In 1943, three books were published that are dear to the heart of all thinking freedom-lovers: The God of the Machine by Isabel Paterson, The Discovery of Freedom by Rose Wilder Lane, and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Yet those of a libertarian persuasion are less familiar with another great work published that year: the long poem Freedom's Plow by Langston Hughes.
Some years ago I decided to set all 200-odd lines of this poem to music. The result is a suite for voice and acoustic guitar that celebrates the foundations, tragedies, and triumphs of the American experience. At almost half an hour in length, it's a challenging piece to play and to hear. I plan to record it in the next few years, and to write an accompanying essay that does justice to this great American poem.
Peter Saint-Andre > Music > Freedom's Plow