The White Horse

Year Composed:	2009
Instrumentation:	2 violins, viola, cello, bass, bass drum	Alternate: clarinet, violin, cello, deep frame drum
Duration	4 minutes

Program Notes

"A Sioux Indian chief wished to marry the beautiful daughter of an Assiniboine chief. The Assiniboine, however, gave his daughter's hand to a Cree chief with whom she was in love because the Cree offered a rare snow-white horse as a gift. The angry Sioux pursued the Cree and his bride whose father had returned the horse to help them escape. The Sioux killed them both but the horse escaped. For years it was seen roaming the surrounding plain and in memory of the young lovers this part of Manitoba became known as White Horse Plain." (Taken from http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/plaques/plaq1298.html)

The spirit of the music was inspired partly by this legend, though it does not follow the story in any real programmatic way. The main theme at the beginning can be said to represent the Assiniboine bride, which at the end becomes the spirit of the White Horse. The second theme is a little more ominous and war-like, signifying the conflict between the Sioux and the Cree and the pursuit of the lovers across the plains.

Performances

• February 15, 2009 - Owen Sound, ??