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This Grade 1.5 piece for your developing band tells the story of an exciting quest along the backcountry Beckton Road at the foot of the mighty Bighorn Mountains in Northern Wyoming.

Explore Eb Major and C Minor with all parts doubled in multiple sections and no rhythmic values smaller than eighth notes. As we near the finale of the piece, adventure still awaits as the tempo gradually increases every 8 bars, making for an exciting end that your students and audiences will love.

Beckton Road Episode

Concert Band Score & Parts

A setting of three classic American folk songs for Wind Band. Transport your audience back to the "Old West" as you journey by covered wagon to join the California Gold Rush, move a herd of cattle over the treacherous plains to new grazing lands, and experience the adventure of early rail commerce.

'Sweet Betsy from Pike' is a comic folk ballad chronicling the trials and triumphs of Betsy, a mid-19th century pioneer woman, as she migrates by covered wagon to the California Gold Rush town of Placerville. The journey across America was full of hardship, peril, and loss. This song addresses the very real struggles of the pioneers with levity and humor.

'Git Along, Little Dogies' is a cowboy ballad, also known as "Whoopie Ti Yi Yo". The term "Dogies" refers to small or orphaned calves. The narrative of the song quotes a cowboy singing to the slow or stray Dogies on a cattle drive as they traverse the open plains to their new Wyoming home.

'Rock Island Line' refers the Rock Island and La Salle Railroad company which pioneered rail travel, connecting Chicago with the Mississippi River. This folk song tells the story of a comical encounter between an operator of a toll gate and a train engineer who cleverly avoids payment by misrepresenting his cargo. Once safely passed the toll booth, he yells back his confession as the train speeds onward.

American West Folk Suite

Fantasy | Daydream | Nightmare | Vision | Imagination | Muse || Reverie

It's all about daydreams: long stares out the frosted window as our thoughts
take us away from place to place and memory to fanciful imaginance.

Reverie

"God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" is a traditional English Christmas carol dating to the mid 17th Century. It was referenced by Charles Dickens in his 1843 novella "A Christmas Carol" but with the lyric:

"God bless you, Merry Gentleman!
May nothing you dismay!"

The phrase "God rest you merry" historically meant "may God grant you peace and happiness". "Rest you merry" was used both in Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and "Romeo and Juliet". Over time, there has been confusion over this title due to changes in common language usage. The word merry' is an adverb of rest and not an adjective of Gentlemen.

"Pat-A-Pan" is a traditional Burgundian French Christmas carol written by Bernard de La Monnoye and published in 1720. The text calls for the bringing of a drum and flute to play for newborn Jesus Christ in worship. The title is onomatopoeic for the sound of a drum, as is the additional lyric "tu-re-lu-re-lu" for the sound of a flute.

"Yigdal" is a Jewish hymn and prayer that is a poetic adaptation of Maimonides' 13 principles of faith. The text is attributed to 14th century poet Daniel ben Judah. The melody dates to the 17th century or earlier. It is traditionally sung for morning prayer and as the conclusion of Shabbat evening services. Upon hearing Yigdal, English Methodist Thomas Olivers adapted this melody for use in his Christian hymn "The God of Abraham Praise", which is a paraphrase of the ben Judah doxology, and was first published in 1772.

"Merry! Don't You Know?" is a playful melding of these sacred songs, acting as a reminder that Christmas is a time to be merry and joyful as we celebrate the nature, power, and love of God.

Merry! Don't You Know?

The Crossing is inspired by the grandeur of the Bighorn Mountains of Northern Wyoming and Southern Montana. It speaks of adventure, discovery, and transcendent awe. But also of the exuberance that comes with the successful completion of a significant challenge.

The Crossing

This energizing piece, "Reconfigure Eights", is made up almost entirely of asymmetric time signatures in a way that gives it momentum, levity, and makes it pretty much impossible to dance to. As the piece travels through these varied asymmetric meters, the eighth note pulse is reconfigured over and over!

Reconfigure Eights

All the Pretty Little Horses is a poignant American lullaby. Its melody, though musically simple, is emotionally complex—melancholy, yet peaceful and soothing.This arrangement, set in B♭ minor and flowing gently in 6/4 time, features the hammered dulcimer (with vibraphone as an optional substitute) alongside other percussive keyboard instruments. Individual parts remain accessible, none exceeding grade 3 complexity, while providing valuable opportunities for performers to develop rhythmic independence. This arrangement seeks to honor the lullaby’s lyrical beauty while embracing its emotional complexity, offering performers and audiences a moment of reflection through its rich harmonies and expressive textures.

4:05 performance time

All the Pretty Little Horses

An ever-changing canvas of dazzling beauty, power, and wonder - the sky tells a story that connects us to every other person on earth and to every generation of mankind.  

I. "Daybreak" is the opening scene, the lifting of the curtain on what will be: The sunrise.  

II. "Battle Cry" presents the power, excitement, and - at times - chaos of a mighty thunderstorm.  

III. "Glory" is the culmination of the day and the closing of the sunlight's interaction with our view of the sky. It's often the most beautiful time of the day and - at least in Wyoming - is different and humbling with each iteration. 

I debated with myself whether or not I would add this optional description, but decided it may help give additional depth and meaning for some.

The more that I have studied this piece, I've informally assigned an additional set of movement titles that are personal for me. In this other sense, the piece is about one's life journey and the sky is merely a metaphor. The movements in this parallel narrative would be: 

I. Innocence		II. Struggle		III. Redemption


David Ahrens

Empyrean Manifest

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