In this bonus episode, learn how a composer chooses specific tools to combine an American hero’s actual words with music. Aaron Copland composed a musical tribute to President Abraham Lincoln. Why does Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait sound more stately and dignified than John Williams’ music for Superman?

Summon the Heroes!

In Depth: A Lincoln Portrait

Throughout the ages, composers have celebrated the accomplishments of famous heroes through music. What does a hero “sound” like? Get ready to find out! This multi-part audio series is part of the NSO’s Young People’s Concert: Summon the Heroes at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Listen to rousing marches by composers Aaron Copland and John Williams, and hear heroes caringly remembered in moving tributes by George Walker, Edward Elgar, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Richard Strauss.

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Summon the Heroes!