Trombone choir, tubas and
drum set
SKU:
P2.80051
Composed by
Jonathan Hansen. Chamber
music, 20th century.
Published by Potenza
Music (P2.80051).
I wrote this
piece for Sergio
Carolino's group Mr. SC
and the Wildbones Gang as
one of the many new
pieces being written for
the group about myths and
legends, and decided to
base it upon the legend
of John Henry, the
American folk-hero.
Having been moved by this
story at multiple stages
in life, I have
understood it variously
as an ode to the power of
human determination, a
cautionary tale about
clinging too desperately
to a particular practice
in a constantly evolving
world, and an allegorical
demonstration of the
prices and benefits of
ambition. It was by this
last reading that I was
particularly inspired in
the composition of the
piece. The program of the
piece abstractly follows
John Henry's portent
birth, the state of his
occupation, the machine's
challenge against his
livelihood, his race
against said machine, and
his victory, which
ultimately leads to his
death. I feel that
trombones, bass
trombones, tubas, and
drums, are uniquely
suited for playing a
piece based on this
material, given both the
kinetic power and mental
imagery of the legend,
and so I tried to bring
out these qualities
throughout the piece. I
drew idiomatically upon
African American musical
traditions (since the
story itself has African
American origins), and
melodically upon a
traditional John Henry
folk song.