from the Library of Congress in
Washington DC
ladies and gentlemen the librarian of
Congress dr. James H billington
members of the United States Congress at
least those who aren't voting as they
may have to at any moment members of the
Gershwin family's madison council
members wife and family of tonight's
honoree and all of us devoted fans of
Stevie Wonder
welcome to the Library of Congress
we are here to honor a beloved and
revered American musician who has given
the world the gift of his imagination in
lyrics melodies and innovative harmonies
they'll all come together in ever fresh
and new ways that are always
distinctively Stevie Wonder's for his
unique contributions to the music of our
time Stevie Wonder is eminently
deserving of the second Library of
Congress Gershwin Prize for popular song
the library service occurs when prized
as a way to recognize nationally and
connect more directly with prominent
artists and composers of popular music
whose works are an enormous part of the
nation's cultural patrimony and are
largely collected and preserved here in
the Library of Congress prizes named
after George and Ira Gershwin whose
collections are housed here and whose
legacy is enshrined in the Gershwin room
right across the hall
from the auditorium where you can see
Gershwin manuscripts film clips of their
songs and George's own desk and piano
the inaugural Gershwin Prize went to
Paul Simon last year another American
musical icon as librarian of Congress I
had the privilege of presenting him with
a special medal for this prize adapted
from the design of the Congressional
Gold Medal which was awarded
posthumously to the Gershwins in 1985
this this is its image this time however
the prize presentation will be very
different President Barack Obama and
Harden
Stevie Wonder fan will present the medal
at the White House on Wednesday of this
week in a ceremony and star-studded
concert that will be hosted by the
President and mrs. Obama for which we're
very
the program will be filmed by WIDA whose
distinguished leader Sharon Rockefellers
with us here tonight
and it will be broadcast the next day on
Thursday February 26 so this really will
be Wonder Week and Washington is this
has the support of William and Buffy
kayfetz at the Annenberg foundation of
American Airlines EMI ASCAP and Pepsi
Cola we're honored that the president
the the the concert in the White House
and the broadcast we're honored that the
president so early in his administration
is joining with the Library of Congress
in this tribute to American creativity
and to this special figure who we honor
tonight
as an added distinction this year and on
a separate track the Library Commission
Stevie Wonder to write a new piece of
music which will be performed here
tonight for the first time I and Suzanne
Hogan from the library together with Bob
Kaminsky visited with Stevie last summer
and heard him play part of this
Commission case that he was working on
then I was really moved by the music not
just by the music but by the energy and
passion and generosity of his playing
even for a small group gathered in his
own home as he led us later the mr.
Chow's for dinner heads turned towards
him to see not just another famous
entertainer but as I heard one person
say in a kind of reverent whisper
this is someone who touched my life he
is a humanitarian as well as an artist I
would like to acknowledge with gratitude
the four executive producers who've
worked with su Vida and others on our
great library staff to make this week
possible here in Washington the brothers
Kaminsky Bob and Peter played a key role
in creating this new national prize and
I had the privilege of teaching Peter
and of admiring on a number of
subsequent occasions both his
imaginative horizons and persistence
with creative projects but also to
recognize and thank abundantly the other
two fully engaged executive producers
Mark Krantz and Cappy magar all of whom
are here with us tonight and last but
not least the producer for this
evening's event Rickey minor whom you
will all recognize is also the producer
of American Idol and with this new
composition sketches of a life that we
are about to hear Stevie Wonder will
join a pantheon of composers whose works
have been specially commissioned by the
library over the last 80 years nearly
500 of them including the world's
premieres on this stage of important
works by Aaron Copland bela bartok
Samuel Barber Igor Stravinsky and also
jazz composers the evening this evening
all of us will become part of what I
truly believe in anticipate will be
another great moment in musical history
as we hear the world premiere of stevie
wonder's latest creation 22 musicians
will play together in this chamber
ensemble that we will hear tonight here
on this historic stage using a variety
of instruments including two pianos a
harp and a harmonica we might just be
witnessing the emergence of yet another
new outlet for the musical eloquence and
prodigious creativity of this great
American so please join me in welcoming
the immeasurably gifted and universally
beloved Stevie Wonder
you
thank you so much well - very well thank
you so much and like to thank these
incredible classical musicians for
making this all happen
the power lies are the key
I want to tell you a little bit about
the piece started in 1976 and finished
it on the day that Nelson Mandela became
president stopped Africa this really is
a I feel really messed with the ending I
like I was in dreamland but you know
I'll get a second chance next time but I
just want to say the piece really
represents a lot of what I've heard
different musics in my life you know
that the radio throughout my life has
been my eyes and ears to the world and
as a little boy I used to mock you know
the classical singers opposite you know
and I never ever really imagined them
that I have this opportunity to be here
and to receive such an honor
I remember when Paul Simon received Lee
Diana
you know the prizes very good new prism
but you know
yeah when I could no prize I was gonna
prize no but I never imagined that I
would receive this wonderful honor and
wow it just been so wonderful and I
remember when they all came to my place
and we kind of ran it up for a minute
because you know it was like gotta get
the piano right and everything's trying
to live in here this thing I was working
on for years I said you know we can we
can really make this happen for you I
said no come on I said this has been
this somebody's been messing around with
for years just you know but obviously
you can hear you know in there there's
some things that you know melodies and
I've always loved the classical music
for for how the melodies were very
haunting and they they made you think
and go places there was a woman that I
knew was enough in there our
neighborhood we lived in Detroit and we
live in a ghetto yes we're good of the
good of jump room dum doo and this woman
would listen to opera music different
different operas every single Saturday
and Friday and Sunday and if he's a kid
I got that mother what do you do
turn that music down girl and but he
that one doesn't do a no song like BB
King to me yeah you know but but she
would um you know dress up and go to the
various operas that came to Detroit and
even then at eight years old I just
remembered so much of how she was and
how excited she was to go to the various
artists and all that even though she
lived in an area that's what he did it
really had nothing to do with what that
was about at that time but the thing
about it is I never imagined that that
would be the beginning of me thinking of
those things and then revisiting those
things to then be a part of writing a
song called village ghetto land from
some of the key of life and all of those
things really are reflections of just
things that have happened in my life and
musicals I've listened to and the
various influences that I've had
throughout the years most of all all of
you have influenced me throughout the
years even fluence to me by through the
things that we've experienced as
Americans from various ethnicities and
cultures throughout the world you've
encouraged me by when living in Detroit
Michigan and understanding that there
was this melting pot and from it came
Motown and so many other things that
really reflected in that music those
influences that we all had and so today
as we celebrate to me a new America and
when I say a new America it really is a
new chance for Americans of all there is
ethnicity to come together and say we
can stand strong as a United people of
the United States and being influenced
to the positive for not just us in this
country
for people throughout the world yes we
most definitely can and though we have
now first african-american president of
the United States that is very exciting
but what's really exciting is that you
will have now allowed me to see that
you're able to see beyond color and see
the soul in the heart and so if you can
see that then look at each of those
heart and look inside that heart and
encourage those even those who are
haters and can't believe encourage them
to say listen we must come together
today because tomorrow is not promised
to any of us so I want to thank you all
so much
my family and all of my loved ones that
are here tonight I thank you all for my
friends that are here you cannot imagine
how good I feel of course I got to fix
that ending that idea I got to do it
again better next time I was so
embarrassed King but I thank you so much
today you have made such a great
contribution to making this the
beginning of the best part of the rest
of my life thank you thank you very much
half of dr. Billington in Library of
Congress thank you so much have a good
evening
you
I've been building my castle of love
just for to know you never do you were
my reason I've gone much too far for you
not a say that I've got to throw my
castle way
I am picked on a verb
true
no you never knew it wasn't you been
dreaming
The Sandman has gone
too far away for you to say come back
some mama day and though you don't
believe that they do they do come true
hold in my dreams control all of you and
maybe too if you would believe you two
might be home a joint over love all over
me
I painfully turn every stone just to
fine I had found what I've searched to
discuss
one might you want
on me now to find love that I saw can
never be mine and though you don't
believe that they do they do come true
warden my dreams come true and I listen
you may be to appear would be
you two might be Oh what's your over
love me
me now drew up knees in the chin
hey love
to my last breath I'll be
yeah
you
okay if you're seeing this part lalalala
in the melodies
speaker please the my speaker over here
the mo voice are you ready alright this
is the steveland Morris Stevie Wonder
class of voice the Library of Congress
you can't mess up it's recording you all
the time
meaning you do becomes a permanent
records
somebody's here we go hit it
sing it
you
in the
or sometimes on the ground
I've been me
but you never notice me
don't you tell me how
Oh
ah
see my
me
I wish you
I
ah
thank you god bless you
this has been a presentation of the
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