Description

Variations on a Call to the Post was written for the opening of the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky on April 28, 1985. The musical subject of this work is the “Call to the Post,” the bugle call signaling that all mounts be ready to exit the paddock and parade to the post for the start of a horse race. At Churchill Downs it has become a crowd-pleasing moment in pre-race ceremonies for the Kentucky Derby. In military circumstance the same melody, known as “First Call,” serves as a courtesy notification sounded approximately five minutes before reveille, morning colors, evening colors, or assembly. The piece is in a loose rondo form.

Duration: 4:45

Grade: V