George Washington Bridge

George Washington Bridge, a piece for symphonic band by American composer William Schuman, has been played by every American bandsman. Written in 1950, Schuman presents, in a language used by many mid-20th century populist and social realist composers, visual and visceral impressions of the great bridge. Through the use of polychordal harmony, alternately flowing and brutally truncated melodies, jazz-inflected syncopation, and his trademark jagged, almost architectural juxtaposition of the instrumental choirs (Glass! Steel! Concrete!), Schuman evokes images of massive strength, frenzied activity, serenity, desolate loneliness, and the boundless, bare-knuckled optimism of post-war New York City. I first played GWB in the late 1960s at Interlochen. The Bridge, and all bridges in general, had by this time assumed a central place in my personal mythology.

This post refers back to my April 9 post. Bridges and bridge building represent to me a human endeavor that I consider quasi-sacred. People come together to plan and create something real, of "bricks and mortar", that says, with emphatic conclusiveness, "connected". Things, people, and ideas can flow in a bi-directional, facile, and direct fashion, between locales that were separated previously by arduous, mind-numbing, soul destroying, segregation-imposing journeys. The two principal characteristics needed by a bridge to support "connectedness" are immense strength and easy access. Paradoxically, an immensely strong bridge requires continuous loving care and maintenance to survive.

I first met the GWB in 1962 as a passenger in my grandfather's car. He took me (Stevie, look at this!) over to Jersey and back. I had imprinted upon The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by H. H. Swift a number of years earlier, as is common for many people of my generation, but nothing prepared me for the display of benevolent but brutal power by the George Washington Bridge. "HEY STEVIE" it roared, "I'M DA GEORGE FUCKIN' WASHINGTON BRIDGE!!! I'LL TAKE YA OVER AN' BACK OK, BUT DON'T GIVE ME NO SHIT. NONE!! HUH...WASDAT? YEAH, HE'S MY BUDDY, DA LITTLE RED LIGHTHOUSE...WE'RE PARTNERS, SEE? WE DO EVERYTHING LIKE A TEAM! YA GOTTA PROBLEM WIT' DAT??"

Seven summers later, I played Schuman's George Washington Bridge, and images roared through my mind that begged to be expressed. Below is a photostory. The images are from all over the 'net. The music is played by the Keystone Wind Ensemble, Jack Stamp, Director.