1. VIRGINIA
(Jacob de Haan)
The American state Virginia has a somewhat jagged triangular form on the map. This can be recognized
metaphorically in this composition, which sheds light on this state from three angles. These angles
represent three periods that play an important role in the history of Virginia: the colonization, slavery,
and the American Civil War.
The composition starts with a short, expressive introduction in a slow tempo, followed by two parts in
lively tempi. Here, the adventures and hardships of the first colonists are depicted. They are first
depicted by means of a characteristic theme with a lively, typically American sounding accompaniment,
resulting in a new theme. Through a regular alternation of times (6/8 and 2/4) and keys, the music finally
calms down in a unison final note, which represents the colonists reaching their goal – in 1607, they
founded the first permanent English settlement: Jamestown.
For the benefit of the tobacco plantations, in 1619, Virginia introduced black slaves from abroad. This is
expressed in the following slow movement in which a melancholic minor theme forms the starting point.
Also, we can hear elements of the blues, which reflects the nature of the slaves’ emotions.
Next, in the brass section, the foreboding of the American Civil War can be heard in which Virginia
becomes the main battlefield. The battle between the northern and southern states emerges in a war-
like part. The same theme is used as in the beginning movement, where the colonists fought with the
Indians.
Liberation and hope sound through in the slow final theme where we detect the minor theme of the
middle part. However, the theme is played in a major key here, through which the optimism for the
future arises.