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 o ...

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 ...

William Schuman William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910February 15, 1992) was an American composer and arts administrator. Life Schuman was born into a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City, son of Samuel and Rachel Schuman. He was named after the 27th U.S. ...

, 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 ...

, that was awarded the first

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...

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 18 ...

(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 Koussevi ...

.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

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. Howeve ...

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 tra ...

." 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.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 ''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. Though it was first published in 1855, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting ''Leaves of Grass'', revising it multiple times until his death. T ...

'' (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 ...

'' section), and Swayne (2011) describes it as the last of Schuman's pieces as, "a self-styled occasional progressive".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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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

.'" 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 int ...

: "''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 Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

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 Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 – September 30, 1989) was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a modernist, a neoromantic, a neoclass ...

called it, "superficially warlike". Berger also called the piece, "a real low", while

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer. One of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century, he combined elements of European modernism and American "ultra- ...

said it was, "well-intentioned enough but not convincingly realized" Meanwhile, Walter Piston 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