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Michael Daugherty Music
Cadillac Ranch
for symphonic winds (2025)
Commissioned by the Texas Tech University Bands, in celebration of its 100th anniversary
Introduction
- 1949
- 1952
- 1954
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1962
- 1964
Instrumentation:
Number of players doubling each part at the discretion of the conductor but in keeping with a balanced sound
Piccolo/Flute 3
2 Flutes (minimum 4 players preferred)
2 Oboes
English Horn
4 Bb Clarinets (minimum 8 players preferred)
Bb Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
Contralto Clarinet in Eb or Contrabass Clarinet in Bb
Contrabassoon
Bb Soprano Saxophone
Eb Alto Saxophone
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
3 C or Bb Trumpets
4 F Horns
2 Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
2 Euphoniums
Tuba (minimum 2 players preferred)
Timpani (five drums)
Percussion (4 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:
Marimba (five octave preferred), Large Gong
Percussion 4:
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
Contrabass (2 players preferred)
Publisher: Michael Daugherty Music
Duration: 22 minutes
Score in C
World Premiere: Texas Tech Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by Sarah McKoin, at Texas Tech University School of Music in Lubbock, Texas, on October 12, 2025
Program Note:
Cadillac Ranch for Symphonic Winds was commissioned by Texas Tech University in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The world premiere was given by the Texas Tech Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by Sarah McKoin, at Texas Tech University School of Music, in Lubbock, Texas, on October 12, 2025.
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 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 Symphonic Winds (2025) 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 saxophone section, the main musical motive consists of four notes upon which the entire work is based. It rhythmically echoes the four 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 that alludes to popular and contemporary musical idioms associated with the era of each Cadillac.
–Michael Daugherty
