After an Inauguration, the Stars Come out to Play
Ever since George Washington danced after his inauguration, the ceremony has brought big names in the arts to the capital city
- By Katy June-Friesen
- Smithsonian.com, January 13, 2009, Subscribe
U.S. Marine Band on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
In the program for President William McKinley’s 1901 inauguration, a writer prophesied the scene of a 21st -century inaugural ceremony. “Nearly a half million people had been packed into the great glass-covered arena which fronts the east façade of the new Capitol building,” the writer foresaw. To entertain them? “Four great automatic bands were placed in the corners of the space and, operated by buttons, simultaneously rendered a programme of popular music.”
President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration will continue the tradition of entertaining inaugural crowds, albeit with live performances instead of musical machines. Musicians scheduled to appear include Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma and two San Francisco children’s choirs at his swearing-in ceremony and a blockbuster array of artists, including Bono, Bruce Springsteen, and Sheryl Crow, will perform in a nationally broadcast concert on inauguration weekend. Poet Elizabeth Anderson will read only the fourth poem ever composed for a presidential inauguration.
Music has been part of inaugural celebrations from the beginning, when George Washington danced the minuet at his inaugural ball. Its role in the festivities grew as more people flocked to Washington to be part of the event.
By the late 1800s, the inauguration had become a multi-day affair with luncheons, balls and concerts. McKinley’s 1901 schedule of events, for example, included five official inaugural concerts featuring the United States Marine Band and a 500-voice chorus.
At this year’s ceremony, the band will continue as the inaugural “house band.” Created in 1798 specifically to provide music for the president, the United States Marine Band has played at nearly every ceremony since Thomas Jefferson’s in 1801. Concert band fare—including marches composed by one-time bandleader John Philip Sousa—was the standard until the early- to mid-20th century, when vocal music became part of the ceremony. Before this time, the only singing was the national anthem by a member of the band.
In 1953 at Dwight D. Eisehhower’s inauguration, Dorothy Maynor sang the national anthem and Eugene Conley sang “America the Beautiful,” initiating a tradition of featuring classical or opera stars. In a symbolic moment, African-American contralto Marian Anderson sang at Eisenhower’s second inauguration and again at John F. Kennedy’s in 1961. Leontyne Price sang for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both chose Jessye Norman, and Susan Graham and Denyce Graves sang for George W. Bush in 2005.
In the days before and after the swearing-in, inaugural concerts have historically attempted to match the grandness of the occasion with an impressive number of musicians. McKinley’s 1897 inaugural concerts were the first to pair choral and band repertoire, and as the 1901 program said, “were such a source of enjoyment to the thousand of visitors in the city” that tradition was continued. The 1901 concerts—featuring “The Famous Republican Glee Club” of Columbus, Ohio, and an inaugural chorus—honored the Army, Navy, Congress, states and people of the United States, and were all held in the U.S. Pension Building (now the National Building Museum) so attendees could see the ball décor “on which the sum of $18,000 has been spent.” Tickets were available to the public for 50 cents. In addition to a variety of patriotic songs, the inaugural chorus sang Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times Come No More.”
The Philippine Constabulary Band from Manila performed at several of William H. Taft’s six concerts, which included nearly 600 voices singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s “Messiah.” Taft had been Governor General of the Philippines after the United States gained control of the islands after the Spanish-American War.
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Comments (1)
Where can I go to to find out what the weather was like at each Presidential Inaguration? Appreciate your help. Thank You, Cruz
Posted by Cruz Menchaca on January 21,2009 | 01:03 PM