The name is absent

31

steps in the evolution of her style, remarking that “[Alauda] had bad form but good
writing, and [Cajun 6⅛t] had good form and okay writing.”⁵²

The Walker Arts Center commissioned Cajun Set, and the Center Chamber Players
premiered it there on May 4, 1980. This ensemble included Van, Kensley Rosen, violin,
Clyn Dee Barrus, viola, and Marcia Peck, cello.⁵³ A second performance with the same
personnel took place eleven days later at the Bakken Museum, also in Minneapolis.⁵⁴

Analysis

Unlike Black Roller, which is made up of short motives layered on top of one
another, Cajun Set is a study in longer melodies, diverse textures, simpler rhythms, and
rich harmonic language. In each movement Larsen begins with the melody of the source
song and then repeats it several times, as would be the custom if performed by a Cajun
band, adding more of her own material with each repetition. The result is a mixture of the
original song, harmonized with Larsen’s largely atonal harmonies, and newly composed
interludes and responses.

The folk songs themselves, Gringalet, French Blues, and Joe Férail share many
features typical of Cajun music. All have a limited melodic range, pentatonic tendencies
(in fact the first and last songs contain only five pitches), and a rather symmetrical phrase
structure. All three songs are made up of four lines of text:⁵⁵ the first and second songs

⁵² Larsen, interview, 7/2009.

53

All of these musicians were members of the Minnesota Orchestra at the time.

54

Jeffrey Van, email message to the author, December 15, 2009.

⁵⁵ Whitfield provides many different versions of text for Gringalet, some which have an
additional two lines.

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