Declamation is derived from the rhythmic declamation of four of the most well-known phrases that have helped shape American history:
“Give me liberty or give me death!” ~Patrick Henry
“I have a dream…” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” ~Abraham Lincoln
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” ~Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Declamation was commissioned by Cathy Leach for the University of Tennessee School of Music’s Trumpet Ensemble and premiered in June, 2006, at the annual conference of the International Trumpet Guild.