THE CANTATA SINGERS

PRESENT

SING DEMOCRACY 250

The Words We Are Singing

The Star Spangled Banner
Our National Anthem

MUSIc: “Anacreon in Heaven”
Lyrics by Frances Scott Key

O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

Redeem the Dream

music by Dr. Brandon A Boyd
Lyrics from the declaration of Independence and Langston Hughes

I. Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson, with help from Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston and the approval of the Second Continental Congress, 1776

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness-That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

II. Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes, 1936

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed­
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above. 

(It never was America to me.)

0, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe. 

(There's never been equality for me, .

Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free."
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?

III. I Am

Langston Hughes, 1936

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek­
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold!
Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one’s own greed!
I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all!
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today-O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.  

IV. Who Dreamt

Langston Hughes, 1936

Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream,
In the Old World while still a serf of kings
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true.
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That’s made America the land it has become.
O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas

In search of what l meant to be my home-
For I’m the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
and Poland’s, plain and Englands grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a ''homeland of the free.”

V. The Free?

Langston Hughes, 1936

The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay-
Except the dream that’s almost dead today. 

VI. America Again

Langston Hughes, 1936

0, let America be America again­
The land that never has been yet-
And yet must be-the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine-
The poor man's, Indian’s, Negro’s
ME-
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry,
Whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath-
America will be!
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain-
All, all the stretch of these great green states-
And make America again!

US: Part One

Music by Michael Bussewitz-Quarm
Words from Richard Haass’ The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens

LYRIC NOTE: Bracketed words in italics are from the original quote but omitted by the composer for the performance. Words in parentheses were added by the composer for the performance.

This is Our Time

“This is our time, to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope.” (Barack Obama)

“The temptation to ignore our duty and blindly hope for the best while the enemies of freedom grow stronger day by day.” (Ronald Reagan)

“We, the People are the key. Democracy depends on us—all of us. This is our time to fulfill democracy’s promise and build a ‘more perfect union’.” (Celia Ellingson)

"It is up to us in our time to choose, and choose wisely, between the hard but necessary task of preserving peace and freedom” (Ronald Reagan)

It is not enough

“It is not enough to talk about human rights without emphasizing human duties… Rights without duties led to lawlessness, even as duties without rights can lead to slavery and to the abasement of individuality.” (Max Arzt)

US: Part Two

Our Obligations

1 Be Informed

“A little learning, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people." (Frederick Douglass)

"The safeguard of democracy is education." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

"Wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government." (Thomas Jefferson) 

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." (Daniel Patrick Moynihan) 

2 Get Involved

Do Something, all of something, get involved. 

"The desire to do something and contribute was stronger than the fear of speaking up" (Wilma Mankiller)

"The impact of participation trickles up. Rosa Parks didn’t start out by taking on all of Jim Crow; she started out by taking a seat on a local bus." (James Mattis)

Do something, all of something, get involved. 

3 Support the Teaching of Civics

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on [for them] to do the same. An informed patriotism is what we want." (Ronald Reagan) 

"[Every young person needs to] (We can) learn how our government works at the national level, at the state level, at the local level and how [they] (we) can be part of it." (Sandra Day O'Connor)

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction… An informed patriotism is what we want. It must be fought for, protected." (Ronald Reagan) 

4 Remain Civil

Open! Open the walls of dialogue.

''Unless you have dialogue, [unless you open the walls of dialogue], you can never reach to change people's opinion." (Harvey Milk)

"Civility is the recognition that all people have dignity that's inherent to their person; no matter their religion, race, gender, sexuality, or ability." (Ayo (Opal) Tometi)

(Trust over cynicism, community over chaos) "Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment; it is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos." (George W. Bush)

5 Stay Open to Compromise

(Peace, I am peace.)

"All legislation, all government, all society is founded upon the principle of mutual concession." (Henry Clay) 

"Compromise is the essence of our democracy. Cooperation and working together to build consensus have to prevail in the end.” (Lee Hamilton)

(For peace. I am peace.)

"Compromise need not mean cowardice. Indeed, it is [frequently] the compromisers and conciliators who are faced with the severest tests of political courage. ..." (John F. Kennedy)

(Oh, peace. I am peace.) 

6 Reject Violence

(Democracy!)

"Democracy offers peaceful channels for individuals and groups to pursue their goals: There are multiple alternatives to using violence in pursuit of political ends." (Richard Haass) 

"Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America." (John Lewis)

7 Promote the Common Good

''We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny… “ (Martin Luther King, Jr.) 

"A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good." (Barbara Jordan)

“…Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

8 Value Norms

(Customs, conventions, codes of conduct. Unwritten traditions. Rules and practices.)

"Democracy requires more than laws if it is to function. Norms are the unwritten traditions, rules, [customs, conventions, codes of conduct,] and practices that reduce frictions and brittleness in a society." (Richard Haass)

(Democracy requires more than laws if it is to function.)

"When the norm is decency, other virtues [can] thrive…” (Raja Krishnamoorthi)

(Norms are the unwritten traditions. Rules and practices. Customs, conventions, codes of conduct.)

"When the norm is decency, other virtues can thrive: integrity, honesty, compassion, kindness and trust." (Raja Krishnamoorthi)

9 Respect Government Service

"A citizenry inspired by the call to public service is essential to the health of a democracy.” (E. J. Dionne, Kayla Meltzer Drogosz, Robert E. Litan)

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country," (John F. Kennedy)

10 Put Country First

"Love your neighbor as yourself and your country more than yourself" (Thomas Jefferson)

"Patriotism is a love and a duty, a love of country expressed in good citizenship.'' (John McCain)

"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth." (Abraham Lincoln) 

(We shall nobly save.)

US: Part Three

Call to Citizenship

"All have gifts that contribute to the greater national whole.
We are dependent on each other.
We have need of every citizen.
If one suffers, we all suffer.
If one rejoices, we all rejoice together.
If one of us is bound, none of us is free.
Harmony is a sound far greater than dissonance and unison.
The political orchestra of contrasting souls working together for freedom is as powerful as it is beautiful.
We are one. We love one another.'' (W. West Allen)

"It's time to believe the heart and soul of this democracy can live.
When we all get together, when the rejected join hands together,
we can turn this nation around...
We can alter the course of history.
Together, we will make sure that hope, not hate, has the last word…
Because when we all get together, what a day, what a day, what a day, what a day, what a day of justice, it will be." (Rev. William Barber II)

Lift Every Voice And Sing

Music by J. Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954)
Lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)

Lift every voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

Dr. Brandon A. Boyd is the Marie M. and Harry L. Smith endowed Chair, Director of Choral Activities, and Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at the University of Missouri, where he directs multiple university choirs and the graduate choral conducting program. In addition to his university responsibilities, he enjoys a versatile career as a conductor, appearing regularly as a composer-in-residence, collaborative pianist, and presenter for conferences, conventions, collegiate choirs, church choirs, choral symposiums, and festivals.

As an active composer and arranger, his music is sung regularly by ensembles throughout the United States and abroad. He performs regularly with his mentor, Dr. André Thomas, and the London Symphony Orchestra. His work has been showcased multiple times at Carnegie Hall, where he has appeared as a guest conductor, composer, and collaborative pianist. He holds two degrees from Florida State University (a Ph.D. in choral music education and an M.M. in choral conducting) and earned a B.S. in music education (emphasis in piano) from Tennessee State University.

Michael Bussewitz-Quarm is a composer whose choral music engages with pressing social and environmental issues. Her work addresses topics ranging from coral reef conservation to gun violence and the global refugee crisis. Winner of The American Prize in Choral Composition in 2021, Bussewitz-Quarm's works areperformed by leading professional and educational choral ensembles across North America. Notable performances include her Carnegie Hall debut of "Where We Find Ourselves," the west coast premiere of "The Unarmed Child" by the Eugene Concert Choir and Orchestra, "I'll Fly Away" at the International Society of Contemporary Music's New Music Days in Vancouver, and "Nigra Sum" performed by The Duke University Chorale on their California tour.