America, the Beautiful

Description

Tenor, Bass, Piano — As long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to this beautiful poetry written by Katharine Lee Bates. The text is incredibly evocative, and it describes a country that is beautifully diverse in population and landscape. For this particular setting, I’ve chosen to use some of the original text that is not often sung: “Till selfish gain no longer stain, The banner of the free!”xa0 It’s a gentle reminder that we are at our best when we put our neighbors first.One challenge that this piece presents is the overwhelming use of quarter notes in the melody. I encourage you to speak the text and find and stress those important and evocative words more than those that are not. So often the key to the right musical phrasing is in the text, right before our eyes.This piece works well accompanied or a cappella, to provide the most opportunity for performing in concerts, assemblies, and civic or sacred settings when there is not a piano available. Thank you for selecting this piece. Savor the text, and lift your voices to celebrate our nation as we all strive to make tomorrow better than today. Whether performed with piano or a cappella, Humble's setting of this evocative text which describes a country that is beautifully diverse in population and landscape is suitable for many concerts, assemblies, and civic or sacred settings.

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