About Trains - Full Score [HL:259860]

These are three musical portraits of the sounds and images associated with trains. I. “On Track” is energetic, focusing on the forceful rhythms of a train speeding down the tracks with the reiterated rhythmic patterns (wheels-on-tracks) passed from one cello to another and the more sustained whistle sounds floating above. II. “Lonesome Whistle” is a blues-oriented movement in a ballad idiom, with a texture that is often solo versus accompaniment during the verse sections, punctuated by refrains in a homophonic, 'barbershop' style. The listener might hear refernce to Harold Arlen's “Blues in the Night”. III. “Coming 'Round” is a set of theme and variations on a well-known American train song. The six variations are entitled: “Ornamentation,” “Tango,” “Lament,” “Cowboy,” “Sounds,” and “Final Reprise.”