Leshnoff, Jonathan - Of Thee I Sing

"Of Thee I Sing" was composed to mark the 25th anniversary of the April 19 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. At first, Leshnoff’s music depicts the fear and confusion of the event itself. When the chorus finally enters in the last third of the piece, Leshnoff uses the familiar tune of "My Country ‘Tis of Thee" as an ironic reflection on the tragedy. Leshnoff gradually transforms the tune, integrating it with the material that has come before and creating a conglomerate that tries to make sense of both tragedy and the human ability to persist in the face of it. By the end, with one last refrain of the tune and sedate sustained chords in the strings, some peace seems to have been achieved.