Old American Songs

Old American Songs is a suite in three movements, in which the composer chose to rearrange three famous American popular songs by inserting rhythmic and harmonic elements to render them more modern and interesting. The tonal choices, the instrumentation, and in general the parameters of difficulty employed have been carefully evaluated to adapt the work to a limited degree of complexity appropriate for performance by most wind bands or music schools' youth ensembles. The composition is based on the following popular songs: An Old Virginia Cake Walk (1899) composed by Louisa 'Louise' V. Moore Gustin Taylor, Tenting on the Old Camp Ground (1863) by Walter Kittredge and Old Folks at Home (1851), also known as Swanee River or Way Down Upon the Swanee River, written by Stephen Foster. This last song became the official anthem of Florida and has been interpreted by many important musicians.