Questions for Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Darwin's Meditation for The People of Lincoln, from Robert Wood, BAM Marketing.

Robert Wood: You identify yourself as a Haitian-American, and early on in Darwin's Meditation you quote the Haitian National Anthem. Can you say more about the place of Haiti in this meditation between Darwin and Lincoln?

DBR: Charles Darwin wrote and spoke about his admiration for Haitian's and their fierce independence. Frederick Douglas, friend and confidant to Lincoln, was a special envoy to Haiti and wrote about that "sister republic" with great, but misguided, hope for pushing both countries closer together. Both men knew about Haiti and were well aware of that island nation's successful revolution. I felt that by making Haiti a literal and figurative location in this piece, I could better understand Darwin's and Lincoln's view of the world, as they fought to understand their work, country, and their own place in history. More, after reading a translation of Haiti's national anthem, I was struck by how those words resembled and echoed our own sense of American democracy:

United let us march
Let us be masters of our soil
For our country
May the fields be fertile
O God of the valiant
For the flag
For our country
To die is a fine thing
Our past cries out to us
With malice toward none
With charity for all

RW: A compelling aspect of DMPL is the juxtaposition of 19th century subject matter with a very modern sound. What’s your take on the value of mixing old and new?

DBR: That type of mixture is a convention of modern, post-modern, and contemporary opera and theater. Philip Glass' work, such as Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, and The Voyage, are all wonderful examples of that type of mixture.

I am not sure if a 19th century musical score would be appropriate for 19th century subject matter in the contemporary theater, but as a composer, I am more attracted towards creating hybrid forms and mixing historical subjects within seemingly unrelated musical genres. DMPL combines elements of tonal and dissonant orchestral music, with Haitian Kompa music, and American Hip-Hop, Soul, and Jazz music. These mixtures both musically and theatrically help to define the story and clarify the relationship between Darwin and Lincoln and their words.

RW: In interviews, you've mentioned a possible connection between human freedom and what you’ve called the "freedom of notes and tonality." Where exactly do you locate freedom in your music? Has your immersion in these texts by Darwin and Lincoln changed how or where you view it?

DBR: Freedom in my music means the acceptance of a myriad of musical languages, genres, and vernaculars, that collectively form a singular, compositional voice. I am blessed to be a composer during these times of both wide-acceptance of musical styles and a constant changing and evolving of musical ideas. As little as 30 years ago, composers did not have as many musical freedoms as they do now. Indeed, the careers of great American composers like Glass, Reich, Bolcom, Tower, Albright, Riley, Cage, and others are examples of a revolt against the status quo of the day. Technology has played an important role in the development of the American audience's ears: the iPod is a wonderful example of a certain randomness in what you hear!

Darwin's Meditation... is a musical journey where the sounds of Haitian Kompa music; the rhythms of American Hip-Hip, Jazz, and Soul music; the angular dissonances of European contemporary music; the beats of Haitian Kompa music; and the blurred musical collages of Charles Ives, all play a part and have distinct role in the telling of an imaginary conversation between two legendary writers, philosophers, and statesmen.

RW: Why a "quartet concerto" for this particular subject as opposed to, say, a normal concerto? Is there any connection between that genre—what it symbolizes, what it means to you, etc.—and what you want to convey in this piece?

DBR: The concerto form was a way for me to convey the notion of one voice speaking to many. It allowed me to properly contextualize the actor's role in a musical work. It also allowed me to work with a singer in a way that allowed the focus of the work to be shared among other soloists. In this way, the actor is balanced with a solo violinist and the singer is balanced with a solo pianist.

RW: If the audience could leave your show with one new idea about Lincoln and Darwin, what would it be?

DBR: As much as Darwin and Lincoln both loved their country and their work, they loved their families just as much, if not a little more.