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Barbara
Bush and Betty Ford applaud the Boys choir of Harlem.
Carol Powers, The White House.
President and Mrs. George Bush recognized music
as a supreme American gesture, a vital symbol of
American life as it underscored every important
national event, social cause and ceremonial mood
in the White House. Today, the United States Marine
Band, America’s oldest musical organization,
numbers 140 musicians and plays at the White House
more than 150 times a year. From early 1993 to late
1998 under the Clintons, nearly 100 musical events
featuring guest artists appeared at the White House.
President and Mrs. Clinton’s enjoyment of traditional
and popular American music was reflected especially
in their WETA "In Performance at the White
House" series that included a celebration of
the 40th anniversary of the Newport Jazz
Festival; Aretha Franklin; "Women of Country";
and seventeen dancers illustrating varied styles
of dance during the telecast of March 1998. Concert
and opera stars, Irish music, rhythm and blues are
only a few more of the kaleidoscopic musical moods
of the White House as the millennium rapidly approaches.
Elise
Kirk, Musical Highlights from the White House,
164-170.
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