"Shenandoah" by Frank Ticheli

AMERICANA | The folk song "Shenandoah" is one of the best-known tunes in American culture. The origins of the haunting folk song named after the iconic Virginia valley are obscure, and its lyrics offer a variety of stories. This particular setting for concert band was commissioned by Hill Country (Texas) Middle School Symphonic Band, Cheryl Floyd, conductor, as a tribute to Jonathan Paul Cosentino, a horn player in the Hill Country band whose young life ended tragically in December of 1997. Composer Frank Ticheli remarks:

"In my setting of Shenandoah, I was inspired by the freedom and beauty of the folk melody and by the natural images evoked by the words, especially the image of a river. I was less concerned with the sound of a rolling river than with its life-affirming energy -- its timelessness. Sometimes the accompaniment flows quietly under the melody; other times it breathes alongside it. The work's mood ranges from quiet reflection, through growing optimism, to profound exaltation."