Page 23 - Muscatine Symphony Orchestra - MasterWorks II: The Grandest of Them All

Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo……………………..……………….....Aaron Copland
The story of Rodeo centers around a cowgirl who was raised at Burnt Ranch and who strives to
step out of her “just one of the guys” persona. She seeks the attention of the Head Wrangler,
who is, like the rest of the cowboys, infatuated with the Rancher’s Daughter. Eventually she
catches the eye of the Champion Roper who has just lost the Rancher’s Daughter to the Head
Wrangler. In a tale as old as time, the Cowgirl puts on a beautiful dress for the Hoe-Down and
finally attracts the attention of the Head Wrangler. The ballet culminates with the Cowgirl and
Head Wrangler locked in a Hollywood kiss in the middle of the dance.

Rodeo is filled with American folk tunes, remarkably often left completely intact. “Buckaroo
Holiday” opens with a rhythmic and spry fanfare filled with syncopation and accents. Copland
uses the brass and strings as opposing forces in this opening. This is
interrupted by the gentle and lyrical Cowgirl’s theme introduced by the woodwinds. The first
folk tune to make an appearance is the railroad tune “Sis Joe” to which the cowboys enter. It is
filled with evocations of galloping horses in the percussion and brass. “If He’d Be a Buckaroo”
is used as the Cowgirl tries to garner some attention from her male counterparts. The fanfare,
Cowgirl’s theme, “Sis Joe” and “If He’d Be a Buckaroo” all return in various forms clamoring
for attention through the boisterous end of the movement.

The “Corral Nocturne” is an ode to unrequited love and forlornness. The Cowgirl’s
sadness is conveyed through the use of melancholy solo winds to illustrate her plight. When
Agnes de Mille described this scene she stated, “She run[s] through the empty corrals
intoxicated with space, her feet thudding in the stillness.”

“Saturday Night Waltz” begins with the cowboys and town girls pairing off to dance. Sadly, the
Cowgirl is left standing alone until the Champion Roper approaches her. They dance to the
tune of “I Ride an old Paint.” The opening bars conjure the sounds of fiddlers tuning before the
main theme is introduced by the oboe. The movement presents the theme in a decidedly
innocent manner, depicting the genteelness of the budding courtships on the dance floor.

“Hoe-Down” is of course the most recognizable of the four movements. It contains large
sections of two folk songs, “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” which is heard from the outset, as well as
“McLeod’s Reel.” The traditional Irish tune, “Gilderoy” is also briefly quoted. The
Rodeo theme returns toward the end of the movement, slowing down dramatically and finally
ending with a major chord featuring a high ethereal string sound—signifying the much
anticipated first kiss between the Cowgirl and the Head Wrangler.
Rodeo, with its overtly American subject matter and masterful use of folk tunes, is a prime
example of Copland’s ability to develop his goal of an “American” school of classical music.
He was interested in the nationalist music movements of several of his