Hoe Down

 In Rodeo, Copland was painting a musical picture of a Saturday afternoon in America’s Western frontiers where the ranch hands would get to “show off” their skills in a traditional rodeo.  This would always be followed by a Saturday night dance at the ranch house.  Hoe Down is a musical picture of this dance at the ranch house.  The piece has a very carnival, happy sound.  If you listen carefully you can hear motives in the music that even sound like horses galloping!  What other musical pictures can you find?

 

Listening Guide:

 

Basics

Tempo:  Allegro – fast and lively

Key:  D major

Metre:  Generally 2/4

Rhythm

This piece is very fast and uses mostly quavers and semi-quavers.

Dynamics

This is a very loud piece overall, although the ff sections (very loud) are interrupted a few times with a mf (medium loud) section.

Opening

The piece opens with the entire string section of the orchestra playing –which provides a full sound.

Ending

The piece ends with the entire orchestra playing loud accented quavers.

 

 

Listen to these two versions of Hoe Down from Rodeo.  In the first, you will hear the piece played by an orchestra.  In the second version you will be able to hear an excerpt of the piece again but this time performed as a ballet as it would have been played in Copland’s day.  

 Listening Questions:

 

As you listen to Hoe Down, think about the following questions:

 

  1. Can you hear the horses galloping?

Imagine that you are at the traditional Saturday night dance on a ranch in America’s wild west: 

  1. What things do you see? 
  2. What do you hear? 
  3. What do you smell? 
  4. What does it feel like to be there?

You may choose to either write a short story or poem about what you saw/heard/smelt/felt at the Saturday night dance OR you may draw a picture of how you imagine it to be, but still incorporating what you saw/heard/smelt/felt.

 

Note:  You may listen to this piece as many times as you like as you try to imagine what would be like.

 CONGRATULATIONS!

By answering the first question, you have just collected:

1 Tuba

for your orchestra!

 

By answering the next 4 questions, you have just collected:

2 Bassoons

The Violins

The Violas

The Cellos & Double Basses

for your orchestra!

 

And for doing the project (the writing or art work), you have just collected:

The Timpani

The Piano

 

YOUR ORCHESTRA IS NOW COMPLETE!

 You’re nearly there!  Press Next find out about your last exciting project!