Buysoundtrax.com
By Randall Larson

Alan Williams’ score for the striking Discovery Channel documentary Gettysburg: The Speech That Saved America, examines the impact of Lincoln’s 272-word speech, delivered in November 1863 at the dedication of a national cemetery for the Union soldiers who fell at the battle of Gettysburg, still the nation’s bloodiest battle (later fallen Confederate soldiers were also interred), what it meant at the time and how its poetic words and their meaning have meant to the larger picture of the battle, the dedication, and the cause of freedom for all in our country. Far more than simply honoring the fallen soldiers buried around him in the new cemetery (speaker Edward Everett did that in his two hour oration that preceded the President’s “remarks”), Lincoln chose the occasion to eloquently and perfectly redefine the purpose of the Union in fighting the Civil War. Williams’ score takes what is really the only direction to go – an honorable and eloquent accompaniment that serves both the documentary narrative showing Lincoln (interestingly performed by an actor but with a computer-generated Lincoln face) in the process of leading the war, grieving over the wounded, and working out the words he will convey in his address) and the action scenes cutting back to the battle and other scenes showing the business of war. A clear-toned and patriotic trumpet melody serves as the score’s primary theme, which recurs in various nuances throughout the score, often supported by field drums. The music poignantly underlies the narration with a subtle power that gave the words the kind of import they needed – both that of the narrator and the Lincoln recitations – and very eloquently serves as its own tribute to the events, the sacrifices, and the poetry of words that those events inspired – and, I believe, continue to inspire.