JULIA WOLFE

STEEL HAMMER

1. SOME SAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:48

2. THE STATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:48

3. DESTINY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:05

4. MOUNTAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:51

5. CHARACTERISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:47

6. POLLY ANN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30

THE RACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:19

7. WINNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:22

8. LORD, LORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:03

JULIA WOLFE

STEEL HAMMER

Bang on a Can All-Stars | Trio Mediaeval

BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS Ashley Bathgate, celloRobert Black, bassVicky Chow, piano, melodicaDavid Cossin, drums, percussion, bonesMark Stewart, electric guitar, banjo, mountain dulcimer, jaw harp, harmonica, clogging, hummingEvan Ziporyn, clarinets, harmonica, whistling, hummingThe musicians also play sand sticks and body percussion.

TRIO MEDIAEVALAnna Maria FrimanLinn Andrea FuglsethTorunn strem Ossum

SOME SAYSome say hes fromsome say hesome say hes fromsome saysome say hesay hehe

THE STATESGeorgiaTennesseeColumbus, OhioKentuckyAlabamaNew JerseyYew Pine MountainsMississippiMountainWest VirginiaSouth Carolina

DESTINYJohn Henrywas a little boysitting on his papas kneeJohn Henrywas a little mansitting on his mamas kneea baby boysitting on his daddys kneeJohn Henry

he said, Im gonna be a steel drivin man.He picked up his hammer and a little piece of steelHe said, This hammers gonna be the death of me.

MOUNTAINThe mountain was so tallJohn Henry was so small

CHARACTERISTICSHe was smallHe was tallHe was blackHe was whiteHe was trueHe was falseHe was two hundred poundsHe was two twenty-fiveHes a workerConvictSingerThirty-five yearsTwenty-twoFiftyCotton pickerSteel Driver (hammer, hammer, steel, steel)He was trueHe was falseHe was six feet tallHe was five foot oneHe was tallHe was smallHe was smallHe was tall

POLLY ANNJohn Henry had a little womanAnd her name wasPolly Ann, Mary Ann, Julie Ann, Sary Ann, Sally Ann,Martha Ann, Liza Ann, Lucy Ann,Mary Magdelena, MagdelenaJohn Henry had a little womanand she was all dressed in blue,dressed in red,red, blue, blackJohn Henrys woman said to him,My darling Johnny, Ive been true.true to you, true to youJohn Henry had a little womanand her name was Ida Red,and her name was Liza Jane,and her name was Maggadee,Polly Ann, Mary Ann, Julie Ann, Sary Ann, Sally Ann,Martha Ann, Liza Ann, Lucy Ann,Mary Magdelena, MagdelenaIda Red, Maggadee, Liza JanePollyWhen John Henry he took sick to bed,then Polly drove steel just like a man.

THE RACEThe captain told John Henrygonna bring that steam drill roundJohn Henry told the captaina man aint nothin but a mannothin, nothin, nothin

but a man, but a manJohn Henry on the right sidethe steam drills on the leftright, left, right, leftBefore I let your steam drill beat me down,Ill hammer my fool self to death.nine pound hammerten pound hammertwelve pound hammertwenty pound hammertwo nine pound hammerstwo twenty pound hammerssixteen pound hammerhammer, hammer, hammer, hammer

WINNERThe man that invented the steam drill,he thought he was mighty fine.John Henry sunk the steel fourteen feet,while the steam drill only made nine,Lord Lord,

LORD LORDLord LordThis old hammer rings like silverThis old hammer shines like gold

Steel Hammer is inspired by my love for the legends and music of Appalachia. The text is culled from the over 200 versions of the John Henry ballad. The various versions, based on hearsay, recollection, and tall tales, explore the subject of human vs. machine in this quintessential American legend. Many of the facts are unclear some say hes from West Virginia, some say hes from South Carolina, some say hes from New Jersey but regardless of the details, John Henry, wielding a steel hammer, faces the onslaught of the industrial age as his super human strength is challenged in a contest to out-dig an engine. I drew upon the extreme variations of the story, fragmenting and weaving the contradictory versions of the ballad that have circulated since the late 1800s into a new whole at times meditating on single words or phrases in order to tell the story of the story, to embody the simultaneous diverse paths it traveled.

P

eter

Ser

ling,

20

14

Produced by Damian leGassick

Recorded at the James L. Dolan Music Recording Studio at New York University, November 2011 & February 2012

ENGINEER: Paul Geluso ASSISTANTS: Brian A Bourque, Eric Xu EDITING, MIXING AND MASTERING: Damian leGassick

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Kenny Savelson and Julia Wolfe LABEL MANAGER: Bill Murphy CANTALOUPE SALES MANAGER: Adam Cuthbert ART DIRECTION: Denise Burt PHOTOGRAPHY (inside wallet): Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-D4-4107, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HAER NV-27-X-4

Steel Hammer was commissioned by Maria and Robert A. Skirnick and Carnegie Hall.

Special thanks to Dr. Robert Rowe, Dr. Ronald H. Sadoff, and the Department of Music and Performing Arts at NYU Steinhardt.

This recording was made with generous support from The Aaron Copland Fund for Musics Recording Program and the Music Department of New York Universitys Steinhardt School.

Many thanks to our Associate Producers: Peter Clegg, Werner deFoe, Robert Fink and Andres Luz.

Julia Wolfes music is published by Red Poppy, Ltd. and administered worldwide by G. Schirmer, Inc. (ASCAP). For more information, visit juliawolfemusic.com.

Thank you: Maria and Bob Skirnick, Jeremy Geffen, Kathy Schuman and everyone at Carnegie Hall, Damian LeGassick, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Kenny Savelson, Janet Fink, Yael Gordon, Lev Gordon, Tim Thomas, Philippa Thompson, Sruly Lazarus, Jessica Schmitz, and everyone at Bang on a Can, Bill Murphy and Adam Cuthbert at Cantaloupe Music, David Friend, Amanda Ameer, Christina Jensen, Jim Findlay, Josh Higgason, Andy Cotton, Jody Elff, Vladimir V. Golovanevskiy, everyone at MASS MoCA, Marc Baylin, Rob Robbins, Michael Blachly & University of Florida Performing Arts, Emil Kang & Performing Arts Series (University of NC Chapel Hill), George Trudeau & Center for the Performing Arts (Penn State University), Susan Farr, Paul Brohan & Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (University of Maryland), Evan Ziporyn & Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and John Schaefer. Special thanks to the Bang on a Can All-Stars and Trio Mediaeval for their incredible input.

CA

NTA

LOU

PE

MU

SIC

IS F

RO

M T

HE

CR

EATO

RS

OF

BA

NG

ON

A C

AN

.

&

201

4 C

anta

loup

e M

usic

, LLC

.A

ll rig

hts

rese

rved

. Una

utho

rized

dup

licat

ion

is a

vio

latio

n of

app

licab

le la

ws.

Can

talo

upe

Mus

ic, 8

0 H

anso

n P

lace

, Sui

te 7

02, B

rook

lyn,

NY

1121

7w

ww

.can

talo

upem

usic

.com

| C

A21

099