William Schuman's Secular Cantata No. 2: A Free Song is a 14-minute work for chorus and orchestra based on Walt Whitman’s Drum-Taps Civil War poems. It won the first Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1943. It is a two-part, militant, patriotic work, contrasting a somber opening with a triumphant final plea for liberty. Written during WWII, Schuman described it as a patriotic contribution after being rejected for military service. The work is characterized by "granite-like blocks of dissonant harmony and sharp-edged counterpoint," avoiding typical romanticism for a more intense, modern sound. It focuses on the "we" (collective) rather than the "I" (individual) to reflect a national voice.

Baritone Soloist

With: Mercury Orchestra