Chamber Music Trombone,
Piano
SKU:
PR.114414450
Man
vs. Machine. Composed
by Adolphus Hailstork.
Sws. Folk. Set of Score
and Parts. With Standard
notation. Composed 2009.
24+8 pages. Duration 12
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #114-41445.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(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-drivinââ‚
‰㢠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.
