673. What Is Money? | Freakonomics Radio

This episode of Freakonomics Radio explores the creation of a new oratorio, "The Wealth of Nations," by composer David Lang, inspired by Adam Smith's seminal 1776 text. Host Stephen Dubner introduces the project, which emerged after Lang's successful reinterpretation of Beethoven's "Fidelio" for the New York Philharmonic. The oratorio, a world premiere conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, aims to set the complex ideas of Adam Smith to music, drawing parallels with Handel's "Messiah" as a popular entertainment based on a serious text. Lang recounts his initial approach to "The Wealth of Nations," which involved reading the dense 18th-century text with a specific musical purpose. His first idea was to find connections to Handel's "Messiah," specifically the prominent role of sheep in both works, given Scotland's sheep population and its relevance to Smith's economic examples like the woolen coat. However, these initial whimsical ideas about sheep were eventually discarded as the composer delved deeper into the book. As Lang read, he shifted his focus from the more technical aspects of wealth creation, like division of labor and factory imagery, to a more profound theme: the interconnectedness facilitated by trade. He found that money itself holds little intrinsic value but acts as a social lubricant, a token representing the labor exchanged between individuals. This concept of connection and the social construct of money became central to his musical interpretation. The process of composing "The Wealth of Nations" involved Lang's unique approach to music creation. He describes a period of "shockingly empty" time after finishing the score, filled with both pride and anxiety about potential errors. Lang, who began his academic career studying chemistry before pursuing music, emphasizes his compositional method. Unlike pianists who compose at the keyboard, Lang was trained to "sing things to himself and then write them down," a process he now facilitates using a "stone age" software program called Encore, which he prefers for its lack of auto-correction, allowing him to embrace mistakes. He likens the translation of written notes to actual performance to the difference between seeing a movie in black and white on a small TV versus experiencing it in a grand theater with Technicolor and surround sound – the essence is there, but the full impact and life emerge in performance. Lang's Pulitzer Prize-winning piece, "The Little Match Girl Passion," serves as a precursor to his interest in vocal music. Inspired by Bach's Passions, he sought to find a contemporary equivalent that could resonate emotionally. He adapted Hans Christian Andersen's story of the impoverished match girl, intercutting it with crowd scenes from Bach's "St. Matthew Passion." This fusion, while potentially controversial, resonated deeply, winning him critical acclaim and a surge of requests for vocal compositions. He explains that writing for the human voice allows him to directly connect with and feel the emotional weight of the text, a more immediate and powerful experience than abstract instrumental composition. The composer's use of lowercase titles, including "wealth of nations," is attributed to a graduate school affectation aimed at reducing the perceived pressure and high standards associated with classical music tradition. This approach reflects his desire to demystify and make classical music more accessible. Lang expresses a general dislike for the term "classical music," preferring to simply call it "music," and resists being confined by labels like "contemporary classical," seeing his work as part of a continuous, evolving artistic expression. A significant aspect of Lang's work is his commitment to democratizing music and expanding its audience. This ethos is rooted in his co-founding of the "Bang on a Can" music festival and collective in the late 1980s, an initiative aimed at fostering a more collaborative and inclusive environment for experimental music. He contrasts the competitive nature sometimes encouraged in classical music with the generous, community-building spirit he champions. This democratizing instinct is further illustrated by his piece "Crowd Out." Inspired by the communal singing at an Arsenal football match in England, where thousands of people united in song regardless of background, Lang created a piece for a thousand community members. He collected online responses to the prompt "when I am in a crowd," filtering out inappropriate content, and set these diverse, often contradictory, individual experiences to music. The piece explores the paradox of feeling both connected and isolated within a crowd, highlighting the importance of shared experience and mutual dependence, akin to democratic participation. The oratorio "The Wealth of Nations" itself incorporates texts beyond Adam Smith, weaving in passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Edith Wharton, and Eugene V. Debs. Lang explains this deliberate inclusion of diverse voices as a way to acknowledge that much of literature grapples with "people and money problems." The shift to American voices was also a nod to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. He highlights Frederick Douglass's writings on wealth inequality and enslavement, and Eugene V. Debs' powerful courtroom speech, as crucial counterpoints that address justice and the moral underpinnings of commerce. Lang adapted Debs' text, removing specific socialist rhetoric to focus on the broader message of optimism and the need for a sense of justice to address inequality, a theme he sees as complementary to Smith's ideas. Lang also introduces his own lyrical contribution, the movement "Enough," inspired by the Passover Seder's "Dayenu." This piece addresses the reality of those who lack basic necessities like a coat, a detail he felt was absent in Smith's assumption of universal participation in economic systems. He felt compelled to write this section himself to represent the coatless individual, acknowledging that not everyone in the world participates equally in the systems Smith describes. The episode culminates with Lang preparing for the first rehearsals of "The Wealth of Nations." He expresses a mix of excitement and nervousness, acknowledging the immense pressure of hearing his work come to life for the first time with actual performers. He adopts a philosophy of not letting any single performance become definitive, believing he can always revise and perfect the piece in subsequent iterations, a perspective shaped by his background in classical music where works are often performed and studied for centuries. During the first vocal rehearsal with the New York Philharmonic Chorus, Lang remains largely in the background, preferring not to be a distraction. Dubner, present at a later rehearsal with the full orchestra and soloists, describes Lang's music as "arresting," requiring attention but also demonstrating a keen awareness of the listener's reception. He notes Lang's use of plain song, reminiscent of Gregorian chant, and the piece's ability to be both "lacerating and comforting." The mezzo-soprano soloist, Fleur Barron, shares her initial surprise at the choice of "The Wealth of Nations" as source material, finding Smith's text dry compared to more poetic options typically favored by composers. However, she praises Lang's collaborative spirit and his ability to communicate his vision, calling the experience "pure joy." Lang himself expresses a desire to "body surf across the audience" during the performance, a playful metaphor for experiencing the music’s immersive impact. He acknowledges the collaborative nature of his work, comparing it to the intricate construction of the woolen coat described by Smith, where hundreds of individuals contribute to a final product. The episode concludes with the anticipation of the premiere, with Lang's focus on the collective effort of bringing his composition to fruition.