Instrumentation: Bb Trumpet, F Horn, Euphonium (or Trombone), Tuba
Duration: ~10'00"
Difficulty: Intermediate to Challenging
 
Program Notes
Gold Rush Suite is a piece about the fortunes and misfortunes of the folks who went westward to seek the gold "in them there hills". It was an important and exciting time in California's history, and a time of exploration and adventure. This suite is a lighthearted set of vignettes depicting different moments in time from the Gold Rush era.
 
I. The Mountains Are Calling
John Muir once famously said, "The mountains are calling, and I must go." He was speaking of the natural beauty of Yosemite in the Sierra Nevadas, but different mountains were issuing a different call that began the Gold Rush of 1849. This movement opens with a solemn "call" delivered by the tuba, followed by a heroic and adventurous theme that echoes and resounds from the valleys and mountains of California.
 
II. A Miner's Farewell
For every story of riches in the Gold Rush, there are many tales of tragedy. Miners made peace with the fact that their fates were uncertain and dangerous, but nonetheless, many met their end on the frontier. This movement is a somber, bittersweet farewell to one such soul, who sought a better life that would never come to be.
 
III. Glint in the Goldpan
As the dirt and silt gets washed away, a lucky miner sees something glimmer in the bottom of his pan. Could this be the nugget that sets him up for life? Maybe not, but perhaps the flecks will be enough to buy him a few drinks at the saloon. Or, worst of all, it could be worthless pyrite: "fool's gold". The suite's final movement depicts the joy and thrill of seeing the sparkle of potential by an intrepid gold panner. In the midst of his excitement, the opening theme of the first movement returns, transformed into something more optimistic. The mountains of California are now a place to call home.
 
Composer's Note:
While this is piece is meant to be fun, lighthearted and fanciful, it is essential I also mention the atrocities perpetrated during the Gold Rush against Native Americans. The tribal lands and populations of the Wiyot, Pomo, Nisenan Maidu, and many other tribes were ravaged, often purposefully, in pursuit of the riches of California. This piece in no way intends to make light of or erase those events, and I acknowledge the sovreignty of Native peoples over their ancestral homes.