Dream of Martin Luther King, The
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Subtitle: For SATB Choir and Concert Band
General Info
Year: 2018
Duration: c. 5:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: E.C. Schirmer
Cost: Score and Parts - Unknown
Instrumentation
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Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
As a composer, I have long been inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King. In 2008, I was commissioned by the San Francisco-based male vocal ensemble Chanticleer to compose The Homecoming: In Memoriam Martin Luther King to mark the 40th anniversary of his death. In John Stirling Walker’s poem The Homecoming, the speaker is addressing Dr. King, to inspire him and to affirm that he will be “home” when people stop ignoring what he said.
I was grateful, then, to receive the invitation from the Stockton Chorale, the Danville Community Band, and the University of California Berkeley Wind Ensemble to compose a piece honoring Dr. King and marking the 50th anniversary of his death. I had previously composed I Heard You Singing for the Stockton Chorale in honor of their 60th anniversary in 2013. Myra Cohen Livingston’s poem “The Dream of Martin Luther King” expresses the gentle hope that Dr. King’s vision will also someday be realized. Its narrative traces the awakening of the speaker to a call to action. After an instrumental introduction, which is built on the strong and hopeful interval of a rising 5th, the chorus enters in unison to intone the poem’s message. As the piece evolves, the vision becomes more clear, expressed through more vigorous music, culminating in the final affirmation of uniting with Dr. King through dancing, singing, and marching.
The Dream of Martin Luther King
The dream
of Martin Luther King
will happen
in some far-off Spring
when winter ice
and snow are gone.
One day, the dreamer
in gray dawn
will waken
to a blinding night
where hawk and dove
in silent flight
brush wings together
on a street
still thundering
with ghostly feet
And soul will dance
and soul will sing
and march with
Martin Luther King.
- Myra Cohn Livingston
Media
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State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
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- University of California, Berkeley, Wind Ensemble (Robert Calonico, conductor) – 22 April 2018
- Danville (Calif.) Community Band (Robert Calonico, conductor; Stockton Chorale) – 10 February 2018 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Copland Portrait, A (tr. Nowlin) (1999/2015)
- The Dream of Martin Luther King (2018)
Resources
- David Conte, personal correspondence, March 2018
- David Conte website Accessed 26 March 2018
- "Stockton Chorale Will Premiere 'The Dream of Martin Luther King'." Lodi News-Sentinel. February 8, 2018. Web. Accessed 26 March 2018