Life Liberty and the Pursuit

The lyrics of this piece communicate the thoughts of John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson as they prepare for the American Revolution. The words of Hancock introduce the piece: We fear not death. That gloomy night, that pale-faced moon, and the affrighted stars that hurried through the sky can witness: We fear not death! The body of the piece sets the words of Thomas Jefferson from the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Each of these three voicings utilizes melody-part-style writing. The first of two settings includes melodies set against melodies and the second features a canon. The piece is excellent for a patriotic program or just as a patriotic piece on a general program. The two-part settings are very easy and the four-part setting is moderately easy. The students will be humming these memorable tunes long after they have learned and performed them.