For The Good Of The Many

"For the good of the many, so give the few." This is quite a poetic statement, but it also happens to be true. And probably for most countries with voluntary armed services, we daresay. Of course, for our purposes, this piece is meant to honor our own veterans, particularly on Veterans Day, which falls on November 11 each year.

The stately yet reverent setting of the song offers an appropriately serious tone for your performance. It's gentle, but emotional, and its lyrics tell the tale of those whose sacrifices deserve our gratitude.

While the melody isn't particularly demanding, it does present opportunities for musical moments. One such moment occurs around measure 13 with the section marked "hymn-like." As you can hear on the recording, the pulse drops out and the children become almost angelic in their delivery. A simple brass choir behind them the first time develops slowly and grandly into full orchestra, complete with military snare drums. It's quite a neat thing, and if you're lucky, you might raise a goose bump or two.

There is an optional second part that enters on the D.S. (measure 5) with simple "ooh's" at first. During the hymn-like section, it joins with part 1 in singing the lyrics. You can find an isolated audio of part 2 on our web site for rehearsal purposes. (See details on page 77.)

We probably don't need to tell you to have an American flag displayed prominently during your program. (Assuming you are American, that is. As mentioned, this song/sentiment could work for other countries, too, such as Canada.) We always encourage you to invite veterans to your program and make sure your students pause to say "thank you" to them. After all, they are the few.