The Song and The Slogan
Encyclopedia
The Song & the Slogan was composed by Daniel Steven Crafts
in 1996, on commission from the late opera tenor Jerry Hadley
. It sets to music sections of Carl Sandburg’s
1918 prose poem “Prairie” with excerpts from other Sandburg poems chosen by Mr. Hadley. The piece premiered in 2000 and was later made into a TV program for Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) Public television. The poem “Illinois Farmer” (which Mr. Hadley later called a depiction of his father) was set separately as a song and used as an encore at the premiere. In 2003, the production was awarded the Emmy for Best Music from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The documentary was also nominated in three other categories: Best Direction, Best Photography, and Best Editing.
commissioned composer Daniel Steven Crafts
to produce music for selected texts from “Prairie” and other Sandburg poems. The composer chose to include melodies resembling folk tunes in order to remain true to the traditional folk
style prevalent in Sandburg’s work. The work premiered in 2000 and was made into a video premiering in 2002.
“Prairie” appears in Carl Sandburg’s Pulitzer Prize
-winning collection of 103 poems, ‘Cornhuskers’, published in 1918. Opening with “I was born on the prairie and the milk of its wheat, the red of its clover, the eyes of its women, gave me a song and a slogan,” the narrator offers a vivid description of the prairie land with its lively stories. The prairie itself is also given voice: “The prairie sings to me in the forenoon and I know in the night I rest easy in the prairie arms, on the prairie heart.”"Illinois Farmer also appears in 'Cornhuskers'.
The narrative includes a collection of ideas from Sandburg's poetry: value clashes between Native Americans
and European settlers, the folly of war, and the hope for peace and justice.
The middle section of "The Song & the Slogan" is taken from Sandburg's "The Road and the End" (1916). Solo voice and piano alone mark a stark contrast from the beginning section as the narration turns introspective and solemn.
The final section of the work is the "slogan," reflects Sandburg's writings on Abraham Lincoln. The piece ends with the piano chord of "the prairie" while the instruments replay their individual phrases.
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. The production featured opera tenor Jerry Hadley
, a four-time Grammy Award
-winning University of Illinois alumnus. The premiere also featured readings of selected Sandburg poems by David Hartman
, a former host of ABC television's "Good Morning America
." The music, composed by Daniel Steven Crafts
was conducted by Paul Vermel and featured Eric Dalheim (piano), Barbara Hedlund (violoncello), James Scott (flute), Alison Robuck (oboe), Solomon Baer (clarinet), Kazimierz Machala (French horn), Jordan Kaye (banjo), and Ricardo Flores (percussion). The song “Illinois Farmer” was sung as an encore.
As with the live premiere, the video features narration by David Hartman
and singing by opera tenor Jerry Hadley
. The music of classical composer Daniel Steven Crafts
features Eric Dalheim on piano as the "heart of the prairie" and Barbara Hedlund on cello as "the soul of the prairie."
Daniel Steven Crafts
Daniel Steven Crafts is an American composer.-Composition Style:Daniel Steven Crafts has chosen to oppose what he considers unjustifiably dissonant formalism prevalent in late 20th century classical music...
in 1996, on commission from the late opera tenor Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of Jenůfa , Susannah , and Candide...
. It sets to music sections of Carl Sandburg’s
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
1918 prose poem “Prairie” with excerpts from other Sandburg poems chosen by Mr. Hadley. The piece premiered in 2000 and was later made into a TV program for Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS) Public television. The poem “Illinois Farmer” (which Mr. Hadley later called a depiction of his father) was set separately as a song and used as an encore at the premiere. In 2003, the production was awarded the Emmy for Best Music from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The documentary was also nominated in three other categories: Best Direction, Best Photography, and Best Editing.
Background
In 1996, the opera singer Jerry HadleyJerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of Jenůfa , Susannah , and Candide...
commissioned composer Daniel Steven Crafts
Daniel Steven Crafts
Daniel Steven Crafts is an American composer.-Composition Style:Daniel Steven Crafts has chosen to oppose what he considers unjustifiably dissonant formalism prevalent in late 20th century classical music...
to produce music for selected texts from “Prairie” and other Sandburg poems. The composer chose to include melodies resembling folk tunes in order to remain true to the traditional folk
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
style prevalent in Sandburg’s work. The work premiered in 2000 and was made into a video premiering in 2002.
“Prairie” appears in Carl Sandburg’s Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning collection of 103 poems, ‘Cornhuskers’, published in 1918. Opening with “I was born on the prairie and the milk of its wheat, the red of its clover, the eyes of its women, gave me a song and a slogan,” the narrator offers a vivid description of the prairie land with its lively stories. The prairie itself is also given voice: “The prairie sings to me in the forenoon and I know in the night I rest easy in the prairie arms, on the prairie heart.”"Illinois Farmer also appears in 'Cornhuskers'.
Description
"The Song & the Slogan" begins with a soft piano chord representing sunrise on the prairie. A cello then adds a short phrase to reflect vague outlines of shapes as the illumination of the landscape begins. The piano chord, demonstrating the vast expanse of the prairie, is heard again an octave higher and an octave lower. As the sun rises over the prairie, phrases from the cello and winds emerge as if from the darkness.The narrative includes a collection of ideas from Sandburg's poetry: value clashes between Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and European settlers, the folly of war, and the hope for peace and justice.
The middle section of "The Song & the Slogan" is taken from Sandburg's "The Road and the End" (1916). Solo voice and piano alone mark a stark contrast from the beginning section as the narration turns introspective and solemn.
The final section of the work is the "slogan," reflects Sandburg's writings on Abraham Lincoln. The piece ends with the piano chord of "the prairie" while the instruments replay their individual phrases.
The World Premiere
The world premiere of "The Song & the Slogan" took place on November 14, 2000, at the Krannert Center for the Performing ArtsKrannert Center for the Performing Arts
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts was built in 1969 in Urbana, Illinois, USA, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an educational and performing arts complex. Herman C...
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. The production featured opera tenor Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of Jenůfa , Susannah , and Candide...
, a four-time Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning University of Illinois alumnus. The premiere also featured readings of selected Sandburg poems by David Hartman
David Hartman (TV personality)
David Downs Hartman is an American journalist and media host who began his media career as an actor. He currently anchors and hosts documentary programs on cable TV's History and on PBS. Hartman is best known as the first host of ABC's Good Morning America, from 1975 to 1987. As an actor, he...
, a former host of ABC television's "Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
." The music, composed by Daniel Steven Crafts
Daniel Steven Crafts
Daniel Steven Crafts is an American composer.-Composition Style:Daniel Steven Crafts has chosen to oppose what he considers unjustifiably dissonant formalism prevalent in late 20th century classical music...
was conducted by Paul Vermel and featured Eric Dalheim (piano), Barbara Hedlund (violoncello), James Scott (flute), Alison Robuck (oboe), Solomon Baer (clarinet), Kazimierz Machala (French horn), Jordan Kaye (banjo), and Ricardo Flores (percussion). The song “Illinois Farmer” was sung as an encore.
The Performance Documentary
The PBS video of The Song and The Slogan premiered on February 10, 2003. The film, produced by Tim Hartin, was awarded the Emmy for Best Music from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and also nominated for Best Direction, Best Photography, and Best Editing. During the summer of 2004, the video aired nationally on PBS.As with the live premiere, the video features narration by David Hartman
David Hartman (TV personality)
David Downs Hartman is an American journalist and media host who began his media career as an actor. He currently anchors and hosts documentary programs on cable TV's History and on PBS. Hartman is best known as the first host of ABC's Good Morning America, from 1975 to 1987. As an actor, he...
and singing by opera tenor Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of Jenůfa , Susannah , and Candide...
. The music of classical composer Daniel Steven Crafts
Daniel Steven Crafts
Daniel Steven Crafts is an American composer.-Composition Style:Daniel Steven Crafts has chosen to oppose what he considers unjustifiably dissonant formalism prevalent in late 20th century classical music...
features Eric Dalheim on piano as the "heart of the prairie" and Barbara Hedlund on cello as "the soul of the prairie."