With Beethoven, Black Lives Matter

There is no separating Beethoven from the political. Liberty and justice were an essential foundation of his nature and his music. Entire books have been written on this, and one I highly suggest is Beethoven, The Relentless Revolutionary by John Clubbe. From the introduction, Clubbe writes “For listeners past and present, who have yearned for political and social change, Beethoven’s music has been and remains an inspiration.”

I am honored and excited to share this video with you, courtesy of Terrance McKnight, actor and radio host on WQXR public radio in New York City.  He and pianist Kyle Walker, in conjunction with the Harlem Chamber Players, have created some amazing videos, combining the poetry of Langston Hughes, the icon of poetry and the Harlem Renaissance, with Beethoven’s music, and the result is POWERFUL!

This video features Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op.27 No.1 with arrangement by Terrance McKnight. (Op.27 No.2, the Moonlight Sonata, deserves an entirely separate post.) Hughes’ poem is both painful and optimistic, and still speaks to our current national crisis after more than 50 years. It is so in tune with Beethoven, who could venture deep into the darkness of spirit, but still retain hope.

Demonstration

Did you ever walk into a firehose
With the water turned up full blast?
Did you ever walk toward police guns
When each step might be your last?
Did you ever stand up in the face of snarling dogs
And not move as the dogs came?
Did you ever feel the tear gas burn
Your day, your night, your dawn?
               Your dawn
When the water’s a rainbow hue,
               Your dawn
When the guns are no longer aimed at you,
               Your dawn
When the cops forget their jails,
               Your dawn
When the police dogs wag their tails,
               Your dawn
When the tear-gas canisters are dry,
               Your dawn
When you own the star in the sky,
               Your dawn
When the atom bomb is yours–
               Your dawn
When you have the keys to all doors–
               Your dawn
Will you ever forget your dawn?

I hope this gives you hope and courage for all we face as a nation. Until next time we meet, enjoy music, dive into poetry, and thanks for visiting thetonepoet.com.