Uploaded February 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Hamilton: An American Medley by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Arranged by Emily GOldberg, MC'17, & Harry Kane, BR'18
Conducted by Harry Kane, BR'18
Performed at 'DPops Catches 'Em All' in Battell Chapel on December 16, 2016

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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton: An American Musical took the country by storm after its 2015 Broadway debut, receiving a record number of Tony nominations and incredible critical acclaim. Its original form as a hip-hop musical certainly makes it a challenging piece to adapt for orchestra; nonetheless, I hope to bring some of the power of the original work into the orchestra in medley form.
The arrangement can be divided into two parts, starting with the bombastic events of the American Revolution and ending with the more personal side of Hamilton’s life. First, Hamilton’s early days and the progress of the revolution are charted across five songs. “Alexander Hamilton” introduces both the protagonist and the musical before giving way to a maudlin celebration of the revolution in “The Story of Tonight” (accompanied by echoes of the similarly-emotional “That Would Be Enough”). After being rudely interrupted by the absurd threats of King George in “You’ll Be Back”, the section concludes with Burr’s growing frustration with Hamilton (“Wait For It”) and the high-spirited conclusion of the revolution with their success at “Yorktown”.
Where the first half of the medley contains most of the major historical events featured in the musical, the second is much more personal. Jefferson’s dramatic return from France (“What Did I Miss?”) and Hamilton’s difficulty with balancing his work and family (“Take a Break”) set the stage for the scandal of Hamilton’s affair in “Say No To This”. His wife’s reaction in “Burn” then marks the climax of the arrangement, before the last two songs help to resolve the negative emotions that precede them. Starting with Washington’s calm resignation in “One Last Time” (which also includes elements of the mournful and introspective “It’s Quiet Uptown”) and concluding with the final song of the musical (“Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”), the piece ends on a contemplative note. Like the original musical, it does not go out with a bang, but instead poses a question—one very in keeping with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s focus on individual effect on history and the meaning of legacy. Who, in the end, will tell our story?
As this musical has been an inspiration to me and so many others, I hope that it can be to you as well. Thank you, and enjoy.


Program notes by Emily Goldberg