Based on the novel
The Year the Sun Died
by Kenneth Lincoln
Music by Sam Stalos
Alliance is a musical rendering of Kenneth Lincoln's novel describing the fate of Native Americans almost a century after Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee. During WWII, over 500 Sioux Indians moved from their reservations in South Dakota to pursue jobs at a paratrooper base located in Alliance, Nebraska. Lincoln focuses on 1969 as a pivotal year during which 4 Indian deaths occurred in the city jail and a scandal erupted over the rape of Sioux women by local police.
The novel and the musical adaptation examine racism in Heartland America during the same period that black Americans were struggling for civil rights in the South. Lincoln's novel probes the attitudes and actions of local merchants, civil servants, police, retired citizens, teachers, clergy, white and blue collar workers, the popular and the outcasts. The events are real, but the names of individuals have been altered to protect their identity.
Kenneth Lincoln is Professor of Native American Studies at UCLA. He has taught Native American studies and modern literature for 41 years.
Alliance consists of 6 movements for narration and musical accompaniment. The music depends on the resources of the performing organization. The option of using just one narrator, or a combination of one male and one female narrator is also provided.
| 1. Overture -- A brief history of Native Americans in Alliance, Nebraska. |
| 2. Eldon Hawk Smith -- An Indian outcast with a long history of trouble. |
| 3. Cody -- The connection between the past and the present, the defeat of George Custer, the revenge of Buffalo Bill Cody and the journey of an Indian grandmother who settles in Alliance. |
| 4. The Parade -- An Indian prisoner in the local jail hears a 4th of July parade pass by his cell. |
| 5. 101 Sweetwater -- Emma, a street-savvy prostitute from New Orleans, rules a local brothel where white townsfolk favor Indian prostitutes. |
| 6. The Orchard -- A white mother and Indian father bury their child in the backyard orchard while Grandmother prays for guidance. |
The piano scores for Alliance were finished in the summer of 2009, at which time Lincoln made a narrative recording of 3 of the movements in Dallas. In 2010, Alliance was re-orchestrated for augmented chamber orchestra with percussion.These recordings can be heard using the links below, along with a few pages from the piano score that demonstrate the cueing structure.
Score Analysis and Performer's Notes |
Narrator with Orchestra |
| Overture: Analysis & Notes | |
| Eldon Hawk Smith: Analysis & Notes | |
| Parade: Analysis & Notes | |
| Orchard: Analysis & Notes |
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Visualization In addition to the different musical treatments, visual accompaniment in the form of interactive, computer-generated graphics (called visualization) is available for incorporation during a live performance. Use of the visualization element during performance requires special setup time for the equipment and at least one rehearsal to verify the system's response. Trained personnel are available to supervise the installation of the equipment and its performance. The cost of including visualization in the performance depends on the equipment already installed at the performing venue, e.g. video projector, screen, etc. For information regarding the technical requirements for including visualization in a live performance, please contact us using our Contact Form. |
