River Scenes: The Colorado

River Scenes is a delightful collection of three short programmatic pieces for recorder. The recorder part for each movement uses only the notes GAB.

1. NIAGARA FALLS - Our first river scene is one of the most iconic waterfalls in the world: Niagara Falls. This movement is majestic and powerful. A continuous bass drum roll underneath the orchestration mimics the perpetual rumble of the millions of gallons of falling water. Robust piano chords, combined with a commanding brass section, produce a fitting atmosphere – grand and stately. Be ready! Recorders enter on beat 1 of measure 2. The piano clearly establishes the 4/4 meter and slow tempo in measure 1. With careful listening, recorder players will be able to understand when to begin playing.

2. THE MISSISSIPPI - After Niagara Falls, we travel west to our second river scene: The Mississippi. This movement is calm and pretty. One can imagine a lazy river boat gently meandering downstream with no real purpose other than relaxation and enjoyment. The piece is in 3/4. It has a thinner, more chamberlike orchestration, with flugelhorn supporting the recorder melody throughout.

3. THE COLORADO - For our third and final river scene, we travel even farther west to: The Colorado River. This movement is all about excitement and adventure! The clarinet and piano start things off and the music builds from there. Ascending scales in strings and brass over the driving percussion create an exciting sense of anticipation. An image of full sun, white water rapids, and a wild ride down the river easily comes to mind!

Recorders have staccato marks on most of the quarter notes. Considering the style, your players might naturally do this anyway, but take the opportunity to teach (or remind) them what staccato articulations are and how to play them. Recorders also have a divisi (G and B) in the last two measures. Be sure to discuss these things with your players ahead of time so they're appropriately prepared.

If you choose to perform River Scenes in a concert setting, consider explaining to your audience (and your recorder players) that the entire work consists of three movements, and that it is customary to withhold applause until after the final movement. Silence between movements helps retain everyone's focus, creates a sense of anticipation, and also heightens the overall formality and import of the work. While individual movements could function as stand-alone pieces, performing all three in sequence will really create a sense of pride and accomplishment for your recorder players.

PDFs of the piano/recorder scores and recorder parts are available on our web site, free to subscribers.