By Nancy Plum
In a concert this past weekend commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Princeton Pro Musica presented music celebrating democracy and reminded the audience of the values and promise on which this country was founded. Conducted by Pro Musica Artistic Director Ryan James Brandau, Sunday afternoon’s performance in Richardson Auditorium featured ninety singers of Pro Musica, a full orchestra, and several narrators drawn from the choral ensemble.
An overriding theme of the program was majesty. Whether it was the stately opening brass passages of Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man or the more reverent dignity of America the Beautiful, the orchestra and chorus brought six patriotic works to life with both recognition of how far the United States has come and hope for the future.
Copland was particularly known for musically capturing the American landscape. Fanfare for the Common Man, scored for brass and percussion, was commissioned shortly after the United States entry into World War II, and was inspired by a speech by then-Vice President Henry Wallace calling the 1900s the “Century of the Common Man.” Copland’s “fanfare” concept honored the everyday individual, both on the battlefield and at home. Sunday’s performance by the orchestra — compiled for the afternoon and conducted by Brandau — was marked by a trio of trumpets issuing an authoritative call to order, followed by lean instrumental playing and exacting percussion.
For this program, Pro Musica also looked to contemporary composers with pieces rooted in 1776 ideas. Julia Wolfe’s 2022 Letter from Abigail drew from a 1776 letter of Abigail Adams to her husband John, then a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and a drafter of the Declaration of Independence. In her writing, Adams implored her husband to address the fate of women in the emerging America, advising him when debating what the United States would become to “remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” Wolfe scored the choral parts with minimalistic effects, which the singers of Pro Musica executed precisely and with solid tuning on the sporadic chords. Accompanied by a particularly demanding percussion part, the performance conveyed stirrings of two revolutions — one for independence and the other for women.
Composer Sarah Davol (who joined the orchestra as principal oboist) set the famous words of Emma Lazarus which appear on the Statue of Liberty into the choral/orchestral American Statue. Brandau has arranged the piece, originally composed for unison chorus, winds and piano, for four-part chorus, with Pro Musica presenting the world premiere of this version. The new orchestration was lush and cinematic, with homophonic choral writing well suiting the chorus. Words were clear (augmented by supertitles) and peaceful wind writing complemented Lazarus’ reassuring text.
The patriotic hymn known as “America the Beautiful” originated as a late 19th-century poem by Katharine Lee Bates. Her words were later set to Samuel Ward’s tune “Materna” and became an instant hit, with multiple arrangements over the ensuing decades. The version of America the Beautiful performed by Pro Musica was crafted by contemporary composer and orchestrator Philip Rothman. Beginning with a brass fanfare similar to Copland, both orchestra and Pro Musica offered a serene presentation of the text, closing with broad grandeur.
In response to the devastation of World War II, conductor Andre Kostelanetz commissioned three American composers, one of whom was Copland, to create works incorporating words of noted Americans. Copland’s resulting Lincoln Portrait set excerpts of the president’s texts from speeches to Congress, at Gettysburg and in debates in three sections, scored for orchestra and spoken narration. Capturing what Copland called the “mysterious sense of fatality that surrounds Lincoln’s personality,” the music ranged from chipper flutes and oboes belying the times of Lincoln’s presidency to a somber melancholy, all while evoking the vast open space of mid-19th-century America. Led by principal clarinetist Daniel Spitzer, the winds carried much of the melodic material, with elegant solos from oboist Davol, flutist Reva Youngstein, and trumpeter Brad Sirocky.
Pro Musica closed Sunday afternoon’s program with Howard Hanson’s Song of Democracy, a setting of Walt Whitman’s poetry composed for the 50th anniversary of the Music Educators National Conference and the 100th anniversary of the National Education Association.
Pro Musica’s well-blended choral sound could especially be heard in an extended a cappella section, in which Whitman’s verses encouraged America to “Sail thy best, Ship of Democracy.”
Events commemorating the United States Semiquincentennial are underway nationwide, and the historic community of Princeton will no doubt have plenty to offer. Princeton Pro Musica’s concert this past weekend effectively depicted both the celebratory and profound aspects of this anniversary.
Princeton Pro Musica will present the final concert of its 47th season on Saturday, May 9 at 4 p.m. in Princeton University Chapel. “American Resonance” will continue the ensemble’s celebration of American composers with Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms,” Frank Lewin’s “Requiem for Robert F. Kennedy,” and Margaret Bonds’ “St. Francis Prayer.” Ticket information can be obtained by visiting princetonpromusica.org.