Charles Ives, “General William Booth Enters into Heavenâ€, performed by Michael Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony & Thomas Hampson.
This work is composed for chorus with a male soloist and orchestral accompaniment. It is comprised of several sections, which are all tied together with the “Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?†lyric. It’s mostly a march, but there is a slower, more tender lyric section in the middle. It ends quietly with military drums fading away into the distance (or into the heavens).
I’m not sure what to make of this piece. I like it—the “Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?†melody runs through my head a lot. Some of the tunes sound vaguely familiar and based on what I’ve read about Ives (CD liner notes and the Jan Swafford biography, mainly), I would guess that parts of the melody are based on old New England, Protestant hymns.
I actually visited Danbury, Connecticut on Charles Ives’ birthday last year. I highly recommend making the pilgrimage. Nancy Sudik, exec. director of the Danbury Music Centre, was in charge of the celebration and all the people there were really great.