Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2001]

By the time the orchestra was silent, the presidential party was seated and a bishop was on his feet, speaking at awful length, as bishops will. This holy man favoured peace, commerce and God, in that order. When he sat down, the chorus treated us to a very loud hymn, whose words had been written especially for the occasion by the American poet J.G. Whittier, who piously hoped that America’s future would be bright. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2001

Note

The use of rhythm and contrast between ‘silence’ and ‘a very loud hymn’ reflects the tension between the audience’s expectations and the reality of the moment, enhancing the dramatic impact.