That flower up there is a gladiolus. Not that I could have identified it — but someone else did, for me. Scott Joplin wrote a Gladiolus Rag. It is not as well-known as his Entertainer, or Maple Leaf Rag, or Solace. But it is a marvelous piece, immortal. And I have included it in my latest music podcast, my latest Music for a While, here.

This is a program of American music, or America-inspired music. Independence Day is next week. But I thought I’d get a jump on it, and you may want to too. I have Dvořák’s “American Quartet.” I have Marian Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (April 9, 1939). I have one of the Dickinson songs by Copland. (She is quintessentially American, and so is he.)

The podcast ends with one of the great hymns, “At the River,” by Robert Lowry, in the arrangement of Copland — and sung by its greatest exponent, Marilyn Horne.

A nation speaks to a person through its music, among other channels. Again, to try this podcast, go here.