Written in 2014, this work is a modern classical piece about the life of Martha Graham, an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her life was filled with accolades and prestigious accomplishments. In her career, she danced and taught for over seventy years, beginning in the late 1920s. She was the first dancer to ever perform at the White House, and received the highest civilian award of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. Other honors include receiving the Key to the City of Paris, and Japan’s Imperial Order of the Precious Crown. The Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest dance company in America, and the Graham technique is still taught worldwide.

The first movement is titled, Caged Lion, and describes how as a young dancer in New York, Martha was inspired by watching a caged lion as it walked back and forth in its captivity. In her words: “Imagine the lion as it paced, 1-2-3-4 turn, 1-2-3-4, turn.” This “Martha motif” is present throughout the entire first movement quite a bit, as it changes and grows in relation to Martha’s life experiences. The second movement, titled Denishawn – breakaway, describes how Martha broke away from her first dance company to join an exciting, more forward-thinking troupe in LA. For this reason, it is a tarantella, containing a “breaking-free” spirit. The third movement, Interlude: Louis Horst, reflects Martha’s love affair with her music accompanist/composer/pianist over the years. They never married, but were together for several years until his death in 1864. This movement reflects the romantic improvisatory manner in which a rehearsal accompanist might play. The fourth movement, Interlude: Erick Hawkins, describes her brief marriage to the young dancer in her company. He was the first male dancer at her company and they lived together for nine years before marrying in 1948. They divorced in 1954. This movement is a modern setting of an older musical style, bourrée, and is short-lived, just like their relationship. The fifth movement, Finale - Gravity, sums up her new language of dance, which had the characteristics of gravity, barefoot dancing, and being distinctly American. The weight of the music lands constantly on the main beat, reinforced by the downward momentum and more use of the bass notes. The “Martha motif” is eventually resolved with finality, giving the entire work a celebratory nature. The last movement reflects on the genius of Martha Graham, a one-of-a-kind American icon of dance. The entire work is originally written for solo trumpet and a thirteen-person chamber ensemble. It also can be danced as a ballet, and is nicely paired with Copland’s Appalachian Spring, which was commissioned by Martha Graham.