When it comes to American music, we have a lot to boast about. We invented jazz, country, blues, and of course, rock and roll. But when it comes to classical music, we were a bit behind the curve.
It’s not our fault, of course. There was a centuries-long European classical tradition that was firing on all cylinders by the time the first American composers, people like Francis Hopkinson and William Billings, hit the scene.
And, you’d be forgiven if you thought that since the founding of the nation 250 years ago, we’ve been kind of playing classical catch-up with our friends across the pond.
You know Beethoven, but what about Amy Beach? You know Mozart, but how about Howard Hanson? You’ve heard Robert Schumann, but what about William Shuman?
Delaware Public Media’s Martin Matheny turned to some of the top musicians in the First State to help put together an all American playlist of American composers honoring indigenous people, celebrating the common man, even tipping their hat to one of our most famous fictional characters, and speaking their truth to America.
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Stephen Mohr, percussionist and board president, Sodelo:
Aaron Copland, “Fanfare for the Common Man”
“Copland really wanted to honor what he referred to as the ‘common man,’ which I think we would think of today as your average person, not just the soldiers, but all the people at home, Rosie the Riveter, people like that who were keeping things going during wartime.”
Kerriann Otaño, Vice-President of Engagement, OperaDelaware:
Gene Scheer, “American Anthem”
“In the third verse, it gets a little bit more quiet, and they say:
‘To those who think they have nothing to give, who fear in their hearts, there are no heroes there, every quiet act of dignity is one that fortifies the heart of a nation that never dies.’
So it's just this reminder that like even the smallest things that we do, those small acts of compassion and kindness and humanity, that's what really makes America what it is. It's these quiet acts of dignity that define us.
The whole poem just really speaks to me about the best that we can be.”
Martin Matheny, arts reporter, Delaware Public Media:
Michael Daugherty, “Metropolis Symphony”
“Sometimes we think about classical music as something that lives in its own, often overly-refined vacuum, out of touch with our day-to-day cultural lives. If that’s true, and I’d argue the point, Daugherty is different. American pop culture is the center of his music - he’s written about Route 66, about the golden age of automotive chrome and fins, about Barbie dolls. And this piece - his 1993 Metropolis Symphony.”
Brian Cox, composer and principal tuba, Sodelo:
Charles Ives, “Variations on America”
“It's one of those pieces that obviously everybody recognized the melody, but what Ives does to the melody is so quintessentially American, he leaves the warts on. He tells you what is beautiful about America, what is challenging about America, the diversity of America. All of these are encompassed in this short little seven-minute piece.”
Kirsten Kunkle, composer and Artistic Director, Wilmington Concert Opera:
Kirsten Kunkle, “Reclaim the Land”
“There's one part in it that specifically talks about some of the things that tribes have gone through in American history and basically saying that we are trying to not just overcome that, but to remind everyone that we're still here and that this is part of your overall American melting pot. It's not just about the negative, though. It's about how we can find who we are in our heritage, bring it to the forefront now, and make our lives better and the lives of everyone and everything better around us by being part of who we already are.”
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
