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Worksheets, posters, and other curriculum materials for this piece are available online at www.justatheorypress.com.
Redeem code Chorale-Curriculum to access these additional learning resources.
Meet the Composer
The creative output of Anthony R. Green (b. 1984; composer, performer, social justice artist) includes musical and visual creations, interpretations of original works or works in the repertoire, collaborations, educational outreach, and more. Behind all of his artistic endeavors are the ideals of equality and freedom, which manifest themselves in diverse ways in a composition, a performance, a collaboration, or social justice work.
As a composer, his works have been presented in over 25 countries across six continents by various internationally acclaimed soloists and ensembles. He has received commissions from the Fromm Foundation, Community MusicWorks, Make Music Boston, Celebrity Series Boston, Chamber Music Tulsa, Access Contemporary Music, the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Boston University, the Texas Flute Society, NOISE-BRIDGE duo, Ghetto Classics, and various other soloists and ensembles. He has been a resident artist at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts (Nebraska), Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Escape to Create (Florida), Visby International Centre for Composers (Sweden), Space/Time (Scotland), atelier:performance (Germany), the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (Nebraska), Gettysburg National Military Park, and the perfocraZe International Artist Residency (Ghana). Upcoming residencies include the Atlantic Center for the Arts (Florida) and Loghaven (Tennessee).
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Through music, text, and entrepreneurship, Green comments on many issues related to social justice. His most important social justice work has been with Castle of our Skins, a concert and education series he co-founded and served as Associate Artistic Director and Composer-in-Residence. For more information, please visit: AnthonyRGreen.com
Anthony R. Green
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Commissioned by the Celebrity Series Boston in partnership with Castle of our Skins, Chorale for Phillis, Harriet, and Mum Bett is a piece that was written to honor the memories of three Black women who all have ties to Massachusetts.
Phillis Wheatley Peters (c. 1753 - 1784)
Phillis is considered to be the first Black author of a published book of poetry, when her collection Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was published in England.
Harriet Jacobs (1813 -1897)
Harriet was an abolitionist, teacher, writer, mother, survivor, and so much more. Before escaping to the north, she spent 7 years in her grandmother's attic crawl space. Eventually she set up a business in Cambridge, MA, and is buried next to her daughter at Mt. Auburn Cemetery.
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Elizabeth Freeman (c. 1744 - 1829), also known as Mum Bett
Mum Bett was the first enslaved person to successfully sue for their freedom. When news of the declaration of independence started to circulate with the text "all men are created equal", Mum Bett cleverly paid attention to litigation possibilities in Massachusetts, and brought forward her successful case at the right moment.
The music of this Chorale is meant to be reverent, celebratory, but also indicative of struggle. Each of these women were enslaved at one point in their lives, but also attained their freedom. While this wasn't the narrative of most enslaved women in the United States, the stories of Phillis, Harriet, and Mum Bett were crucial in multiplying and solidifying abolition efforts in the U.S. at a time when it was desperately needed.
-Anthony R. Green, composer
Chorale for Phillis, Harriet, and Mum Bett
A. R. Green
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