THE LOVELY ALDÂ
"Then came forward the lovely Aldâ; graciously was she received by the Emperor himself and all his court. Spake she: 'Karl, consecrated sovereign, where is my Roland? Bring back to me my hero, he to whom you gave me as wife! Ah, what joy should I have in beholding him once more!'"
SUITE (No. 2), "INDIAN": Op. 48
This suite, in five movements, was composed in 1891-92. It is MacDowell's last and most important orchestral work. Its thematic material, as he acknowledges in a prefatory note to the score, is based upon melodies of the North American Indians, with the exception of a few subsidiary themes of his own invention. "If separate titles for the different movements are desired," he says in his note, "they should be arranged as follows [I give them here together with the expression marks at the head of each movement, which are highly indicative of their character]:
1. "LEGEND"
("Not fast; with much dignity and character")
2. "LOVE-SONG"
("Not fast; tenderly")
3. "IN WAR TIME"
("With rough vigor, almost savagely")