By Sarah Lane
Light glittered off of 23 trombones from BYU”s Trombone Choir as the musicians opened Tuesday”s Devotional in the Marriott Center with “Achieved is the Glorious Work.”
Students enjoyed a melodious feast for the ears as the hour continued with performances from the Wind Symphony, the University Chorale and he Philharmonic Orchestra.
“Music repeatedly both influences and expresses our emotions and thinking,” said narrator Doug Bush, a professor in the music department.
Music gives voice to praise, expresses sorrow, calls believers together and lends beauty to worship and celebration, he said.
The featured music also included “Let us break bread together,” a historic song from the Negro slave era, “Jesus the very thought of thee,” and “A Lincoln Portrait,” the grand finale, written by American composer Aaron Copland.
President Merrill J. Bateman accompanied the Philharmonic Orchestra as the narrator of the piece, which showcases Lincoln”s life and ideals through excerpts from famous speeches.
The piece has gained honor and fame since Copland composed it in 1942, attracting the voices of Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Margaret Thatcher and General Norman Schwarzkopf as narrators.
This 6”4″ man who became the 16th President of the United States was born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana and lived in Illinois, President Bateman read.
Through his narration, President Bateman helped to shape and bring light to the life of Abraham Lincoln.
“He said ”As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master,”” President Bateman read.
“That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” he continued.
Bush said he hopes students who attended the Devotional experienced a new dimension in music.
“Whenever we have exposure to good things, our lives are bettered for it,” he said.
Tuesday”s Devotional will not be rebroadcast.
