Gettysburg (1863) is an extended piece of music written by Jon Schaffer, the leader of American heavy metal band Iced Earth and performed by Iced Earth and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. It was released in 2004 (see 2004 in music) as a second disc included with the album The Glorious Burden. It was also released as part of a DVD set in 2005. The piece is a thirty minute plus trilogy of songs that tells the tale of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
Contents |
Background
Following the release of Horror Show, Schaffer felt that the album lacked a certain element of passion, and that this was most easily addressed by writing the next album around a theme that truly inspired him. This turned out to be military history, leading to the album The Glorious Burden. While writing for that album, Schaffer wrote a shorter, six minute song about the Battle of Gettysburg but, after a visit to the battlefield, felt that the song was not epic enough. This led to him writing Gettysburg (1863).
Music
Track Listing
1. The Devil To Pay - 12:13
2. Hold At All Costs - 7:05
3. High Water Mark - 12:35
Music and Sound
In an attempt to evoke the spirit of the period, samples of When Johnny Comes Marching Home and Dixie are used, as anthems for the Confederate and Union armies. Orchestral elements were added to increase the drama and tension, and a more immersive feel was attempted with the use of (largely or completely fictionalised) spoken passages from generals and background sounds of fighting and cannon-fire.
Credits
- Composed by Jon Schaffer
- Orchestral Score by Jon Schaffer and Jim Morris
- Orchestral Score transcribed by Robert Wilding
Sources: http://www.icedearth.com; the inlay notes accompanying The Glorious Burden (European Digipak Edition)
