Flute Sonata No. 11 – (The Western Sonata)

Program Notes

Movement 1 Stagecoach – 7:00
Movement 2 Prairie 4:50
Movement 3 Hoedown No. 2 3:30

Total Duration – 15:15

Movement I Stagecoach

Covered wagons were drawn by four horses and were widely used before the introduction of railway transport. They made regular trips between stages or stations, providing rest for stagecoach travelers. The act of journeying in stagecoaches was known as staging. The structure of this opening movement is divided into five sections. There are (3) staging sections – A A2 A3 (recap) and (2) stage or resting sections identified by slower tempos and 2 short flute cadenzas.

The music aims to capture the energy, drama, and physicality of a stagecoach ride through open stretches of paved roads.

Movement II Prairie

This tranquil, peaceful, contemplative music captures the open leveled grassland, the interior lowlands of North America known as the Great Plains.

Movement III Hoe-Down No. 2

Americans in rural or southeastern parts of the country love this quick dance form which displays virtuosic footwork.  It is common to witness a succession of dancers each trying to outdo previous dancers. The music of this hoe-down supports a cowboy riding a bronco. Musical effects help to interpret a snorting bronco, the colloquial expression “giddy on up” and the asymmetrical rhythms of a wild bronco ride.