Louis Wayne Ballard (1931 – 2007)

Louis Wayne Ballard – also known as “Honganozhe,” which means “Stands with Eagles” in the Quapaw language – was the first Indigenous North American composer of art music, and his extensive knowledge of the music, dance, and mythology of this culture informed his compositions. Ballard’s style was eclectic, embracing tonal and twelve-tone elements, and the selected pieces presented here reflect the unique variety of his achievement. This album of world premiere recordings features his third ballet, The Four Moons, which embodies a rich cache of classic dances, and the Fantasy Aborigine No. 3 “Kokopelli” with its battery of unique percussive instruments.

Born in Devil’s Promenade near Miami, Oklahoma, in Quapaw Nation, Louis Ballard retained family and tribal customs from both his Quapaw and Cherokee heritage, despite the boarding school teachings he received as a child. Ballard incorporated Quapaw dance, language, and musical styles into contemporary composition for band and orchestra, drawing inspiration from both Antonín Dvořák (Czech) and Béla Bartók (Hungary) in their preservation of their cultures’ folk tunes. His teachings continue to be the foundation of Indigenous music education across America. 

Ballard’s Quapaw lineage and cultural influences are part of a tribal tradition reaching back to the Quapaw’s historical territory throughout Arkansas. The Fort Smith Symphony’s commercial distribution of these works with Naxos Records is the first of its kind for Louis Ballard.