Tennessee Journey - Tuba and Piano

Written for Chris Combest and recorded on his solo album "Under Tennessee Skies"

The piece opens with two main themes. The first is to represent the western mountains and later become more integrated and transformed to include "the land" and the terrain itself. The second theme is a modal melody reminiscent of folk music and in my mind it is "the heart of Tennessee". The first four notes of this theme are also the first four of the Tennessee Waltz.

There is also a secondary, "watery" countermelody to both which represents the many streams, creeks, and waterfalls that are so abundant in Tennessee.

As we continue through the piece, all of these themes become integrated with each other and become more and more obscure within the totality as we include farmland, country folk, different types of music and eventually an urban hustle and bustle that still contains elements of earlier themes.

We return to the intital two themes to remind us that the land and the heart of Tennessee still remain with us throughout its history and development.

- Barbara York, 2000