John Dalmas wrote:

>Kevin Sutton wrote:
>
>>That heap of dreck, the Testament of Freedom" . . .
>
>Yes, many of my acquaintances on the Left who take freedom for granted and
>enjoy it to the utmost are now embarrassed by the "Testament," not only for
>its unabashed patriotism but also for its bow to the Almighty.

How dare you assume that I am unpatriotic and atheistic simply because I
find a particular piece of music trite.  You have absolutely no right to
even so much as imply that I have extreme left political leanings, nor
that I have no faith in God.  You can't even call him by his name!  And
Jefferson was an agnostic anyway!

>Whatever the work's merit as music, it must be remembered that Thompson
>wrote the work in 1943, not only to honor Jefferson, but also to arouse
>patriotic fervor among Americans in the middle of a World War that the
>Left wanted America so desperately to enter.

I know exactly why he wrote it.  That still doesn't make it good music.
I find the texts to be poorly set, static both in rhythm and harmony and
frankly, the piece is a crashing bore.  Furthermore, comparing me with
a group of WWII leftists is pretty weak, considering that I wasn't born
until nearly 20 years after the war's end.  I take great issue with your
comments and find them totally out of line in a forum about music.

Kevin Sutton