The Sleeping Place of the Stars

"The Sleeping Place of the Stars" is a piece of band music written by Ralph Ford. He was commissioned by the Homewood, Alabama Middle School Band to write the tune, and the inspiration came from a poem of the same title written by Ethel Armes with the quote "I have found the sleeping place of the stars. It is in Shades Valley... down, way down into the depths of Green Eternal."

Shades Valley used to be a real place. It was a very dense forest with many trees. The foliage was so thick that Indian guides and some white explorers got lost in the valley. For the most part, however, Shades Valley was unknown to humans. Lying against the Appalachian Mountains in Alabama, the Indians did not live in the valley, but ventured into the forest for an occasional hunt. Also, Shades Valley was where the Indians performed their spring rituals, including the Green Corn Dance, which was to welcome the arrival of spring. Eventually, Shades Valley made way for the city of Homewood, Alabama.

The music piece is divided into parts. There are a couple of flute solos in the piece, which are usually accompanied by light oboe or clarinet parts. When the piece starts there is a quick intro, which then moves into the part entitled Shades Valley. Shades Valley is the main theme of the piece.

After Shades Valley, the piece moves into the part called Valley of Darkness. This section features the rainstick. There is whispering amongst some of the woodwind instruments, and one of the flute solos is performed here.

Then, there's Green Corn Dance. This part includes foot stomping, hand clapping, and vocal "hahs" among some of the woodwinds. Some bands who perform this piece, however, leave out the foot stomps.After Green Corn Dance, the piece moves back into the main theme of the song, Shades Valley.

The piece then soars into Depths of Green Eternal, a part which has a half-time feel, and the piece ends.

"The Sleeping Place of the Stars" was published in 2002 and is played by bands of varying ages across America, including marching bands, middle school and high school bands.