Monday Musicale with the Maestro – May 25, 2020 – Roy Harris: Symphony No. 6 “Gettysburg”

Memorial Day is a time when Americans honor those citizens who died serving the United States Armed Forces. The most famous memorial speech was Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which was delivered on that battlefield on November 19, 1863. In this eloquent speech, Lincoln reminded Americans that all men are created equal and that our Union soldiers were dying to make this a legal reality.  His speech includes this moving line: “from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.”

This speech was also the inspiration for the great Symphony No. 6 (subtitled “Gettysburg”) by one of my favorite American composers, Roy Harris (1898-1979).  Like me, Harris was obsessed with Lincoln, and he was even born on Lincoln’s birthday (in a log cabin, no less!)  He wrote half a dozen works dedicated to his hero, and his noble Symphony No. 6 was written amidst World War II when Americans, as in the Civil War, were dying and making enormous sacrifices for a Great Cause.

Enjoy & Be well!

William Henry Curry
Music Director, Durham Symphony Orchestra

Durham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro William Henry Curry
Symphony No. 6 “Gettysburg” Finale: Affirmation – Roy Harris:
Martin Luther King Tribute Concert – January 14, 2017 – Reynolds Industries Theater