Anthems and Activism

Here in the USA we are in the midst of voting, and the entire world is watching. I’ve been imagining what Beethoven would have felt about voting if he’d had that option. He was so incredibly political, I’m sure he would be an activist if he were still living, just like so many others in the arts and in public life today. 

In the USA, every school child learns to sing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”. It is as standard as learning the pledge of allegiance. Of course, that is why Martin Luther King Jr. used this familiar tune as the foundation of his most famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Here is a short excerpt that takes uses the song’s lyrics to launch a chord of justice.

Like many cultural icons in the USA, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” has its roots in England. This tune is also the national anthem of Great Britain where it is known as “God Save the Queen” (Or God Save the King if the sovereign is male.)   Our Beethoven not only knew this tune as the British national anthem, he made several variations, much like jazz musicians will riff on popular themes.  His variations start in a very traditional way, then travel in flights of imagination.

Here, once again is the super Terrance McKnight, actor and radio host on WQXR public radio in New York City and the pianist Kyle Walker, in conjunction with the Harlem Chamber Players, combining Beethoven’s music and Langston Hughes’ poems in a performance piece called “American Variations.”

The final poem excerpted in this video is the touching “Mother to Son”.

Mother to Son

By Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

If you’d like to hear Martin Luther King Jr. recite this poem, enjoy this vintage clip.

And as Dr. King said so clearly, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”  And I add to that, if you want to keep moving forward, you have to vote. It is a sacred privilege, fruit of the enlightenment, and one that Beethoven would have treasured.

Until next time we meet, enjoy music, dive into poetry, and thanks for visiting thetonepoet.com.