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On Sunday afternoon, David & Ginger Hildebrand will deliver a fascinating program performing music written for and about Lafayette. Composed from the 1770s – 1820s, the tunes illustrate his enormous popularity in the New World. When Lafayette came from France to America during the Revolutionary war, his given title was Marquis. Once made a general in the Continental army, he renounced his noble title, took on the title General Lafayette and became a beloved figure in American history.Copious evidence of his 1824-25 tour survives in prints and paintings, commemorative items, poetry and pamphlets as well as published descriptions of speeches, toasts, parades, fireworks and triumphal arches. Yet the performing arts, most notably music and dance, survive to rekindle the past excitement and mood of that day – that America is great because of its awesome democratic institutions and larger-than-life heroes: Lafayette and Washington. Period songs, dance tunes and marches resonate with such affirmation down the centuries.
Arranged from period sources, some songs involve newly composed music and lyrics; others are parodies - new lyrics set to old familiar tunes. “Yankee Doodle” and “Auld Lang Syne” were common melodic choices. You’ll hear how the latter tune was used to honor Lafayette’s presence during the Revolutionary battle at Brandywine, Pennsylvania. As the artists sample later decades of music, listeners will come to appreciate how American music of the 1820s served to express many of the thoughts and hopes of Americans long ago. The stimulating program will be a treat to the eyes as well as the ears. It is rendered on a delightful array of period instruments such as harpsichord, Baroque and English guitars, English flute, violin and hammered dulcimer. Sit back, listen, learn and enjoy!
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Event venue
Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, 333 Dubois Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401-2123, United States
Tickets
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