Legendsin Harmony: IconicChoral Composers
March 23, 2024 | 7:30pm
Albert Taylor Hall
Dr. Joshua Donaldson, director
Tiffany Budke, pianist
Conductor’s Message
Good evening, friends,
Tonight’s program is one I hope you thoroughly enjoy…it took a long time to finalize! When I decided to program “The Chariot Jubilee,” I thought about how this is truly a “masterwork,” yet it is so rarely performed. Dare I say, I bet most of you here tonight haven’t even heard of this piece! Not only is this piece incredibly accessible to high school and collegiate choirs alike, but it is brilliantly written. R. Nathaniel Dett takes a well-known spiritual (“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”) and intersperses his own text and melds that all with “traditional” writing, gospel writing, and writing reminiscent of some of “the greats.”
Speaking of, I’m sure you may have seen the title of this concert and are now left wondering why there is no Mozart, Faure, Bach, or even Haydn listed. It is because the one recurring thought I had was, “Who decides what constitutes a masterwork?” There are so many brilliant composers that have been buried by history or who are overshadowed by those listed above There are also so many living composers that have such an outstanding body of work that it floors me they aren’t more well-known.
With that said, I thought it fitting to pair the stunning work by Dett with composers who are currently making great strides in the choral field and who I believe will go down as iconic composers in history. You will hear works tonight ranging from “traditional settings” to jazzy works requiring you to look deeper than surface level to works reflecting on the state of our world. We will close our concert tonight with all the ESU choirs performing “The Chariot Jubilee,” the first ever symphonic work based solely on Negro spirituals. You are in for a treat!
Musically yours,
Joshua Donaldson Director of Choral Activities
Legends in Harmony: Iconic Choral Composers
Sing Out, My Soul!
Marques L. Garrett
b. 1984
A Cappella Choir
A Slice of Pie Melissa Dunphy
“Dancing in Buses ” from American DREAMers
No Fairy Tale Here
b. 1980
Zanaida Robles
A Choral Fantasy on “Soon I Will Be Done” John Stoddart
b. 1970
The Chariot Jubilee
Chamber Singer s
R. Nathaniel Dett
Christopher Peine, tenor (1882 – 1943)
ESU Symphonic Choir
Approximate duration 40’
Program Notes
Sing Out, My Soul (2020)
The composer says, “The opening line of the poem by William Henry Davies calls out to our souls to sing. While there are many things about which we can be happy, these days of heavy social media involvement and constant comparisons to other people require that we remind ourselves that it is not about the outside that matters. The inside our hearts, minds, and soul is who we are. Let joy come from deep within, from the assurance that who you are is enough. Because of that, you can sing your song of joy.”
Sing out, my soul, your songs of joy;
Sing as a happy bird will sing
Beneath a rainbow’s lovely arch
In early spring.
Think not of death…
Strive not for gold…
Train up your mind to feel content, What matters then how low your store?
What we enjoy, and not possess, Makes rich or poor.
-William Henry Davies (1871-1940)A Slice of Pie (2020)
“A Slice of Pie” made its debut during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic by way of virtual choir. It was commissioned by and dedicated to the Mendelssohn Club Chorus of Philadelphia under the direction of Dominick DiOrio. Born to refugee parents and raised in Australia, Melissa Dunphy immigrated to the United States in 2003 and has since become an award-winning and acclaimed composer specializing in vocal, political, and theatrical music. Melissa has solidified her place in the choral world as a modern master through the innovative ways she blends stunning music with potent messages.
My apple pie is sweeter
I use the same cinnamon and nutmeg
The same apples, every time
When you bite into it
Your eyes close
And you relish it with delight
Her pie is peach
And you convince her that you love it
Love her
Just the same
But her peaches are in season
Now, at least
When autumn comes
You come calling
For my sweeter apple pie
And I’m the fool who believes your lies
-Feminista Jones“Dancing in Buses” from American DREAMers (2018)
American DREAMers was commissioned by Philadelphia community choir PhilHarmonia to bring to light the stories of immigrants in the wake of anti-immigrant rhetoric during and after the 2016 election. Five texts from five young Americans who were brought to America as children were chosen – Marlene Rangel, Javier Zamora, Janine Joseph, Julia Montejo, and Claudia D. Hernández –and those texts were woven into a multi-movement work that honors their story and inspires hope, empathy, and action
“Dancing in Buses” is a seemingly joyous and rhythmic song that is teaching the reader something fun, like a game or dance. Following the poet’s instructions, you will literally be dancing the day away and forgetting about the cares of the world! The poem starts off by describing the joy of being around others moving and dancing and having fun. Amid the fun, however, we are quickly thrown into danger, and the once joyous movement quickly evolves to a choreography of survival.
Pretend a boom box blasts over your shoulder. Raise your hands in the air. Twist them as if picking limes. Look to the right as if crossing streets. Look to the left, slowly as if balancing orange baskets. Bend as if picking cotton. Do the rump. Straighten up as if dropping firewood. Rake, do the rake, Sweep, do the sweep. Do the PupusaClap finger dough clumps. Clap.
Do the Horchata-Scoop your hand’s a ladle, scoop. Reach and scoop. Now, duck. They’re shooting. Duck under the seat, and don’t breathe.
Hands behind your head. Drop down. Look at the ground. Roll over.
Face the mouth of the barrel. Do the protect-face-with-hand. Don’t scream.
No Fairy Tale Here (2019)
“No fairy tale here” tells of the extraordinary writing and artistry of Ida B. Wells and how she fought racism and oppression through literature. This piece is a powerful statement about the responsibility we have to tell the stories of those whose voices have been marginalized. Robyn Watson’s bold, sobering poetry highlights Ida B. Wells as a beacon of truth during a brutal period of our nation's history.
With a shattered, furious, Frustrated, fiery heart, Her rigid pen fought a mighty battle.
Business literally explodes, Then innocence is dragged out and
Turned into involuntary ornaments
On the local tree.
It’s not even Christmas yet. She finds out
Shattered, furious, Frustrated, fiery is her heart, And now the rigid P.S.A.s begin.
She morphs into a knight.
Her armor evolves With every word she types.
“Southern Horrors” and “The Red Record”
Read like the scariest bulk of fiction And has an equal amount of bloodshed as the Civil War, But they’re frigid facts, Without a stain to be found.
She shouted for humanity, And scolded the lack of Without a sound, her verbiage stabbed.
Confederate flags, Jim Crow, White-sheet, masked men, And leaders of the “free world.”
Without a touch.
With a shattered, furious, Frustrated, fiery heart, Her rigid pen fought a mighty battle.
A Choral Fantasy on “Soon I Will Be Done” (2023)
“Soon I Will Be Done” is a gospel classic considered “traditional” by an unknown composer. It was featured in the 1940 compilation "American Negro Folk Songs" and has remained a staple in gospel music. While there are many settings, one of the most famous is the setting by William Dawson. John Stoddart makes his mark on this classic by highlighting the accompaniment, showcasing flexibility, musical depth, and fervor. Make no mistake, this is a piano showcase!
No more! No more!
Someday, I will be done!
Goin’ home to live with God!
There will be no more weeping; No more pain;
And no more heartache, no more fear.
Forever joy and only cheer. I will be at rest. Someday.
Soon, I will be done!
The Chariot Jubilee (1919)
Jason Max Ferdinand, the editor of the edition we are performing today, sums it up best:
“The Chariot Jubilee” caused much excitement and received great reviews immediately following its premiere in 1921. Hence, it is disheartening to observe its relative obscurity among the staples in the choral repertoire.
At least three reasons for its early successes can easily be identified. First, the perfect blend that is found between the Spiritual portion of the text and that which is based on folklore and spirituals makes for an uplifting narrative. Second, “The Chariot Jubilee” would have been aesthetically pleasing to the ear; the lovely lines, harmonies, and rhythms are all intertwined in the making of this choral work. Lastly, Dett’s ethnic background heightened the appeal of this work. African Americans saw in Robert Nathaniel Dett the epitome of excellence, both in his music and his literary contributions.
Despite revitalization efforts, “The Chariot Jubilee” is still underperformed. Notwithstanding these observations, Nathaniel Dett’s free fantasia can yet prove to be a choral work of choice for conductors. The choral parts remain accessible and charming; the story of the text is timeless in its content, for all can relate to a message of hope and a desire for a better tomorrow. With the creation of the instrumentation presented in this edition, choral conductors will now have access to an accompaniment that uses a smaller cadre of instruments: one flute, one oboe, one bassoon, one French horn, piano, organ, and string quartet. The piece also works with only keyboard accompaniment. It is my vision that, with access to this reduced orchestration, choirs of many levels will have the opportunity to delve into this luminous piece of music.
Dett was highly sophisticated, and this setting allows us to experience the sophistication that was wrapped in love and simplicity. Bringing this music from “Dett to life” would be one of the best gifts humankind can give to itself.
A Cappella Choir
Kaitlyn Bartlett
Delaney Bicknell
Taylor Black*
Morgan Bogard
JoyAnne Boutz
Camden Conley
Logan Cox*
Jarrett Davis
Gwen Dumler
Audrey Durst*
Eva Girard
Charli Holland
Chase Jamison
Daylynn Johnson*
Emma Jones
Hannah Jumet
Sarah King
Kaylee Koester
Aaron Kubacka
Sam Letts
Amber McCarty
Monica McMullen
Colin Newland
Christopher Peine*
Abbie Ribbing
Kaitlyn Seiwert
Cathleen Sipes
Gaile Stephens
Alexander Stewart
Hannah Stubenhofer-May
Cristi Temaat*
Seth Williams
Maddie Williams
Cole Williamson*
Bailey Wong
*Denotes member of the Choral Leadership Team
Chamber Singers
Kaitlyn Bartlett
Morgan Bogard
JoyAnne Boutz
Logan Cox
Audrey Durst
Eva Girard
Chase Jamison
Daylynn Johnson
Hannah Jumet
Aaron Kubacka
Chorale
Lavender Bacon
Molly Chenault
Sally Conard
Marilyn Gooszen
Gary Gooszen
Melinda Groves
John Haefele
Beth Hanschu
Wanqi He
Melissa Herring
Hayley Jennings
Julie Johnson
Nicole Krieg
Alexis Krieg
Sam Letts
Monica McMullen
Chris Peine
Abbie Ribbing
Elisabeth Sloan
Cristi Temaat
Maddie Williams
Seth Williams
Cole Williamson
Shion Lee
Xinyi Lin
Monika Markus
Linda Meyer
Dakoda Pennington
Linda Powell
Lydia Powers
Cathleen Sipes
Andrew Smith
Jeff Tabares
Melissa Turney
Ken Wright
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