Secular Cantata No. 2: ''A Free Song'' (October 16, 1942) is a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

for

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

by William Schuman, using text by

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

, that was awarded the first Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1943, after it was premiered by the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

(with the amateur Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus) under

Serge Koussevitzky Sergei Alexandrovich KoussevitzkyKoussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his signature. (SeThe Koussevit ...

.Heinz-Dietrich Fischer, Erika J. Fischer (2001). ''Musical Composition Awards 1943-1999: From Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber to Gian-Carlo Menotti and Melinda Wagner'', p.3-4. . Music Sales Classical describes it as containing, "granite-like blocks of

dissonant In music, consonance and dissonance are categorizations of simultaneous or successive Sound, sounds. Within the Western tradition, some listeners associate consonance with sweetness, pleasantness, and acceptability, and dissonance with harshness ...

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

and sharp-edged

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

." Either about 22 minutesGreen, Jonathan D. (2003). ''A Conductor's Guide to Choral-orchestral Works, Part 1'', p.206. . or less than 14 Oteri, Frank J. (August 16, 2011).
Sounds Heard: William Schuman—A Free Song, Finally!
, ''NewMusicBox.org''. in length, the

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data ...

is as follows: # a. Too long, America
b. Look down, fair moon # Song of the banner The piece is modeled on

Beethoven's Fifth The Symphony No. 5 in C minor of Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 67, was written between 1804 and 1808. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music and one of the most frequently played symphonies, and it is widely considered one of ...

.Fauser, Annegret (2013). ''Sounds of War: Music in the United States During World War II'', p.238. Oxford University Press. . The text was adapted from Whitman's '' Leaves of Grass'' (the ''

Drum-Taps ''Drum-Taps'', first published in 1865, is a collection of poetry written by American poet Walt Whitman during the American Civil War. 18 additional poems were added later in the year to create '' Sequel to Drum-Taps''. History Creating the p ...

'' section), and Swayne (2011) describes it as the last of Schuman's pieces as, "a self-styled occasional

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

".Swayne (2011), p.137. Written during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(after being rejected for service) according to Schuman, "The first

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

is a kind of

requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

but more than just a prayer for the dead–it points a lesson. The 2nd movement is in complete contrast and is in the nature of a very militant '

pep talk A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk. Motivational speakers ca ...

.'" The final line is, "We hear Liberty!" Schuman says, "Since I cannot serve in the Specialist Corps I am trying to do what I can with my pen....It has wonderful words by Walt Whitman. If I've done my job well it can't help but be a moving patriotic affair." Though Arthur Berger privately criticized the selection of poetry on aesthetic grounds, Wannamaker (1972) praises a ''A Free Song'' for avoiding

jingoism Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national inte ...

: "''A Free Song''...combines lines from 'Long, Too Long, America' and 'Song of the Banner at Daybreak,' poems which have elements of the same patriotic fervor. By careful editing of phrases and lines, Schuman achieves a text that expresses only a desire for freedom for all mankind."Wannamaker, John Samuel (1972). "The Musical Settings of the Poetry of Walt Whitman: A Study of Theme, Structure, and Prosody", Ph.D. diss. University of Minnesota. Cited in Swayne (2011), p.137. Virgil Thomson called it, "superficially warlike". Berger also called the piece, "a real low", while Elliott Carter said it was, "well-intentioned enough but not convincingly realized" Meanwhile,

Walter Piston Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. (January 20, 1894 – November 12, 1976), was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University. Life Piston was born in Rockland, Maine at 15 Ocean Street to Walter Ha ...

admired the work. Though as of January 2011 there was no commercially available recording,Swayne (2011), p.520. the piece is now available on two recordings.

See also

References

Further reading