The Jayhawk is a mythical bird that has come to be identified with Kansas, the composer’s native state. Most of his legendary adventures are practical jokes, but he has also been depicted as a martial guardian of the range with miraculous powers of disguise and transformation. The opening depicts his birth in the rock chalk of Kansas hills, woodwinds portraying the first fluttering of his wings.
The Jayhawk is the adopted symbol of the University of Kansas athletic teams, who at moments of dire peril are rallied by one of the best-known college yells, “Rock-chalk, Jay-hawk, K. U-u-u-u.” This cheer forms the basis of the overture’s introduction. The Kansas state song, “Home on The Range,” makes a brief appearance, although it is mockingly distorted by this most irreverent of birds.