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Publisher Info:
Michael Daugherty Music
Cadillac Ranch
for orchestra (2024)
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
English Horn
Bb Clarinet
Bb Bass Clarinet
Eb Alto Saxophone Bassoon
Contrabassoon
4 F Horns
3 C Trumpets
2 Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani (five drums)
Percussion (3 players; instruments are not shared unless indicated otherwise):
Percussion 1: Chimes, Glockenspiel, Tambourine, Claves, Suspended Cymbal, Xylophone, 2 Woodblocks, (medium and large)
Percussion 2: Vibraphone (motor on and off), Concert Bass Drum (shared with Percussion 3), Suspended Cymbal, Piccolo Snare Drum, Vibraslap, Maracas (plastic), Agogo Bells, Tambourine
Percussion 3: Bongos, (on stand), Triangle, Metal Wind Chimes, Anvil (small), Castanets (on stand), Concert Bass Drum (shared with Percussion 2), Referee Whistle, Ride Cymbal, Cowbell (large), Splash Cymbal (small), Whip (large), Crash Cymbals (large and very large)
Piano
Strings
Publisher: Michael Daugherty Music
Duration: ca. 22 minutes
World Premiere: The world premiere was given by the Amarillo Symphony, conducted by George Jackson, at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts in Amarillo, Texas on October 11, 2024
Program Note:
Cadillac Ranch for orchestra was commissioned by the Amarillo Symphony in celebration of its 100th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of “Cadillac Ranch.” The world premiere was given by Amarillo Symphony, conducted by George Jackson, at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, Amarillo, Texas on October 11, 2024.
My composition is inspired by “Cadillac Ranch,” a public art installation created in 1974 by the modernist architects Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, then known as Ant Farm. Located near the old Route 66 on the desolate outskirts of Amarillo, Texas, “Cadillac Ranch” consists of 10 Cadillac cars, dating from 1949 to 1964. The Cadillacs are symmetrically buried in a straight line nose-first in the dirt with the classic tailfins of each car pointed toward the sky at the exact same angle. This monument to the American road trip has attained iconic status and is visited every year by millions of travelers from around the world.
Cadillac Ranch for orchestra (2024) is structured as a theme and variations divided into an introduction with 10 variations, one for each Cadillac, performed without pause. First heard in the introduction performed by the string section, the main musical motive consists of four notes upon which the entire work is based and rhythmically echoes the 4 syllables of the title “Ca-dil-lac Ranch.” Like the 10 Cadillacs, musical pitches are often presented in 10-tone rows or rhythmic pulses in groupings of 10. In each of the 10 variations, I paint a unique soundscape which alludes to popular and contemporary musical idioms associated with the era of each Cadillac.
–Michael Daugherty
