Instrumentation

• Flute

• Oboe

• Bassoon

• Clarinet

• Bass Clarinet

• Alto Saxophone

• Tenor Saxophone

• Baritone Saxophone

• Trumpet

• F Horn

• Trombone

• Euphonium (BC and TC)

• Tuba

• Timpani (optional)

• Xylophone (optional)

• Marimba (optional)

• Snare Drum

• Advanced Snare Drum (optional)

• Bass Drum

• Crash Cymbals

• Suspended Cymbal

• Triangle

• Tambourine

Rehearsal Notes

• The entire song uses only the first six notes of the Concert B-flat scale, making it a perfect song for beginning bands looking to branch out from method books and into more serious band literature

• All wind players have the opportunity to play the melody at some point throughout the song, the melody is included in the Rhythm and Melody guide

• The song uses an ostinato throughout most of the main melodic sections, this ostinato is included in the Rhythm and Melody Guide

• The song uses 10 unique percussion parts, but is playable with only 5 of these parts, as many are optional or are doubled elsewhere.

• The Cymbals part can be played by a single percussionist however, it is fine to split it if desired

• The conductor can use either or both the Snare Drum and Advanced Snare Drum parts

• Pay close attention to the dynamics, certain parts (such as Measure 23) are meant to swell and have a sudden dynamic shift back to the softer dynamics

Program Notes

In 1874 the Dakota Territory was the site of a massive Gold Rush. The Gold Rush got its start with the Custer Expedition and continued through the next few years. This Gold Rush happened despite the area being recognized as a Native American Territory (the Sioux) and was technically illegal to prospect for gold. This didn’t deter fortune seekers, who still flocked to the area in an attempt to locate their share of the precious metal. The whole Gold Rush was started by a small gold discovery near Custer, South Dakota and later larger deposits were found in the town of Deadwood. The history of this area has been immortalized by the HBO series Deadwood.