Uploaded December 2016 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Arranged by Chenyu Ma SY'19
Conducted by Harry Kane, BR '18
Performed at 'DPops Summons the Heroes' at Davenport College on October 7th, 2016.

How can music influence history? This was the driving question behind this arrangement. Indeed, music has consistently had a significant cultural and political impact in the world, and perhaps have provided the power as catalysts for positive change in historical moments.
The first song, “Strange Fruit,” performed by Billie Holiday in 1939 takes you back to the brutality and racism of the practice of lynching in the American South. With dark chords and a gloomy melody, the song became an enduring symbol of racism, cruelty and pain.
Then the piece transitions into “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by Irish rock band U2. As the opening track from their 1983 album War, the song is overtly political. The militaristic drum beat and the repeating violin riffs describe the horror felt by an observer during the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders rallying against imprisonment without trial.
Widely regarded as John Lennon’s signature song, “Imagine” (1971) encourages listeners to imagine a world at peace without divisions of religion or nationality and attachment to material possessions. This song, as I arranged as a big band rock ballad, has been ranked by Rolling Stone as number three in their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
Moving forward half a century, we arrive at “Same Love” (2012), a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis that talks about the issue of gay and lesbian rights. The song also features an inspirational “I can’t change” chorus sung by Mary Lambert, who was raised in the church and felt sorrowful over her inability to change and frequently apologizing to God for being a sinner. Listen to the exchange between brass and woodwinds during the chorus.
You’re probably wondering at this point, why 1779? I once read that there are not many songs out there as closely paired with one religion’s beliefs and identity as “Amazing Grace,” arguably Christianity’s—and perhaps even the English language’s—most popular hymn. John Newton, who first published “Amazing Grace” in 1779, wrote the song to record his own spiritual journey from sinner to saint—or more specifically, from slave-trading sailor to minister (and eventually to influential member of Britain’s abolitionist movement). Today, “Amazing Grace” is a symbol of redemption and forgiveness. Whether you are religious or not, you can feel the power emanating from the complex harmonies.
Finally, the piece unexpectedly transitions into a familiar tune, yet with a twist. As you enjoy our concert, I’ll leave this one open to your interpretations.

Program Notes by Chenyu Ma