Lukas Foss' 1944 oratorio The Prairie, based on a poem by Carl Sandburg, easily falls into the same category as extended American vernacular vocal works such as Kurt Weill's Down in the Valley (1948) and Aaron Copland's The Tender Land (1954). However, unlike these other pieces, The Prairie -- which went a large way toward making the reputation of its composer -- was forgotten. This was in spite of the fact that it was premiered under the baton of Robert Shaw and premiered with his Chorale, won a New York Critic's Circle ...
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Lukas Foss' 1944 oratorio The Prairie, based on a poem by Carl Sandburg, easily falls into the same category as extended American vernacular vocal works such as Kurt Weill's Down in the Valley (1948) and Aaron Copland's The Tender Land (1954). However, unlike these other pieces, The Prairie -- which went a large way toward making the reputation of its composer -- was forgotten. This was in spite of the fact that it was premiered under the baton of Robert Shaw and premiered with his Chorale, won a New York Critic's Circle Award, enthusiastic praise from Virgil Thomson, and even its poet, Sandburg. However, while praise from poets, critics, and exposure on mass mediums such as radio might help get a piece into the public consciousness for a time, it does not ensure its popularity in perpetuity, and for some reason Foss' The Prairie missed the wagon train to immortality. Richard Dyer, annotator of BMOP Sound's first ever recording of The Prairie, identifies Sandburg's poem as part of the trouble; written...
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