WKXL - New Hampshire Talk Radio
Artful Living Presents | The Fourth of July Special
(upbeat music) - Good morning, everybody. Jane, Columbia here, Art for Living on WKXL, 1450 AM, 103.9 FM Conquered in 101.9 FM in Manchester. Well now, happy 4th of July. We have a special, special segment for you today. Episode, I should say we have four great segments. And we're all about the 4th of July today. And we're gonna play some wonderful music, stuff that you probably already know. Various tunes that are very patriotic. And maybe a couple that you might have heard, but weren't really sure what they were from and who wrote them. So we're gonna have a little bit of a cornucopia of music and readings today. We're gonna start off right at the top with, of course, our Star Spangled Banner, the National Anthem. And most of the pieces that you hear today are going to be sort of a classical take. Since I'm the host, I get to choose. And this is gonna have really beautiful arrangements of these pieces that we think everybody will very much enjoy. So we're gonna start with the National Anthem. And then right after that, we're going to have a rendition of America the Beautiful. And then we'll sign you out to the next segment. And as we go along, you will enjoy all this wonderful music and readings. Here we go, our National Anthem. ♪ Oh say can you see ♪ ♪ By the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪ ♪ At the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ Through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the rocket's red glare ♪ ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ The ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ I'm proud of you ♪ ♪ I'm proud of you ♪ ♪ I'm proud of you ♪ ♪ Oh, beautiful, oh beautiful ♪ ♪ You stay fresh of strength ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ ♪ We don't need it ♪ ♪ Of hope, of hope ♪ Well, now, that was certainly an exciting way to get into the spirit of the Fourth of July. You know, we're going to, in our second segment, have a reading of the wonderful declaration of independence. And that is really a well-done recitation for us. But as we start this finish I should say this segment here, the first segment, I wanted to add a little bit. From a composer, an American composer, Aaron Copeland, that people probably hear his music in commercials on movies all the time, but really don't recognize it as Aaron Copeland's "compositions." Copeland was a son of Russian Jewish immigrants, and he was born in New York City. And his sister actually taught him to play the piano. But he later became, oh my goodness, one of the world-renowned composers, and is referred to as the Dean of American Composers. So he really, really did exemplify the sound of American music, certainly in the classical world, and much beyond, as we're still playing his pieces today. So we're going to actually play a short excerpt, or a short piece for you that he wrote that is called "Hodown." And this piece, "Hodown" is from a piece called "Rodio," but it's really famous. And most people do immediately recognize the tune. So we're going to play this little piece called "Hodown Aaron Copeland." Enjoy! [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Yes, yes, "Hodown." So there is just no getting by the fact that Aaron Copeland was truly the Dean of American Music, and we hear it with the spirit of this piece, "Hodown." All right, you stay right where you are. When you come back, we're going to hear a recitation of the Declaration of Independence. Jane, call me here. Artful Living, your host. [Music] Welcome back. Jane Cormier here, your host for Artful Living, New HampshireTalkRadio.com, WKXL1450AM103.9 FM Concord and 101.9 FM in Manchester. If you are just joining us, we are celebrating, of course, the 4th of July. And what does that mean? That means that we're going to have a program full of American music, patriotic music, and of course, readings. And we're going to start this segment with a wonderful, masterful reading of the Declaration of Independence by a gentleman, Max McLean. And of course, very little needs to be said here, Independence Day. We know that the founders, founding fathers of the 13 colonies, signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. And this is the thing that established us as a free nation. So we hope you enjoy this reading of the Declaration of Independence. The most declaration of the 13 United States of America. When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bans which have connected them with another. And to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such forms, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. Prudence indeed will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes, and accordingly all experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable than to write themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government and to provide new guards for their future security, such has been the patient's sufferance of these colonies. And such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present king of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations all having indirect object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained, and when so suspended he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right in estimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time after such dissolution to cause others to be elected, whereby the legislative powers incapable of annihilation have returned to the people at large for their exercise, the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states, for that purpose obstructing the laws of naturalization of foreigners, refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary palace. He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure of their offices and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. He has kept among us in times of peace-standing armies without the consent of our legislature. He has affected to render the military independent out and superior to the civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws, giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us, for protecting them by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states, for cutting off our trade with all parts of the world, for imposing taxes on us without our consent, for depriving us in many cases of the benefits of trial by jury, for transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses, for abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies, for taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments, for suspending our own legislatures and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate forests in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfectly scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to for themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections among us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people, nor have we been wanting an attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarranted jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must therefore acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace, friends. We therefore, the representatives of the United States of America in general congress, assembled, appealing to the supreme judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions do in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states, that they are absorbed from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is an ought to be totally dissolved, and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. There you go. The Declaration of Independence is spoken by Max McLean, and I cannot help but be overwhelmed by the fact that this declaration is every bit as relevant in 2024 as it was in 1776. Jane Kommier here, your host for Artful Living, WKXL 1450AM 103.9 FM Concord in 101.9 FM in Manchester. Stay right where you are, we're coming right back with some more wonderful patriotic music. ♪ Welcome back. Jane Kommier, your host today, Artful Living, and Happy Fourth of July. That's what today's program is all about, celebrating the Declaration of Independence and the Independence of America. And we're doing that through music and some readings. Our last segment had the reading of the full Declaration of Independence. And we're going to continue in this segment. In the first segment, we talked a little bit about Aaron Copeland. And Aaron Copeland was the premier American composition. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his music. And he wrote a piece in 1944 that was actually a ballet. It was written as a ballet, Appalachian Spring. Very, very famous piece, of course. You've heard it. I'm sure sections of it through different media. If you haven't heard the whole, you know, orchestral piece, you've certainly heard snippets. And the Appalachian Spring was later written in '45. He rearranged it as an orchestral work and became super famous as well as that. Martha Graham also was the ballet choreographer for the original production for Appalachian Spring, which I think is a pretty cool little factoid. We're going to play some of this for you, the Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copeland. And we can enjoy the spirit of Americana within this piece. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Okay, so that was a nice little piece of the Appalachian Spring. Our next piece is a really famous piece "Battle Him of the Republic" and everybody knows this. It was written by Julia Ward Howe, who was an American abolitionist, and she adapted this song from John Brown's Body, which was written in 1861. And in contrast to the lyrics of that song, her version links the union cause with God's vengeance and the day of judgment. And she takes certain, there's certain biblical passages that are highlighted in the "Battle Him of the Republic." She was married to Sam Gridley Howe as well, who was also very active in the abolition movement. And so here we go, let's play "Battle Him of the Republic." (upbeat music) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword He stole his marching off (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) Okay, we're going to take a little break here. Happy Fourth of July, stay with us. Our last segment is coming up, and we're going to focus on Stars and Stripes forever. WKXL 1450AM, 103.9 FM Concord, and 101.9 FM in Manchester. Hurry back now. (music playing) Happy Fourth of July, everyone. Jane, call me or hear your host for Artful Living, New Hampshire TalkRadio.com. And if you're just joining us, we've been playing segments of readings and patriotic music, and I thought it would be great to throw something in here from someone who's one of almost a local, Leonard Bernstein, who was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Great classical composer, American composer, and certainly has a lot of music out there that people are very, very familiar with. One of his more famous pieces was from the opera Candide, and the overture, especially, is something that is really, really a heartfelt piece of American music. So we're going to play a little bit of Leonard Bernstein. When we come back after that, we're going to play your famous, famous Stars and Stripes forever. So here we go, Leonard Bernstein. (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) Okay, here you go. (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) (music playing) Very short, short and sweet, great piece of music. And really, who doesn't know that tune, right? So, just want to let everybody know 4th of July celebrations are going to be all over our state. Here in Concord, we celebrate the 4th of July. At Memorial Field, festivities start at 6 o'clock pm, food vendors, music, and of course fireworks begin at dusk around 9.20. And should we have rain, they'll try again, rain date is going to be Friday, July 5th. So, you have, that's just conquered. And if you go actually to a great site, let me get to it here, this site has every single, I think, that I can find anyway, a listing of fireworks in New Hampshire. So, go to NHmagazine.com, NHmagazine.com/New Hampshire 4th of July events. Okay, so if you put that in there, you will find a listing of every single one. And so, I really, what I like to tell people to do once, at least once, I remember I did this once with my kids, is get this listing. And then try to do as many of the fireworks as you can. And we did this one, one holiday, one, you know, 4th of July. And we had such a great time, the kids loved it. And if you start out in Amherst, June 30th, right? Well, we already missed that one, that already passed and gone, but you could do the 3rd, 4th, 6th in Bristol, 6th in Canterbury. So, you know, there's all kinds of dates. Exeter fireworks are on July 13th, following the American Independence Festival. Oh, that must be fun. Franconia is July 13th. So, you know what? If you really wanted to do it up one, one summer, you could take this listing and make a whole schedule. And I think that that would be fabulous. If I still had kids, I would still do it. Alright, so happy 4th of July to everyone. Happy birthday to our nation. WKXL 1450 AM 103.9 FM conquered in 101.9 FM in Manchester. This is Jane Cormier, Artful Living, here at WKXL, New Hampshire, TalkRadio.com. Have a fun and safe 4th of July. [MUSIC] (upbeat music)