The Laureate Call was written with the hope that it would continue to be performed across the state of Iowa by high school musicians. Iowa high school administrators or music educators may contact the World Food Prize office for login information to obtain the sheet music, accompaniment track and full performance track of The Laureate Call free of charge.
The general public may obtain music and recordings of The Laureate Call from composer Ben Allaway. To learn more about Ben Allaway or for purchasing information, please visit www.benallaway.com.
Notes on The Laureate Call from composer Ben Allaway:
The Laureate Call is intended to be a brief history of the Green Revolution set to music. World Food Prize laureates were interviewed about their passions, their struggles, their hopes for the future. Common themes emerged, including the need for persistence, innovation, integration with the work of others, and shared responsibility with the rest of society.
Since Dr. Borlaug began his work in Mexico, The Laureate Call begins by evoking that country’s ambiance through the use of the marimba, maracas, and trumpets. The Spanish word for “green”, or “verde” is heard, and the first two verses tell the story of his great work there. The chorus “rings out the call” of the World Food Prize to help hungry people, and encourages each person to stand and share in that noble work. The Green Revolution has begun, and moves to India and other Asian lands, evoked by the soloists singing the words for green in Hindi and Chinese. Greater cooperation produces wonderful results. The Laureate’s work now moves onto Africa, and we hear calls of “Asante!” (Thank you!), and “Kigali!” (green) as African percussion emerges under the music. Infrastructure, markets, education for girls and women, and cooperation are highlighted. The work ends with a more emphatic chorus envisioning an Evergreen World, again calling us to take our place in the world and “Stand!” |
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Borlaug-Ruan Internship