As the Independence Day celebrations in the United States this year draw closer, allow me to direct attention to music programming for the occasion in the realm of classical music. More specifically, I have noticed a current need to reassess the repertoire by including pieces that logically match the atmosphere of the event. Among the usual pieces performed, like The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa and Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland, one piece particularly stands out from the list: the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. Judith Kogan, Rob Cutietta, and Ralph Graves among others have perceived this orchestral piece as an odd programmatic choice because the thematic material has nothing to do with the United States or the Fourth of July. The orchestral work itself depicts the when Russian troops defeated Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Army.
If the 1812 Overture does not relate to the Fourth of July or the United States, then why is it frequently played out of context? According to the aforementioned authors, that piece has become part of American tradition through its use of cannons (thanks in part to the Boston Pops Orchestra) and through advertising (because the music is Public Domain). What, then about expanding the classical repertoire for Independence Day? Many over the years have pushed for greater representation of living and deceased American composers from across different racial communities and backgrounds. While some may point to the 2015 musical Hamilton for its casting and discussing the American Revolution, Independence, and the aftermath, that work has gotten its share of negative criticism over the years over its selective approach to American colonial history. Instead, I refer to the efforts to expanding the American classical music repertoire by including different music and composers. Ralph Graves, whom I referred to earlier, presents a playlist of pieces reflective of Independence Day from composers like Joan Tower, William Grant Still, and Adolphus Hailstork.
If the 1812 Overture does not relate to the Fourth of July or the United States, then why is it frequently played out of context? According to the aforementioned authors, that piece has become part of American tradition through its use of cannons (thanks in part to the Boston Pops Orchestra) and through advertising (because the music is Public Domain). What, then about expanding the classical repertoire for Independence Day? Many over the years have pushed for greater representation of living and deceased American composers from across different racial communities and backgrounds. While some may point to the 2015 musical Hamilton for its casting and discussing the American Revolution, Independence, and the aftermath, that work has gotten its share of negative criticism over the years over its selective approach to American colonial history. Instead, I refer to the efforts to expanding the American classical music repertoire by including different music and composers. Ralph Graves, whom I referred to earlier, presents a playlist of pieces reflective of Independence Day from composers like Joan Tower, William Grant Still, and Adolphus Hailstork.
Photo by Vernon Raineil Cenzon on Unsplash
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