Messages from Mount Rushmore
What would they say to us today?
“History, in general, only informs us what bad government is.”
Thomas Jefferson
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official.”
Theodore Roosevelt
“Every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart.”
George Washington
“Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
Abraham Lincoln
Title: Messages from Mount Rushmore
Composers: Tim and Louise Berens
Description: Messages from Mount Rushmore features quotes from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, the four presidents sculpted on Mount Rushmore. The music is rich Americana Pops in the tradition of Leroy Anderson and George Gershwin.
Months of research went into finding and then verifying quotes from the four presidents. Hundreds of quotes were printed on strips of paper, then arranged on a table.
The composers rearranged the quotes dozens of times, eventually creating conversations among the presidents on various topics, including the country, patriotism, war, music, religion, and gardening. You can read the conversation here.
After the conversation among the presidents was finalized, the music was composed to underscore the conversation. The music ranges from soothing to soaring to silly, as it comments on the presidential conversation.
This piece makes a fascinating jumping off point for students to learn about the presidents.
Instrumentation: 2222/4331/Timp+2/Drum Set/Harp /Piano/Strings/Narrator
Length: 11:30
Rental Fee: $450.00 first performance. $150.00 per subsequent performance.
Sound Selection Performed by: The Ohio Valley Symphony with narrator Mike Eldred, and conductor Tim Berens
Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe
(The Six Grandfathers)
“The Six Grandfathers (Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe) was named by Lakota medicine man Nicolas Black Elk after a vision. “The vision was of the six sacred directions: west, east, north, south, above, and below. The directions were said to represent kindness and love, full of years and wisdom, like human grandfathers.” The granite bluff that towered above the Hills remained carved only by the wind and the rain until 1927 when Gutzon Borglum began his assault on the mountain.”
We hope that our “Messages from Mount Rushmore” will prompt curiosity to discover more about our rich American history.
