 among capitalism, racism, and the other forms of social inequality and exclusion. Yet concert programs today seem more divided than ever, between 19th-century warhorses and contemporary works played once. Composers of color and female composers are rarely heard. This has as much to do with music education in America as with institutional racism. Meanwhile, orchestras, conservatories and concert halls, strapped for funding, are increasingly pressured to adopt corporate models, resulting in a homogenized and routinized approach to musical performance.
But like Du Bois we may discover that much classical music actually possesses a radical, revolutionary spirit—institutions are only the frame around the artwork. We might listen to it, as Du Bois did, as a metaphor for spiritual emancipation and social transformation. Mozart sought to challenge the aristocracy: chafing at his servant status while working for the prince-archbishop of Salzburg, and later setting to music Beaumarchais’s revolutionary Marriage of Figaro. Beethoven, living in a police state, composed music of liberation, symphonies for the 99 percent. His Ninth is a hymn for all humanity: “Seid umschlungen Millionen,” (be embraced, you millions). Wagner was a socialist who participated in the Revolutions of 1848; his music juxtaposes transcendent love with a world obsessed with money and power. Verdi’s operas inspired the Risorgimento, the unification of Italy.
Throughout history, the arts and the artist not only have reflected society but also have criticized, stood in opposition to, and even provided revolutionary inspiration for transformation of society. Music was composed and performed not as a commodity (which in our time both popular and classical music have arguably become) but with the political, social, and spiritual concerns of the people in mind. Much music has at its core a volcanic revolutionary spirit: it is an infinite wellspring of idealism, hope, and passion. The members of the Du Bois Orchestra hope that in rediscovering certain composers whose voices have been unheard for hundreds of years, we can begin to tap into their music as a renewable source of inspiration and hope, perhaps helping to ignite a spark for further social transformation.