Here is some classical music for voting in a presidential and Congressional election and waiting for the results.

ALERT: This Friday night at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, UW cellist Parry Karp (below), who also plays in the Pro Arte String Quartet, will perform a FREE concert. He will perform with pianists brother Christopher Karp and father Howard Karp. The program features “Angélus! Prière aux anges gardiens” from Third Year of “Years of Pilgrimage” by Franz Liszt; the WORLD PREMIERE of MADISON-BORN AND UW-MADISON-EDUCATED COMPOSER Nils Bultmann’s Suite for Solo Cello, an homage to J.S. Bach‘s Solo Cello Suite No. 1; “Lasst mich allein,” Op. 82, No. 1, by Dvorak; Sonata in D major for Piano and Cello, Op. 102, No. 2, by Beethoven; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 “Héroïde-Élégiaque” by Liszt; and the Sonata in F minor for Piano and Clarinet, Op. 120, No. 1, by Johannes Brahms and transcribed by Parry Karp.

By Jacob Stockinger

Well, it’s too bad, isn’t it, that we don’t have the American equivalent of British ceremonial music for coronations and other major public events.

After all, today happens only once every four years.

It is Presidential Election Day in the U.S. with the entire world watching whether incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama (below top) wins reelection or whether Republican Party challenger Mitt Romney (below bottom) successfully unseats him – to say nothing of how the US Senate and House end up going.

Such an event would seem to invite music.

But although Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (below) wrote such occasional or ceremonial works as the “Water Musick” and the “Royal Fireworks Musick,” he apparently never got around to penning “Election Musick.”

Of course, democratic elections were not very common when he was composing music back around the 18^th century in Germany, Italy and England.

But recently NPR’s outstanding classical music blog “Deceptive Cadence” feature a couple of entries that are pertinent to the special day and event.

One post featured music and the reader quiz about the relevant issue of POLITICS, even with kings and royalty portrayed in opera:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/10/23/163497857/the-politicians-in-opera-puzzler

The other posting, using a lot of opera, focused on THE WHITE HOUSE and its parallels in art and opera:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/10/30/163953503/how-is-the-white-house-like-the-opera-house

As for me, I don’t really know what music to choose.

But it should be something American, don’t you think?

The pundits and polls say the presidential race is tight, as are many others, and we will all be awaiting word, uplifting or depressing, about the winners. So The Ear thinks that the oh-so-Yankee mysterious and haunting piece “The Unanswered Question” by Charles Ives (below) is a fine choice (see at bottom).

But if you can think of other appropriate classical music – NOT Sousa marches, patriotic songs, doggerel jingles or campaign songs, please –– than please leave a message and a link n the COMMENT section.

Have a good Election Day and don’t forget to get out and vote.

Then listen for word of the winners — and to the beauty of Ives.

 

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Posted in Classical music
Tags: Années de pèlerinage, Barack Obama, Cadence (music), Charles Ives, Democratic Party (United States), Election, Electoral College, George Frideric Handel, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5, Johannes Brahms, Mitt Romney, NPR, Parry Karp, President, Republican Party, Republicans, United States