On American Ground

On American Ground are a set of four works for trumpet in C or flugelhorn and piano that explore and, in the case of the first three works, re-imagine unique, iconic American folk songs and hymns. Shenandoah is one of America’s most recognizable folk tunes. Written before the Civil War, it is often refered to as a sea-shanty, which was quite possibly composed by French-Canadian vogageurs. Some believe that the song refers to a river of the same name, while others suggest that it emerges from Native American origins, and speaks of Sally, daughter of an Indian Chief Shenandoah. Despite these various interpretations, “Shenandoah remains an American classic. Come, Ye Thankful People, Come is a harvest hymn that was written in 1844 by Henry Alford. Since survival in those days was so intertwined with living off the land and gathering the harvest before the winter storms came, such a hymn functions as a way of giving thanks to God. The second and third stanzas are a commentary on the Parable of the Wheat, which are recorded in the gospel of Matthew. The final stanza is a prayer for the Lord’s return. The Walls of Zion is a revivalist song attributed to the American composer John G. McCurry and used by the American composer, Aaron Copland in his 1954 opera, The Tender Land. It is also part of the second set of Copland’s Old American Songs, for Baritone and Orchestra. Crossings, an original work from 2016 attempts to bring together some of the American musical vernacular characteristics, rhythmic and harmonic variety, coupled with a warm, lyrical and pensive mood. It trys finding a place, a crossing point, where all these various musical attributes can come together and merge into a complete and unified whole. Laurie Altman, Spiez, Switzerland, March 2019