# Cowboy Classics



## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

The popular perception of *the Western* is a story that centers on the life of a semi-nomadic wanderer, usually a cowboy or a gunfighter. The Western depicts a society organized around codes of honor and personal, direct or private justice (such as the feud), rather than one organized around rationalistic, abstract law, in which social order is maintained predominately through relatively impersonal institutions.

The cowboy genre is well-engrained in North American cinema and television, and it's pretty easy to find fine musical examples of this by the likes of *John Williams*, *Elmer Bernstein *and other well-travelled film and TV score composers. I also sprinkled in some *Ennio Morricone*, who scored most (if not all) of Sergio Leone's string of made-in-Italy "Spaghetti" westerns.

*Aaron Copland*, who is as well-known for his film work as he is for his concert and stage work, wrote many pieces that fall within this genre. His music for _The Red Pony_ (1949) and _The Tender Land_ (1954) come to mind, but most notably two ballets: _Billy the Kid_ (1938) for Eugene Loring and for Agnes De Mille, the one I chose - _Rodeo_ (1942).

*Calixa Lavallée*, composer of the music for_ O Canada_, provides a cute "indian march", set for wind band by *John Beckwith*.

A love triangle between the Sheriff, the outlaw and the lovely saloon keeper - that seems to be the common plot of every B-western coming out of Hollywood. But it's also the plot of a play written in 1905 by David Belasco, who also penned _Madame Butterfly_ in 1900. Same as for _Butterly_, the play, _The Girl of the Golden West_, was also adapted into an opera by *Giacomo Puccini* and was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1910 under its Italian name _La fanciulla del West_. One might call this one the first ever Spaghetti Western…

The work is a very strong example of the verissimo style of the late 19[SUP]th[/SUP]-early 20[SUP]th[/SUP]century Italian opera, though it doesn't have a lot of stand-out "hit arias" like other Puccini operas. The one exception is a two-minute aria mid-way into the third act. The entire final act from a 1958 recording featuring Mario del Monaco and Renata Tebaldi is featured in the podcast. The synopsis of the third act (from the Metropolitan Opera website) is as follows:

_Again on the run from [Sheriff] Rance and his men, [Dick Johnson] is eventually captured in the forest. As the miners prepare to hang him, Johnson asks for one last mercy-that Minnie believe him free and far away ("Ch'ella mì creda [libero e lontano]" [Let her believe I'm far away and free]). Rance is enraged, but the men hesitate. At that moment, Minnie rides in, wielding a pistol. When her pleas to spare Johnson prove fruitless, she reminds the men how much they owe her. The miners finally give in and release Johnson. He and Minnie ride away to start a new life together.
_

If you want to follow along, the libretto in Italian is available at this location (Act III starts at page 42):
http://www.dicoseunpo.it/dicoseunpo/P_files/Fanciulla_West.pdf

The last selection on our podcast is taken from the _Blues Brothers_ soundtrack, the unforgettable rendition of the theme from _Rawhide _at Bob's Country Bunker, the inside joke that the composer is a Ukrainian-born Jew being lost on the crowd at the cowboy bar. The scene is "classic"






*ITYWLTMT Podcast Montage # 13 - Cowboy Classics
(Originally issued on Friday, July 8, 2011)​*
*John WILLIAMS (*1932) *
Theme from _The Cowboys_ (1972)
Orlando Pops Orchestra
Andrew Lane, conducting

*Elmer BERNSTEIN (1922-2004) *
Theme from _The Magnificent Seven_ (1960)
Cincinnati Pops
Erich Kunzel, conducting

*Ennio MORRICONE (*1928) *
Man With a Harmonica from _C'era una volta il West _ (Once Upon a Time in the West) (1968)
(Uncredited soloist and orchestra)
Ennio Morricone, conducting

*Aaron COPLAND (1900-1990) *
_Rodeo_ (1942) [Complete ballet]
Saint-Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, conducting

*David ROSE (1910-1990) *
Theme from _Bonanza_ (1959)
(Uncredited performers)

*Calixa LAVALLÉE (1842 -1891) *
_Marche indienne_ ('Military March,' no. 6 from _The Indian Question Settled at Last_). (1891)
(Orch: John Beckwith, ca. 1991):
The Hannaford Street Silver Band
Stephen Chenette, conducting

*Ferde GROFÉ (1892-1972) *
"On the Trail" from _Grand Canyon Suite_ (1931)
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Antal Dorati, conducting

*Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924) *
Act III from _La Fanciulla del West_ (The Girl from the Golden West) (1910)
Renata Tebaldi, soprano 
Mario Del Monaco, tenor
Cornell MacNeil, bass
Rome Santa Cecilia Academy Chorus, and Orchestra
Franco Capuana, conducting

*Dimitri TIOMKIN (1894-1979) *
Theme from _Rawhide _ (1959)
The Blues Brothers Band 
Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, vocalists


Original Commentary: http://itywltmt.blogspot.com/2011/07/montage-13-cowboy-clasics.html

Detailed Playlist: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/83451584/pcast013-Playlist

Podcat Link (Internet Archive): https://archive.org/details/CowboyClassics

Poscast Link (Pod-O-Matic): http://itywltmt.podomatic.com/entry/2014-10-07T00_00_00-07_00 (Link valid until 31 October 2014)


*October 10, 2014, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "Viva Verdi!" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more on our blogs in English  and in French.*


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