Inauguration Music

I just read that Air and Simple Gifts has been published. This is the chamber ensemble piece composed by John Williams for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. It was "performed" by Yo-Yo Ma and company, miming the piece while the crowd heard a pre-recorded track. This actually made a lot of sense, as it was 15 degrees in Washington DC that day, and there was no way those acoustic instruments would be able to stay in tune. You can read my previous blog about it here.

When I first heard it, I thought it was a lovely bit of Americana, and I still do. If you would like to see a sample of the score or purchase the work, it is available here (click on "Closer Look.") You can also purchase the original track on iTunes or listen to it below, courtesy of Lala.com. And finally, if you'd like to see one musicologist's opinion about the political ramifications of performing the piece, check out the Dial M for Musicology blog. It's an interesting entry, albeit from a decidedly liberal stance.

Air and Simple Gifts - Yo-Yo M...