Music - Section 2 [Grand Canyon Suite] Flashcards
This is about the specifics of Ferde Grofé’s composition "Grand Canyon Suite"
Which American composer regarded himself
as a “composer of Americana,” an achievement
helped by his widespread exposure to the United
States?
Ferde Grofé
When was the Grand Canyon Suite composed?
Between 1929 and 1931
Where was Ferde Grofé born?
New York
When was Ferde Grofé born?
1892
How old was Ferde Grofé when he began performing professionally?
15
How old was Ferde Grofé when he joined the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra as a violinist?
17
How long did Ferde Grofé remain with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra?
ten years
What orchestra did Ferde Grofé join as an arranger
Paul Whiteman Orchestra
When did Ferde Grofé join the orchestra as an arranger?
1920
Who wrote Rhapsody in Blue?
George Gershwin
Who created the symphonic jazz arrangement of the two-piano version of Rhapsody in Blue?
in 1924
Ferde Grofé
Who adapted Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite score for a 1958 short film depicting numerous vistas of the canyon?
Walt Disney
What award did Walt Disney’s film depicting the Grand Canyon win?
The Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Live Action)
What would inspire Ferde Grofé to write the Grand Canyon Suite?
Joining a U.S. calvary band during World War 1 as a baritone
He joined in 1917
Who took Ferde Grofé camping at the Grand Canyon while he was in Arizona?
A sheriff friend
What was one of the earliest of North America’s natural wonders to be viewed by outsiders?
The Grand Canyon
When was part of the Grand Canyon designated as a forest reserve?
In 1893
When did the U.S. National Park Service take jurisdiction of the Grand Canyon as a national park?
In 1919
How many visitors came to the Grand Canyon in 2022?
Over 4.7 million
How large is the Grand Canyon national park?
Over 1.2 million acres
What was the working title of Ferde Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite?
Five Pictures of the Grand Canyon
Who does Ferde Grofé credit as the inspiration for the “On the Trail” movement?
Eddie King, a recording supervisor at Columbia Records
When did the Grand Canyon Suite debut?
1931
What are the five movements of the Grand Canyon Suite?
- Sunrise
- Painted Desert
- On the Trail
- Sunset
- Cloudburst
What is a character piece?
When the composer tries to capture the essence of something without depicting a programmatic storyline
What is an encore?
When the audience demands a repetition of a piece
Who conducted the debut of the Grand Canyon Suite?
Paul Whiteman
Which movement was played as an encore at the debut of the Grand Canyon Suite?
On the Trail
What is a program?
An explanation for each movement of a suite
What pioneer is believed to have initiated the practice of putting tourists on mules?
John Hance
How is the On the Trail movement of the Grand Canyon Suite concluded?
With the bray of a burro
What musical element did Grofé employ to create the sound of a braying burro?
The disjunct drop of a major seventh
What term describes musically challenging parts of a piece?
Virtuostic
From the term for musically gifted: Virtuoso
What is a cadenza?
A passage without a steady beat, typically played by a solo instrument in a cocerto or other major work, displaying virtuostic technique and occasional improvisation
Who helped Ferde Grofé create the cadenza in On the Trail
Violinist Kurt Dieterle
What is a drumroll?
When the drummer hammers rapidly on the drumhead with two mallets
On the Trail begins with what musical component?
a sustained fortissimo drum roll played by the timpani
What is an arpeggio?
When the notes of a chord ascend (or descend) in succession
What is a fermata?
A moment in a piece where the forward motion stops briefly (either via sustained pitches or via a rest)
What is a glissando
The technique of sliding down through adjacent pitches
What is a double-stop?
Technique where a violinist plays on two strings at once
What two important motifs does the violinist introduce in the cadenza of On the Trail?
“Cowboy Song” and “Burro” motifs
What were the two sources of inspiration for Grofé’s “Burro” motif
- Thumping pile-drivers at a construction site
- The song “Horses” by Byron Gay and Richard Whiting
How did Grofé’s son contribute to the “Cowboy Song” motif?
Tune was somethign Grofé hummed to put his infant son to sleep
In Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite…
What is the form of the main melodies after the violin cadenza
A-B-A-C-A rondo form
In Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite…
In the A section of the rondo, what does the orchestra use to simulate the clip-clop sound of hooves?
Coconut shells or, occassionally, temple blocks
In Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite…
What is the name of the small keyboard-operated percussion instrument that produces a bell-like sound, used during the waterfall and music box sections?
Celesta
Also used in “Hedwig’s Theme” in the Harry Potter films
In Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite…
What is the identifying characteristic of the Rondo C section?
The “music box” cadenza played by solo celesta
What radio show used Grofé’s “On the Trail” as its signature tune for twenty years?
The Phillip Morris Show
In Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite…
What part is an example in a long tradition of programmatic thunderstorms?
“Cloudburst” - the finale
