Horseshoe Curve was composed for the Altoona Area High School
Orchestra, Kelly Detwiller, director. This composition is in three
movements.
The first movement, "Man Versus Nature", is moderate and intense,
paying tribute to the designers and laborers for the Horseshoe Curve
project. It uses parts of three railroad songs, "Drill, Ye Tarriers" by
Thomas Casey, "Ive Been Working on the Railroad", and "Dinah". The
introduction uses phrases from "Ive Been Working on the Railroad" that
are disguised by ending on a different note than the traditional song.
The main body of the movement uses phrases of "Drill, Ye Tarriers" that
are interrupted by phrases of the other two songs as well as original
material by the composer. It developes in intensity as the movement
progresses, but ends softly, suggesting the ongoing labor of the
project.
The second movement, "Doorway to the West" is a celebration of the
completion of the project. It uses "Shell Be Coming Round the
Mountain" in fragments, in canon, and as a basis for a "hoe down" and a
"waltz" variation. The celebration becomes wild at the end as all ideas
come together at once.
The third movement, "Growth and Opportunity" is slow and expansive in
the beginning with a quicker section at the end. It depicts the growth
of Altoona as a result of Horseshoe Curve. The initial idea that appears
in the celli is expanded and developed, therefore evolving into a
constant stream of new, but related, ideas.The score prints on legal size paper and the parts on letter.