Be Glad Then, America (Schuman) - North Texas Wind Ensemble

The North Texas Wind Ensemble conducted by Slade Presley Denman.
New York City native William Schuman (1910-1992) composed his New England Triptych (1956) based on the music of William Billings (1746-1800), a pre-Revolutionary war composer from Boston who is credited as one of the founding fathers of American choral music. Billings, a tanner turned music educator and composer, captures the patriotic spirit and deep religiosity that is associated with the Revolutionary period in his works. His music became very popular with colonists, who were pleased to have their own music that wasn’t imported from Europe. Schuman quotes, and elaborates upon, three of Billings’ most famous works within each movement of New England Triptych:
Be Glad Then, America
When Jesus Wept
Chester
Schuman personally transcribed the second and third movements for wind band shortly after their premiere with orchestra. These transcriptions generated a high amount of enthusiasm for Schuman's work within the wind band community. Despite the other movements’ popularity, Schuman chose not to transcribe Be Glad Then, America as he believed much of the movement was attainable only by a string section. Over the next two decades, Schuman’s opinion on the American wind band changed and decided to create a wind band version of the movement in 1975. Be Glad Then, America was composed with on following lines of Billings’ text:
Yea, the Lord will answer
And say unto his people - behold
I will send you corn and wine and oil
And ye shall be satisfied therewith.
Be glad then, America,
Shout and rejoice.
Fear not O land,
Be glad and rejoice.
Halleluyah!
The composer provides the following note:
I am not alone among American composers who feel an identity with Billings, and it is this sense of identity that accounts for my use of his music as a point of departure. These pieces do not constitute a “fantasy” on themes of Billings, nor “variations” on his themes, but rather a fusion of styles and musical language.
A timpani solo begins the short introduction, which is developed predominantly in the strings. This music is suggestive of the “Hallelujah" heard at the end of the piece. Trombones and trumpets begin the main section, a free and varied setting of the words “Be Glad Then, America, Shout and Rejoice.” The timpani, again solo, leads to a middle fugal section stemming from the words “And Ye Shall Be Satisfied.” The music gains momentum, and combined themes lead to a climax. There follows a free adaptation of the “Hallelujah” music with which Billings concludes his original choral piece and a final reference to the “Shout and Rejoice” music.