“So Many Voices” – from Promised Land: a Voting Rights Folk Opera
Format: Octavo (manuscript)
Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Trumpet, Soprano Solo, Baritone Solo, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Piano, Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Violoncello, Double Bass
($2 per singer + $60 for accompaniment)
This product includes manuscript versions of the full score, choral score, sections scores, and individual string scores.
This triumphant call to action, written with Irish-American musical gestures, reminds us that the vote we cast today resonates back in history with all those who heroically voted for the common good that we enjoy today while also building a country for future Americans.
Promised Land: a Voting Rights Folk Opera –
In the 1850s, abolitionist Gerrit Smith (with John Brown, Frederick Douglass and others) gave away over 120,000 acres of Adirondack farmland to 3,000 free blacks in an attempt to fulfill New York State’s onerous property requirement necessary for blacks to vote. This opera brings this complex struggle to life with deeply emotional melodies, driving 19th century dance rhythms and the dramatic struggle for racial equality and inclusive democracy.
Audio Recording –