The historic episodes presented in the musical play concerned periods in the first century of the United States when the office of the presidency was in jeopardy, or when the White House itself was about to be physically destroyed. The authors' intention was to symbolize democracy as a process always in rehearsal, striving to perfect itself. That Got Away, in the Fall 1992 issue of the magazine Show Music. All the music in A White House Cantata uses the original orchestrations, by Mr Bernstein, Hershy Kay and Sid Ramin. As is often the case with the financial and spatial constraints of a Broadway pit, there are noticable differences from a standard symphonic orchestration.
Violas are absent, and the celli are divisi throughout.
The keyboard plays a prominent role, in this case doubling piano, harpsichord, calliope, organ, harmonium, and an eerie sound on an electronic keyboard. The guitar player likewise doubles on banjo and electric guitar. For concert performance, the woodwind parts have been reconfigured from the standard five reed books of Broadway, with their intricate doublings and rapid changes of instrument. Retaining the original orchestrations enables the wit and astonishing beauty of the lyrics to shine with their intended clarity, while preserving all the colorful details in this richly rewarding score. A White House Cantata places this overlooked piece of American musical theatre at long last before the concert-going public.