown.
ABOUT
The suite runs 27 minutes and is performable in four possible orchestral configurations:
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1. String Orchestra, Piano, Harp, Timpani, 2 Percussion
2. Option 1 plus only Winds (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon)
3. Option 1 plus only Brass (Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Bass Trombone)
4. Option 1 plus both Winds and Brass (full orchestra)
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