Air and Simple Gifts, 2009

Air and Simple Gifts is a classical quartet written by American composer John Williams for the January 20, 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States. The piece was first heard by the public in Washington, DC, and on simultaneous broadcasts around the world in a performance by Anthony McGill (clarinet), Itzhak Perlman (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and Gabriela Montero (piano). The premiere of Air and Simple Gifts came immediately before the oath of office. Barack Obama officially became the President at noon, as stipulated by the United States Constitution, while the piece was being heard.

John Williams based the piece on the familiar nineteenth-century Shaker hymn Simple Gifts by Joseph Brackett. The source piece is famous for its appearance in Aaron Copland's score for the ballet Appalachian Spring. Williams chose the selection knowing that Copland is one of President Obama's favorite classical composers.

FAQ Regarding First Performance

Q: Why did the musicians perform to a pre-recorded soundtrack at the Presidential Inauguration?

A: The sub-freezing temperature allowed the musicians no other option. Cold weather affects each instrument in a different way. Specifically, while cold temperatures make the violin and cello become sharper (or higher in pitch), the clarinet tends to go in the opposite intonational direction, sounding flatter (or lower in pitch). As problematic as these opposing tendencies are, it is the piano that is the biggest problem. Because each key on the piano activates as many as two or three strings, there is a vastly increased opportunity for the piano to sound out of tune. Because of these multiple strings, even one note can sound out of tune with itself. When the piano starts to go out of tune, it quickly begins to sound like an instrument more at home in a saloon than a concert hall.

When they were considering how best to cope with these difficulties, the performers and John Williams sought the advice of Colonel Michael J. Colburn, Director of "The President's Own" Marine Band. The Marine Band plays in every Inauguration and always pre-records its music in case inclement weather should make live performance impossible. Colonel Colburn is the person most experienced in performing at Presidential Inaugurations and was host to the musicians when they recorded Air and Simple Gifts before the Inauguration at the John Philip Sousa Band Hall.

The performers, John Williams and Colonel Colburn all came to the inevitable conclusion that the sub-freezing temperatures on that day made a live performance highly inadvisable. Even if these accomplished musicians had been able to execute all the notes in the score, the elements would have conspired against their instruments and fingers to such a degree that the performance, however heartfelt, would have been compromised.

Q: If the weather hadn't been so cold, would the musicians have performed the piece live?

A: Yes. They were fully prepared to play it live and wanted to play it live. And in fact they threw themselves into the performance that day, with all the emotion that came from participating in a great historic event.

Q: What preparations were made to perform the piece live?

A: The preparations began even before the piece was finished. Yo-Yo Ma worked closely with John Williams when the composer was writing and rewriting Air and Simple Gifts. Rehearsals were convened and recorded in Boston, New York and Los Angeles to allow Mr. Williams could hear how the work sounded as it progressed. All four musicians rehearsed intensively during the week before the Inauguration.

Q: When was the decision made to let people hear a recording, rather than a live performance?

A: The decision was made on January 18, when it became clear that the cold snap would not break.

Q: If the Marine Band played live, why was it not possible for the quartet to do so?

A: As explained by Colonel Michael J. Colburn, "Cold weather affects instruments differently depending on the manner in which the instrument produces sound. Although the instruments in the quartet were compromised in irreconcilably different ways, the wind and brass instruments used in the band are all affected similarly - our instruments sound flatter in the cold. Even though the aggregate pitch of the band is lower than usual in cold weather, because we're all in the same intonation neighborhood, we can make it work. (We do have to be careful with the mallet percussion instruments because their relatively stable intonation can sound pretty jarring when mixed with our below-pitch winds and brass.) While we did perform live for most of the event, I should note that even the Marine Band had to use a pre-recorded track for the first ten minutes of our prelude because many of our brass instruments had frozen valves. Once the players got their valves moving, we were able to perform live, but had the instruments frozen up again, we would have unhesitatingly (and unapologetically) gone back to the pre-recorded track."

Q: Should the public have been informed of the use of the recording?

A: The question of whether to issue a disclaimer was decided by the organizers of the Inaugural ceremony-and the musicians believe they made the right decision. They do not think the flow of the ceremony should have been interrupted by an announcement of that nature. Nor do they think a disclaimer was necessary.

Read a Statement from Colonel Michael J. Colburn & Yo-Yo Ma