Composer David Lang created an oratorio from Adam Smith's 'The Wealth of Nations' to explore a provocative insight: money itself has no intrinsic value, but functions as a token of human connection and labor. By weaving in texts from Douglass, Emerson, and Eugene Debs, Lang uses music to expose the gap between Smith's economic vision and the lived reality of those excluded from its systems.
Key Moments
David Lang
“Money doesn't really represent anything by itself, but it represents the amount of labor that we put into doing something, and to me, that was much more interesting and much more provocative.”
Lang explains the central insight that drew him to set Wealth of Nations to music—reframing money as a record of human effort rather than an abstract commodity
“I think of money as an invention, as a social construct. I think of it is probably the greatest social lubricant that's ever been invented. If you compare it to the alternative, what would that be? It's either physical goods or maybe just beating people up when you want something.”
Lang defends money as fundamentally human and moral, contra the view that economics is inhuman
“When I sing something myself that I know is going to be sung by someone else, I get to feel it. And somehow for me that makes it a lot more powerful.”
Lang explains why adding vocals to his composition after decades of instrumental work transformed his creative practice
David Lang is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and Grammy winner who teaches composition at Yale University. He co-founded Bang on a Can, a contemporary music festival and collective, and is known for blending classical forms with accessible, emotionally direct language. His new oratorio, 'the wealth of nations,' sets Adam Smith's foundational economic text to music, exploring how trade and money connect us as a society.
Takeaways
1
Economic systems encode hidden assumptions about who matters Lang noticed that Adam Smith's 'poorest laborer' still owns a woolen coat—meaning the truly destitute are invisible in that economic model. By writing the 'Enough' movement himself, Lang highlighted how foundational texts often assume universal participation that doesn't actually exist.
2
Collaboration scales better than competition in the arts Lang deliberately rejected the scarcity mindset that pits composers against each other, instead building a collegial ecosystem where multiple artists' work is elevated. Bang on a Can proved that generosity toward peers expands the whole field rather than dividing a fixed pie.
3
Accessibility requires both technical mastery and generosity Lang's Bang on a Can collective was built on the principle of expanding who can access experimental music—not by dumbing down, but by designing pieces that require rehearsal and community participation. This creates a democratic experience where ordinary people build relationships while learning.
4
Money is a social technology for connection Lang reframes money not as an abstract or dehumanizing force, but as humanity's most effective 'social lubricant'—a token system that encodes labor and enables trade between people who don't know each other. This directly challenges the common view that economics is inherently inhuman or amoral.
5
Text transforms abstract composition into emotional truth After decades writing instrumental music, Lang discovered that adding vocals and lyrics made his emotional intentions audible and felt, not just technically correct. Words act as an anchor that forces precision and connects the listener directly to human experience.
6
Great literature reveals economic inequality Lang deliberately wove texts from Frederick Douglass, Eugene V. Debs, and Ralph Waldo Emerson into the Wealth of Nations oratorio to expose the human costs Smith's 18th-century framework ignores. The piece becomes a dialogue between Smith's system and the voices of those excluded or harmed by it.