Sunday at Bean Blossom
for violin, mandolin, guitar, harpsichord, cello, percussion
I. Prelude - Morning
II. The Festival
III. Postlude - Night
Duration: 11'
1978
Instrumentation: violin, guitar, violin/mandolin, cello, harpsichord, percussion
"Sunday at Bean Blossom" is based on experiences playing at Bluegrass music festivals throughout the Southern U.S. The piece has three movements. The first, "Prelude—Morning" depicts a misty Sunday morning "gospel hour", where the bands, still recovering from their Saturday night drunk, stumble out and try to have religion. The second, "The Festival" suggests something of the excitement of Bluegrass music, but abstracted and fractured in an Ivesian fashion. The final movement, "Postlude—Night" evokes a late evening in the campground. Distant strains of folk music blend into one another as we lay in our tent trying to sleep. Just when we've almost dozed off, a drunk fiddle player wanders by and plays an out of tune version of Red River Valley.
To order a score and parts contact Terra Non Firma Press
Audio
This KPFA radio broadcast includes "Sunday at Bean Blossom" as the second work: press play, then scroll to 7:14.