Testament of Freedom, The
Randall Thompson (arr. Corley)
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Subtitle: A Setting of Four Passages from the Writings of Thomas Jefferson
General Info
Year: 1942
Duration: c. 23:50
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Schirmer
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental
Movements
1. The God Who Gave Us Life – 3:30
2. We Have Counted the Cost – 6:10
3. We Fight Not for Glory or for Conquest – 5:30
4. I Shall Not Die Without a Hope – 8:45
Instrumentation
(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Randall Thompson became Chairman of the Music Department at the School of Fine Arts at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville in 1941. In 1942, the University asked him to compose a work for its April 13, 1943 “Founders Day,” which celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson, who founded the university in 1819.
Thompson chose texts from Jefferson’s writings for his work. The opening, The God Who Gave Us Life in from his 1774 pamphlet A Summary View of the Rights of British America. The second and third parts are set to lengthy passages from his Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, written two days after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence to convince the last holdouts that war with England was inevitable. The final section quotes a letter written by Jefferson to John Adams, and concludes with repetition of the opening statement.
- Program Note from Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music
Commercial Discography
- Audio CD: Dallas Wind Symphony - 1993
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Charlottesville (Va.) Municipal Band (Stephen R. Layman, conductor) - 5 July 2017
- United States Army Band (Ft. Myer, Va.) (Timothy J. Holton, conductor) – 6 November 2016
- United States Army Field Band (Ft. Meade, Md.) (Timothy J. Holtan, conductor) - 4 March 2016 (81st Annual ABA National Convention)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Alleluia (Thompson) (tr. Buckley) (1993)
- Best of Rooms, The (arr. Lambrecht) (1963/2016)
- Best of Rooms, The (arr. Grant) (1963/2017)
- Frostiana (arr. Hudson) (1984)
- Testament of Freedom (arr. Corley) (1942)
Resources
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Randall Thompson." Accessed 25 February 2016
- Thompson, R.; Jefferson, T. (1944). The Testament of Freedom : A Setting of Four Passages from the Writings of Thomas Jefferson : For Men's Voices with Piano, Band or Orchestral Accompaniment [score]. E.C. Schirmer Music Co.: Boston.