The Henry Ford Old Time Orchestra Plays Real American Tunes

Duration: 5:00
Completed: 2009
Instrumentation: 2222/2221/2 percussion, harp, honky-tonk piano/minimum 22222 strings

When Henry Ford approached me and said “young man, I need some music written on paper for my Old Time Orchestra, my Old Time Orchestra, which plays only American music,” I said that I was not sure I wanted to take the job and Ford named his fee and so I said “well, I suppose I could work with something in the vein of Aaron Copland, that most American of composers,” and he said “boy, you’re not from around here, are you? My Old Time Orchestra plays only American music.” Ford said “composers these days, with their shrill jazz notes, their squeaks, and their saxophones cannot write music to equal the great masters of the 19th century, nor can they write music that has the wisdom of folk dance. No, you will merely arrange the music that I name for you for my Old Time Orchestra…” When the arrangements were delivered to the orchestra, the players contacted me and said “we have questions about some of what you have written”, and asked if they should change this note or that note. Henry Ford had already paid me upon delivery of the sheet music. I said “please, do with it what you would like…”