20th century classical music and Rodeo
Many different styles of classical music emerged in the 20th century 1901-2000. . Composers such as Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst and B茅la Bart贸k were influenced by folk musicTraditional music from a particular country.聽 from their own countries, despite differing in compositional style. Some composers took music back to the basic elements of pitchThe frequency of a sound. Sounds with a high pitch have a high frequency. and rhythmPatterns created by notes of various lengths., writing music based on ostinatoA musical phrase which repeats., repeated patterns and phrase shiftWhere two or more versions of a sound or musical motif are played simultaneously but slightly out of sync. . Composer has pushed musical boundaries in the classical field by writing electronic music and even adding body percussion and a beat boxer.
The orchestra
Despite the Rodeo suite being written for a large orchestraA large ensemble made up of different instrument families. , Copland does not require the full orchestra in all of the movements. It sounds as though most of the third movement - Saturday Night Waltz - is played by a chamber orchestra rather than a large symphony orchestra. The overall dynamicsRefers to the softness or loudness of a piece of music. is slightly softer than that of the other movements and the bass trombone and percussion do not feature at all.
The plot of Rodeo
The orchestral suite Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo is made up of four contrasting movements, similar to a symphonyAn orchestral work in four movements. . The movements tell the story of a cowgirl who arrives at Burnt Ranch looking for love. She tries to woo the head rancher, but he fails to notice her on account of her attire of chaps and spurs.
- Buckaroo Holiday - the cowgirl tries to impress the rancher by riding a bucking bronco. Unfortunately, she is thrown off and mocked by the other more popular girls.
- Corral Nocturne - the cowgirl runs through the empty space feeling lonely and despondent.
- Saturday Night Waltz - she dances with the champion roper and at last, catches the jealous rancher鈥檚 attention.
- Hoedown - the cowgirl and rancher fall in love with each other.