Aaron Copland and A Lincoln Portrait

While World War II was raging, Aaron Copland was creating music. Asked to write a portrait of an “eminent American,” the forty-two year old composer chose President Abraham Lincoln as his subject. Combining Lincoln’s own words from speeches and letters with folks songs of the period and an original score, Copland created the classical orchestral work “A Lincoln Portrait.”

Seventy-five years ago, the first performance was held on May 14, 1942. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra played, and William Adams was the narrator. Over fifteen minutes in length, the piece was an inspiration to all who heard it during the early, dark days of WWII. Some of the quoted text is from:

His annual message to Congress in 1862: “Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history…The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility.”

The Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858: “It is the eternal struggle between two principles, right and wrong, throughout the world. It is the same spirit that says ‘you toil and work and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.’ No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation, and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.”

The Gettysburg Address: “That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. That this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Performed hundreds of times, A Lincoln Portrait has been narrated by a dichotomy of people: Neil Armstrong, Marian Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Bill Clinton, Walter Cronkite, Julius Irving, Henry Fonda, Danny Glover, Tom Hanks, James Taylor, and Margaret Thatcher. There are several renditions on the internet of this iconic musical creation. Consider taking a few minutes to watch one:  A Lincoln Portrait 

A freelance writer for over ten years, Linda Shenton Matchett is the author of Love's Harvest and Love Found in Sherwood Forest. Under Fire, the first book in her trilogy about war correspondent/amateur sleuth Ruth Brown will be released this summer. Get to know Linda by visiting her website.

Mr. Lincoln's Memorial

A group of old photos made its way around cyberspace. They were interesting, until I came to one of the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln didn’t have a head! What I had thought was a one-piece marble sculpture is actually several parts put together.

"In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever." Beneath these words, the 16th President of the United States sits immortalized in marble as an enduring symbol of unity, strength, and wisdom.

Senator James McMillan served as chairman of the Senate District of Columbia Committee. In 1900, Senator James McMillan formed the Senate Park Commission, to recognize the centennial of the arrival of the nation’s capital to what is now Washington, District of Columbia. The commission planned an integrated park system.

The Senate Park Commission Plan, published in 1902, called for a Lincoln Memorial. The proposed Memorial would honor Lincoln with its simplicity, dignity, strength, and beauty in proportion and in classical form.

Architect Henry Bacon modeled the memorial after the Greek Parthenon. A memorial to a man who defended democracy ought to be based on a structure found in the birthplace of democracy, he reasoned. The final design featured thirty-six exterior columns to symbolize the thirty-six reunited states at the time of Lincoln’s death. The names of those states appear in the frieze above the columns.

I visited Mr. Lincoln in 1999.

The interior of the Lincoln Memorial has three chambers. The central chamber contains the statue of the president, while the flanking chambers commemorate Lincoln’s speeches that reflected his character and celebrate his accomplishments during his presidency. These are the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address.

Daniel Chester French researched Abraham Lincoln and studied photographs of him. He decided Lincoln’s special qualities were his strength and his compassionate nature. French depicted the president as a weary but strong individual who had endured many hardships. Lincoln’s hands are positioned to display his leading qualities. One hand is clenched, representing his strength and determination to see the war through to a successful conclusion. The other hand is a more open, slightly more relaxed hand representing his compassionate, warm nature.

Construction took place between 1914 and 1922. Work had been mostly completed when the United States entered into the First World War in April 1917. Progress slowed but remained steady.

Different stones were used in the Memorial’s construction. The terrace walls and lower steps comprise granite blocks from Massachusetts; the upper steps, outside façade, and columns contain marble blocks from Colorado; the interior walls and columns are Indiana limestone; the floor is pink Tennessee marble; the ceiling tiles are Alabama marble; and the Lincoln statue contains 28 pieces of Georgia marble, put together like a puzzle, I discovered.

Henry Bacon chose these different building materials to tell a specific story. A country torn apart by war can come together and build something beautiful.

Have you visited Mr. Lincoln?

Give Thanks

Tina here.

Can I just say yay. Halloween is over.

You've taken care of all the beasties and ghoulies and superheroes and princesses and pirates and well, you name it. You've pumped them with chocolate and candies and sent them into the night on a chocolate high. (probably got one yourself)

And some of us have a made a hiding place for the chocolate we skimmed from our children's bags and plan to nibble on throughout the year. (Not me of course) but now is the time to put away our masks and turn our focus to November. To the crisp cool air and the gold, red and burnt orange leaves of autumn (which I don't have in the part of Arizona where I reside) and the pumpkin pies and turkeys of Thanksgiving (not talking about the family here).

Unfortunately, as the years have passed, Thanksgiving has become more a day of shopping and food and football. And a day we gorge ourselves with fine rich food and deal with indigestion and our in-laws or outlaws. Christmas decorations have hogged the shelves at the local stores for weeks.

Thanksgiving decorations have been relegated to a few shelves near the card aisle in most stores, or completely forgotten.


When asked what they're doing for Thanksgiving, some people might even say "What do I have to be thankful for?" Or "I'm going to pork out and party."

What is Thanksgiving all about?

As you know I love short history lessons, so here is one on Thanksgiving.

In 1621, the Pilgrims, (Plymouth Colonists) newly off the Mayflower and having gone through their first brutal winter in the New World, joined with the Wampanoag Indians to share a harvest feast.

That was to be the first Thanksgiving in the colonies.

After that differing states and colonies would celebrate days of thanksgiving.

In 1863 durning the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln set aside the last Thursday in November and proclaimed it to be Thanksgiving for the whole nation. He was not the first president to proclaim a day of thanksgiving. He was the first to set a specific day aside.

In 1939 Franklin Roosevelt changed it to the 4th Thursday. It's nice to think he did so because the fifth Thursday didn't come every year, but he did so at the request of the National Retail Dry Goods Association who wanted to extend holiday shopping by a week. The Macy's Thanksgiving day parade started in 1924 and was originally the Macy's Christmas Parade, but the 6abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade is four years older.

I never knew that. Perhaps the movie Miracle on 34th Street helped make Macy's Parade a household name.

Turkey, Cranberry and Corn were at the first Thanksgiving and are still favorites today. There was also shellfish, fish, deer and other roasted meats.

What no pumpkin pie. hmmm?

It is said Pumpkin Pie made it's debut in 1670. so it's been around awhile. And if you eat too much it will be around a while with you too.

LOL

As I said, the Pilgrims were thankful to make it through a hard winter and for the Indians that helped them. Abraham Lincoln wanted to remind a broken nation to be thankful. George Washington celebrated a day of Thanksgiving after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, and James Madison did so after the War of 1812. All very momentous occasions and reasons to give thanks.

For myself. Hubby and I just moved into a new home, it's still not quite in the right state, but I will not quibble the Lord gave us a blessings.  Hubby still has a good job, I had four books release this year and there is much more to be thankful for.

It is important to have a day of Thanksgiving and remember all the blessings you've received, but it is good to remember them throughout the year too.

Have you gone through anything this year that has given you a reason to be thankful? Take this month and give thanks every day for just one thing.