protect yourself from infection
David Lang
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The 1918-19 Spanish Influenza epidemic killed 50 to 100 million people worldwide. Philadelphia’s ill-fated Liberty Loan Parade, a patriotic wartime effort on September 28, 1918, went forward, despite warnings from medical experts; it caused Philadelphia to have the highest death rate of any major American city during the pandemic. Nearly 14,000 people died in six weeks, one death every five minutes; more than 17,500 died in six months.
The Mütter Museum’s Spit Spreads Death exhibition explores how neighborhoods in Philadelphia were impacted, how the disease spread, and what could happen in future pandemics. On September 28, 2019, internationally renowned artist group Blast Theory created an interactive parade of light and sound to memorialize the individuals who lost their lives and the healthcare workers who put their lives on the line in times of crisis. Hundreds of citizens from across the city – and beyond – each chose one person to honor who died on the deadliest day: 12th October 1918. They paraded with the death certificate of that person. And one by one, took a moment to stop walking as the parade flowed past them. For a few moments, they stood alone between two of the large sculptures in a corridor of blinding white light. The Crossing’s recording of Lang’s protect yourself from infection premiered at the parade, where it could be heard through the mobile phones of hundreds of participants. You can see the film and exhibition at the Mütter Museum until the end of 2024.
David Lang writes:
“I was asked to contribute some music to the Mütter Museum's exhibition in honor of the centennial year of an infamous parade that took place in Philadelphia during the great Spanish flu epidemic of 1918/1919. The parade was infamous because it was held in spite of the medical advice that people needed to isolate themselves, and because of this it became a major local vector for the spread of the disease. Completely coincidentally, I am named after a relative of blessed memory who died in that epidemic. Jews often name their children with the initials of relatives who have died—I am David Avery Lang, named after my father's cousin, Daniel Abraham Leibowitz. My Leibowitz ancestors had only fairly recently arrived in America from Lithuania. Young Daniel Abraham turned 18 and enlisted in the army, and was sent to boot camp in Georgia, where he got sick and died. He meant a lot to the family because he was living proof of the deep and real commitment of the new immigrants to the United States. His enlistment meant that they would belong here, and his death rattled them all so much that they were still mourning him when I was born, 38 years later.
For my piece, I wrote two kinds of music that coexist, separately. There is a kind of musical motto, sung by The Crossing and conducted by Donald Nally, which I made out of a health manual that the United States put out at the time of the epidemic, called 'Protect Yourself from Infection.' Over this motto, individual singers of The Crossing take turns singing solo melodies that I made out of the individual names of Philadelphians who died from the epidemic.”
Donald adds:
“When we recorded the raw materials of protect yourself from infection last summer, we could not have imagined these words would resonate in our lives; in fact, the words seemed somewhat innocent and naive. Today, they are our words, our lives; and we live, as our ancestors in Philadelphia of a century ago, at the hands of an irresponsible government – now on a national level. For us, this brings new weight to David’s composition and inspired us to assemble a team to create a kind of reincarnation of protect yourself from infection. Our sound designer produced a cohesive piece of music out of those raw materials (not originally intended to be a fluid work), our own tenor Steven Bradshaw made the artwork and titles, our long-time collaborator Brett Snodgrass created the film. Together, with the singing of our artists, these all add up to a marriage of sound and sight that we hope reaches the viewer with the same care with which it was recorded and created, having health care workers in our minds, friends and family in our hearts, and millions of neighbors we don’t know in our thoughts.”
Protect yourself from infection
Keep well and don’t get hysterical
Avoid being sprayed by the nose and throat secretions of others
Beware of those who are coughing or sneezing
Avoid crowded streetcars
Walk to the office if possible
Keep out of crowds
Avoid theaters, moving picture shows and other places of public assembly
Do not travel by railroad unless absolutely necessary
Do not drink from glasses or cups which have been used by others
Unless you are sure they have been thoroughly cleansed
You can do much to lessen the danger to yourself
By keeping in good physical condition
Avoid close, stuffy and poorly ventilated rooms
Insist upon fresh air but avoid disagreeable drafts
Eat simple, nourishing food and drink plenty of water
Secure at least seven hours of sleep
Avoid physical fatigue
Do not sleep or sit around in damp clothing
Keep the feet dry
If you become ill don’t try to keep on with your work
Fight the disease rationally and do not become unduly alarmed
“What could be more of the moment than a choral piece that reminds listeners to ‘avoid being sprayed by the nose and throat secretions of others,’ and to avoid crowds, interspersing such advice with the names of those for whom it comes too late?”
“The Grammy-winning choir the Crossing presents a short film featuring this 2019 vocal work by composer and Bang on a Can co-founder David Lang that was inspired by accounts of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Available anytime. Free.”
“The piece was haunting enough on its own, a full century removed from its original context. But now, experienced in the midst of the current covid-19 crisis — and newly set to a film by Brett Snodgrass based on founding Crossing tenor Steven Bradshaw’s artwork — it attains a new gravitas, as though voices from the past could mourn the mistakes of the future.”
The Crossing
Katy Avery • Nathaniel Barnett • Jessica Beebe • Kelly Ann Bixby • Karen Blanchard • Steven Bradshaw • Colin Dill • Micah Dingler • Robert Eisentrout • Ryan Fleming • Joanna Gates • Dimitri German • Steven Hyder • Michael Jones • Anika Kildegaard • Heidi Kurtz • Chelsea Lyons • Maren Montalbano • Rebecca Myers • Becky Oehlers • Daniel Schwartz • Rebecca Siler • Daniel Spratlan • Elisa Sutherland • Daniel Taylor
music by David Lang
music commissioned by Blast Theory for Spit Spreads Death: The Parade.
world premiere September 28, 2019
words from a 1918 U.S. government document
with the names of Philadelphians who fell victim to the influenza of 1918
artwork by Steven Bradshaw
film by Brett A. Snodgrass
film conceived and conducted by Donald Nally
with musical assistance from Kevin Vondrak and John Grecia
recorded, compiled, and produced by Paul Vazquez, with Dante Portella
mixing and post production by Paul Vazquez/Digital Mission Audio Services
recorded July 9-12, 2019
at The High Point, St. Peter’s Church in the Great Valley, Malvern, Pennsylvania
artwork and film created the Week of April 19, 2020
from Spit Spreads Death: The Parade, created by Blast Theory and commissioned by the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia