II. Tabideh (The Hunt) - from "Four American Indian Preludes"

(“Tabideh” is 2:06-2:58)

Program Note: "The Four American Indian Preludes were composed during a unique time in Ballard’s career, when he was under the tutelage of Darius Milhaud at the Aspen Music Festival in 1963. When Darius first heard the preludes he allegedly remarked: 'Louis, now you are a real composer!' 

This was a pivotal moment for Ballard as he felt he had crossed an important personal and professional milestone. The piece was selected for a tribute concert to Ballard at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in November, 2007.

The Preludes marks Ballard’s chosen departure from his original training via Béla Rózsa at the University of Tulsa, who had studied from Schoenberg. His original techniques primarily involved twelve-tone music and atonal writing. The atonal writing persisted, however, the preludes represented his foray into intervals of a perfect fourth and diminished fifth. 

Each prelude depicts a scene relevant to historical Native American life, and each scene’s title is presented in the Quapaw language. The four scenes are: “Ombáska” (Daylight), “Tabideh” (The Hunt), “Nekátohe” (Lovesong), and “T’ohkáne” (Warrior Dance). According to Native pianist Tim Hays: 'In the Preludes he looked at the piano in two different ways. He looked at it as a percussion band and as a source for vocal lines at the same time. … The audience gets it; they understand it immediately.'" - Louis Ballard