Product Overview
“We the People of the United States” lets singers and instrumentalists sing and play their hearts out. It's an excellent choice for any program in which directors want to feature a chorus with a concert band. This inspiring piece also makes an excellent spring concert or festival closer, worthy of becoming a music festival's traditional final work with combined instrumental and choral groups.
This piece features three sections:
I. We the People of the United States
This first section is a dignified presentation of the Preamble to the Constitution.
II. Amendment I
The second section is the First Amendment to the Constitution. It begins playfully and festively, reflecting the joyful intent of enacting and living by the Constitution's First Amendment freedoms. The section becomes somber and contemplative, though, suggesting the struggles, pain and sacrifices we've endured, and are still enduring, as we continue to interpret this amendment and live by its words. The section's end recalls the joyful, pleasant aspects of living by the First Amendment.
III. The Gettysburg Address
The text of the first and second sections is the cornerstone of how we live and the values we profess. This third section, the first paragraph of Abraham Lincoln's stirring speech, reminds us of our hopes for our country and way of life.
Audiences will be standing and cheering at this work's moving finish. The enduring truths of the text, our reverence for these words, and our vigorous aspirations to interpret them make this stirring piece an everlasting program choice and a delight for performers and audiences.
