About

May 10, 1869. Promontory, Utah. A one-word telegraph was sent across the United States in Morse code, announcing the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Now the country was connected as never before: a journey between San Francisco and New York that previously took up to six months now took only days. Some 150 years later, that word, “D-O-N-E,” is transformed here into music using the rhythm of the Morse code. Throughout the finale, the “done” motif is passed back and forth by numerous instruments in the ensemble. An accumulation of materials sends the piece to a climax at the end.

“D-O-N-E” motif, based on the Morse code for the word

D-O-N-E is part of Transcend, a 3-movement work commissioned by 13 American orchestras in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad.
©Zhou Tian