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Form and structure

• The overall structure is ternary form A-B-A.
• Within this structure there are different sections and musical ideas - an extended opening movement, a slow movement, a third movement in triple time and a lively final movement.

Harmony and tonality

• The overall key of Hoedown is D major
• The introduction is in the tonic minor - D minor - before moving to D major in section A.
• McLeod’s Reel in section B is in G major.
• The music then modulates to A minor for Gilderoy before returning to McLeod’s Reel in G major.
• When section A returns, the key returns to the tonic.

Rhythm, metre and tempo

• The music begins with the orchestra playing an accented and syncopated rhythm. This is layered with a semiquaver triplet idea played on the offbeat - quavers 2 and 4.
• The triplet figure heard in the opening is played again in the repeat of section A.
• The movement begins in 2/4. After the accelerando effect is there is a single 3/4 bar before returning to duple time.
• The tempo is allegro throughout.

Dynamics

• The introduction is marked fortissimo which contrasts with the previous movement.
• The first woodblock passage in section A is quieter and marked mezzo forte (mf). When it later returns for the second time, it is followed by a bridge section, which slows down and diminuendos to piano (p).
• Section A - Bonaparte’s Retreat - is marked fortissimo (ff) in the woodwind, brass and percussion and fortississimo - fff - in the strings.
• At the end of section A the dynamic is reduced from fff down to p.
• Section B begins forte (f).
• The climax at the end of the piece is extremely loud and accented. The final three notes are marked sforzando with accents.

Texture and melody

• The introduction opens with whole orchestra playing a syncopated rhythm.
• The rhythmic and melodic triplet idea is taken from the 1^st bar of Bonaparte’s Retreat heard later in section A.
• An inverted version of the triplet theme is played the cor anglais, bass clarinet, trumpet 3, violas and cellos.
• A new two-bar rhythmic idea is passed between the trumpets, 1^st violins, oboes and clarinets and accompanied by the 2^nd violins, violas and cellos playing double stopped open fifths marked marcato.
• The semi-quaver melody is repeated again. It is orchestrated as a climax and marked ff in the woodwind, brass and percussion and fff in the strings.
• The main ideas drive the music towards the climax, six bars before the end in the coda. At this point, the orchestra plays f and ff repeated Ds before a crotchet rest on beat 3 in the penultimate bar.

Timbre

• The suite is written for large orchestra but the third movement sounds as if it is scored for chamber orchestra.
• Not all of the instruments are included in all movements.
• The percussive orchestration can be heard in the ‘woodblock’ section and in McLeod’s Reel.
• A celesta plays an E♭ chord.
• The transposing instruments are clarinet, bass clarinet and trumpet in B♭, and the horn and cor anglais are in F.