Reflections on the Plains
Cathy Mokelbust
AG35158J
As I contemplated writing this work, I tried to visualize the landscape of central Oklahoma. I thought about the endless, golden wheat fields and how beautiful a bright morning sunrise must be over them. In the first movement, I have used suspended, malleted bells combined with wind chimes to create a musical atmosphere characteristic of the early dawn – a snake even rustles in the grass. The main theme appears in measure 7; it grows and develops until we “hear” the sunrise in measures 24 and 25. The music continues to swell and move in waves until measure 56, when the movement concludes softly with material from the introduction.
I do know that rodeos are of particular significance in Oklahoma (as they are in my home state of South Dakota), and I just couldn’t resist doing something on that theme. This movement is reminiscent of Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown” from his own Rodeo. It is challenging, with its syncopated rhythms and various handbell techniques, but I think you’ll find it to be worth the work. A woodblock and whip crack add color to the music’s characteristic humor of rodeo clowns and the excitement of competition.
But unexpectedly, amid the beauty, fun and excitement of life in Oklahoma, came an incredibly devastating tragedy that defied all sense of humanity. I do not presume to know the shock and terror that the people of Oklahoma experienced on April 19, 1995, nonetheless, the third movement is my own tribute to those whose lives were lost, and to those whose lives have been forever changed by the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It begins with frantic shock and panic, incorporating intervals of minor thirds beginning in measure 2 and continuing through measure 10. The interval of a minor third is associated with the calling out of children’s names when we want them to come home. In measures 11-17, the music moves into a sorrowful, somber mood, then turns to anger and frustration in measures 18-25. Mourning eventually does, in time, lead to healing, and the music grows out of the sad sounds of minor tonalities into the more reassuring and uplifting sounds of major chords beginning in measure 34, and continuing to measure 41. Here, a strong, comforting restatement of the main theme of the first movement is presented, describing the outpouring of community, state and national support, combined with the love of family, friends and neighbors which undoubtedly aids the healing process. Measure 56 to the end reflects a kind of quiet resolve, with the far-off sounds of a solo trumpet paying a final tribute to those loved ones who live on in the memories of their families and friends.
Cathy A. Moklebust, August 1998