SKU: PR.114414450

ISBN 9781598064087. UPC: 680160597635. 9x12 inches.

Inspired by the tale of a legendary folk hero, Adolphus Hailstork’s tour-de-force for trombone and piano is a riveting portrayal of the steely strength and stamina of John Henry, a former slave who helped build the American railroads and ultimately outperformed a steam engine. This composition uses quotes from the spiritual Every Time I Feel the Spirit and the folk song The Ballad of John Henry. For advanced players. Duration: 13’__________________________________________Text on the scanned back cover:JOHN HENRY'S BIG(MAN vs. MACHINE)FOR TROMBONE AND PIANOInspired by the tale of the legendary hero, Adolphus Hailstork’s tour-de-force for trombone and piano is a riveting portrayal of the steely strength and stamina of John Henry, a former slave who helped build the American railroads and ultimately outperformed a steam engine.
PROGRAM NOTES by the ComposerJohn Henry was born a slave in the 1840’s or 1850’s. It is important to remember that no one knows for sure if John Henry existed or is a tall tale created by writers. That is one of the things that makes the legend so intriguing.According to the legend, he grew to stand 6 feet tall, 200 pounds – a giant in that day.Though the story of John Henry sounds like the quintessential tall tale, it is certainly based, at least in part, on historical circumstance. There are disputes as to where the legend originates. Some place John Henry in West Virginia, while recent research suggests Alabama. Still, all share a similar back-story.In order to construct the railroads, companies hired thousands of men to smooth out terrain and cut through obstacles that stood in the way of the proposed tracks. One such chore that figures heavily into some of the earliest John Henry ballads is the blasting of the Big Bend Tunnel, more than a mile straight through a mountain in West Virginia.Steel-drivin’ men like John Henry used large hammers and stakes to pound holes into the rock, which were were then filled with explosives that would blast a cavity deeper and deeper into the mountain. In the folk ballads, the central event took place under such conditions. Eager to reduce costs and speed up progress, some tunnel engineers were using steam drills to power their way into the rock. According to the great American tall tales, on hearing of the machine, John Henry challenged the steam drill to a contest. He won, but died of exhaustion, his life cut short by his own superhuman effort.This composition uses quotes from the spiritual Every Time I Feel the Spirit and the folk song The Ballad of John Henry.JOHN HENRY’S BIG was composed for trombonist David Jackson.

SKU: SU.32040021

Trombone & Piano Duration: 17' Composed: 2013 Published by: Amy Mills Music, LLC …the audience loved Red Dragonfly. Definitely a keeper in my repertoire! Dr. James Bicigo, Associate Professor of Trombone, University of Alaska, Anchorage Virtuoso piece, the dramatic first movement opens with a Bold statement followed by the beautiful love theme. It reaches up to the Cry of the Heart, then everything ruptures and crashes. Now the trombonist must rebuild and gain strength through dramatic cadenzas until reaching the recapitulation where the opening Bold melody is transformed into a majestic march in 3/4 time. The love theme returns, and the movement ends in triumph. The second movement is a setting of the famous Japanese folksong, Red Dragonfly. The trombonist and pianist play the lovely song amidst the sound of fluttering wings that appear and disappear like memories of the heart. Thank you to the Nihon Gakugeki Kyoukai Foundation for permission to use the melody in this trombone sonata. A solo glissando opens the third movement in American folk dance style with tongue in cheek and twinkle in both eyes. The subsequent variations include a perfect triple canon, a taste of New Orleans jazz, and a dramatic augmentation which spills into a flashback of the first movement’s love theme. This melts away and we recapture a glimpse of the Red Dragonfly melody, this time growing to the Triumphant restatement of the first movement’s main theme. And finally, the exuberant coda drives to a spectacular ending. Difficulty Level: Trombone 6 (Professional) Piano 5 (Advanced) See also Red Dragonfly, Concerto for Trombone and Band for the version with band accompaniment. See composer website for audio sample.

SKU: FL.FX071964

Easy variations on a famous popular theme. For an auditon or exam on folk songs, and with a piano accompaniement adapted to the young musicians.