Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
(click the voicing indication to see how to use the arrangement with different age groups)
Two Parts – SB or TB(T = Boy Treble)
Two Parts – SC, SA or TC(T = Boy Treble)
Four Parts – SSCB, SACB, or SSAM (M= Men)
The lyrics of this piece present the ideas of two great Americans, John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson, as they prepared for the American Revolution. Hancock’s words introduce the piece: We fear not death. That gloomy night, that pale-faced moon, and the affrighted stars that hurried through the sky can witness: We fear not death!
The body of the work is a setting the words Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Each of these voicings utilize melody-part writing. The first of two settings includes melodies set against melodies and the second features a canon. The two-part settings are very easy and the four-part setting is moderately easy.
Programming patriotic works in our school concerts is an important and sensible choice. The students will be humming these memorable tunes long after they have performed it.
Click to accessFour-Part Variable Voicing, Two-Part Variable Voicing (one G clef & one F Clef), and Two-Part Variable Voicing (two G clefs)which describe how the different voicings may be sung by various age groups.
Words by John Hancock & Thomas Jefferson
Music by Don L. Collins
Arranged by DLC
Four-part Variable Voicing with Piano (CP Catalog #P47432)
Two-part Variable Voicing with Piano (one G clef & one F Clef) – CP Catalog #P47432-A
Two-part Variable Voicing with Piano (two G clefs) – CP Catalog #P47432-B
This work is available in E-Print.
Order printed copies from J.W. Pepper or directly from Cambiata Press. Please remember the copyright law: it is illegal to purchase a single octavo and photocopy it.