Every semester for the past several years I have played my students a recording of Charles Ives' "They are There." Every year the ideas and ideals in this song seemed like could never be a reality. Kyle Gann's sentiments on a 2005 PostClassic post echo my usual feelings about the song, as well as its performance by the composer. This semester (the other day, in fact) listening to this song with my classes felt different from the way it felt in semesters past. It was as if many of the deep feelings of unrest and despair that have been rumbling around this country for most of my adult life are quietly making their way into the past. Perhaps we are tenting on a new camp ground.
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