- Throughout his career, Ballard wrote six orchestral works titled “Fantasy Aborigine.” In discussing the series, Ballard noted: “I am attempting to capture the raw power encompassing the mythological universe of autochthonous America in new sound, rhythmic and architectural dimensions.”
- No. 3, written in 1976 and premiered in 1977, utilizes a Yaqui water-gourd drum, Tewa seashell rattles, Hopi gourd rattles and rasp, and a cricket clicker as part of it’s percussion section.
- Kokopelli is a flute-playing fertility deity in Native Southwestern cultures, including the Hopi.
- The work is dedicated to Thomas Kirschbaum, then conductor of the Flagstaff Symphony.1
Sources
- Karl Erik Ettinger, “Louis W. Ballard: Composer and Music Educator,” (PhD Diss., University of Florida, 2014), 87-186.
Cut IDs
25748