Chorus: Tenor solo, SSATBB, and piano
Difficulty: Tenor solo: Graduate/Professional, Choir: University or Community
Duration: 8’45”
Text: Taken from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address
Language: English
LINCOLN: On the Walls of His Memorial (2014) was commissioned by Dr. Donald Oglesby and the University of Miami Collegium Musicum for their Spring 2015 Washington D.C. concert tour. The programming of the overall concert illustrated the music of President Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, particularly patriotic music during the Civil War.
The text of LINCOLN comes from his two most revered presidential addresses, both of which have been inscribed on the walls of his memorial in Washington. The solo tenor sings excerpts from his second inaugural address, found in the north chamber of the memorial. The chorus sings excerpts from the Gettysburg address, found in the south chamber.
The excerpts are interwoven in such a way that the two addresses function as one complete thought: a desire for peace and unity between the opposing forces of north and south.
LINCOLN was premiered in April of 2015, commemorating the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. The premiere took place in Metropolitan Methodist Church (Lincoln’s own church in Washington), featuring MSG Colin Eaton of the US Army Singing Sergeants as the tenor soloist.