Ferdi Grofe (FARE-dee    gro-FAY)

Born on March 27, 1892 in New York City

Died on April 3, 1972

Nationality: American

Period/Style: Modern

About the composer:

Grofe was born in New York City but when he was very young his family moved to Los Angeles.  He had a rather adventuresome life.  He left home at the age of 14 and found all kinds of odd jobs, including bookbinder, truck driver, usher, newsboy, and elevator operator.  He also played tuba in brass bands, and viola in the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Grofe also became very good at arranging music by other composers, especially ‘jazzy-sounding’ pieces.  Later on, he also wrote original music of his own.  The composition he is best known for today is the Grand Canyon Suite.

About the music:

“On the Trail” from the Grand Canyon Suite (approx. 8 min)

Grofe wrote this music one summer in 1916 when he and some friends drove to Arizona to watch the sun rise over the Grand Canyon.  He described the awesome beauty of that scene, and wrote a piece called ‘Sunrise’ which would later become the first movement of the suite.  He added the other movements: “Painted Desert”, “Cloudburst”,  “Sunset”, and the one we’re going to hear now, “On the Trail.”  In this movement Grofe tries to paint a musical picture of the donkeys that people ride down to the bottom of the canyon.  You will hear the braying of the donkey and the clip-clop of his hooves. Then, just before the end you’ll hear the music pick up speed as the donkey catches sight of the end of the trail and makes a mad dash for the bottom!

Suggested activities:

Explore the Grand Canyon: find out some facts about this beautiful natural wonder. How large is it?  How deep?  How long does it take for you to ride a donkey all the way to the bottom?