Ralph Waldo Emerson Music

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Concord Hymn

We don't have music for it, but we do have the lyrics of this hymn that Emerson composed in honor of the completion of the Concord veterans' monument. It was sung at the dedication on 19 April 1836.

Libera, "Something Sings"

The British boys' chorale Libera sings an arrangement of Emerson's poem "Music": "But in the darkest, meanest things/ There alway, alway something sings." [ed. Note: 'alway' is as spelled.] It is on their Visions album and was arranged by Robert Prizeman.

Brady Seals, Play Time

Brady Seals is a country/indie singer/songwriter based in Nashville. Seals is a dad, and one of his favorite quotes is the Emerson line "A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine." He named his 2009 album Play Time with that in mind.

Tangerine Dream, "Solution of All Problems"

The German electronica group Tangerine Dream (and really, what else would you call a German electronica group?) was founded in 1967 (though we didn't know they had electronics then). All of the songs on their album Madcap's Flaming Duty are arrangements of American or English poems. "Solution of All Problems" is Emerson's turn.

Roger Powell, Fossil Poets

Keyboardist and electronic music artist Roger Powell named his 2006 album after the Emerson line, "Language is fossil poetry." The quotation comes from his essay "The Poet," in which he compares the words we choose to describe objects to the fossilized remains of creatures that once lived.