DEI Column: Dr. Jace Saplan & Olivia Arnold

DIVERSITY,DIVERSITY, EQUITYEQUITY ANDAND INCLUSIONINCLUSION COLUMNCOLUMN

It is with great excitement that our DEI column feature the brilliant brain and empathetic spirit of our new Tactus editor, Olivia Arnold. I have had the pleasure of working with Olivia when she was enrolled as a graduate student in my choral literature classes at the University of Hawai’i and can remember her infinite capacity to connect song to story, repertoire to community, and theory to practice. For our DEI contribution, we focus on the concept that DEI does not merely mean outsourcing new materials or familiarizing ourselves with the “other, ” DEI can also mean looking at the traditions we have embodied in the craft and acknowledging there is work to be done beneath the surface. How can we take a look at these practices that we hold dear and acknowledge new truths and more integrated ways of analyzing these practices? Olivia takes a step in that direction by taking a look at the phenomena of internal colonization through the English choral tradition.

Enjoy, Jace Kaholokula Saplan Chair of the Western Region Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Resisting Internal Colonization: The Choral Works of Ruth Watson Henderson

BY OLIVIA ARNOLD

This article is a continuation of my research on colonialism in the English choral tradition. Colonialism in a basic understanding is “the practice of institutional control by one people over another people, their territory, and their resources” (FoslerLussier, 2020, p.15). Specifically, England experienced internal colonialism, a form of colonialism that gained power from insular self-containment government strategies (Olwage, 2004). English folk music was curated by individuals seeking to redefine the English sound by erasing the popular ‘vernacular’ songs (Gammon, 2010). The English government stepped in to reeducate the working class’ musical skills through solfege sight singing classes, led by the Tonic Solfa College (Olwage, 2004). A musically literate working class society was advantageous for internal colonization. Singers were taught the same curriculum and choral literature, thereby unifying their musical experiences. Additionally, the chosen literature represented a highly prescriptive version of English choral music void of any folk influence. In this way, England overhauled the folk music genre through a strict effort in eradicating the ‘vernacular’ sound (Olwage, 2004). English choral singing became a practice of sonic and social control.

The solfa sight singing legacy continued on through the Royal College of Music in England. In Canada, the Royal Conservatory of Music was established to expand English choral music in North America. This expansion marks a turning point in England’s control over its choral sound. Perhaps due to the physical distance or weakened control over this colony, Canada has produced a wide range of styles of choral music. Notably, the works of Ruth Watson Henderson have demonstrated a great divergence from traditional English choral sound and represent a unique Canadian choral style. Ruth Henderson Watson embodies resistance to the internally colonized sound of 19th century England through her dedication to the choral craft, expansion of Canadian choral performance practice, and harmonic experimentation in her own compositions. Henderson creates new pathways in choral composition and music education that disrupt traditional English choral music. A biography and exploration of four choral works will be used to contextualize Henderson’s contributions to Canadian choral literature.

Biography

Ruth Watson Henderson was born in 1932 in Toronto, Ontario. Her interests in piano performance, choral accompaniment, and choral composing led her to her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music (McMillan et al., 2013). Her mentors were Chilean pianist Alberto Guerrero

Guerrero and Danish pianist Viggo Kihl. These formative mentors introduced her to very different worlds of music on opposite corners of the globe. Throughout her time at the Royal Conservatory of Music, she won many awards, was a soloist with Canadian orchestras, and performed on CBC radio.

When she moved on to teaching organ and piano and working as the organist-choirmaster in Winnipeg, she began composing for her choirs (McMillan et al., 2013). In her later years, she accompanied and composed for the Toronto Children's Chorus. Her musical signature involves impressionistic melodies and dramatic and solositic piano accompaniments. Within her compositional style, she utilizes mixed meters to convey text painting through arrangements for children's through adult choirs. The River (2002)

This piece for SATB choir explores the theme of spiritual connections to nature. Set in 6/8, the melodic movement creates the feel of a running river with continuous movement in the left hand of the piano. The lilt of the opening unison phrase, “there is a river that runs so calm, ” mirrors the flow of water. The phrase builds to ‘river’ where it lingers and quickly rushes to ‘calm, ’ conveying a feeling of water flowing around rocky and organic obstacles. The choir beckons the listener to “come to these waters” on a striking CM m7 chord and resolves by repeating this call in a hushed tone.

When I am an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple (2009)

Henderson draws on the work of the English poet Jenny Joseph. With a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, “When I am an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple” depicts what a younger woman thinks on the experience of aging. Henderson sets this text in an SSAA arrangement, perhaps acknowledging how Joseph wrote this poem in her youth. Full of descending chromatic scales in the piano’s left hand and duplets in the vocal line, the harmonic language leans on the theatrics of a young person’s perspective of fighting aging. This piece can be performed with acting and props. She Walks in Beauty from “Shades of Love” (1997)

“She Walks in Beauty, ” a poem by British Romantic poet Lord Byron, has been set by many choral composers including Laura Farnell, David Foltz, and Z. Randall Stroope. The poem praises and seeks to capture a sense of the beauty of a particular woman. The speaker compares this woman to a lovely night with a clear with a clear starry sky, and goes on to convey her beauty as a harmonious "meeting" between darkness and light (Needler, 2010). After its discussion of physical attractiveness, the poem then portrays this outer beauty as representative of inner goodness and virtue. Henderson’s command of creating lush, impressionistic harmonies accentuate the imagery of moonlit rolling landscapes. The lack of lower bass notes directs the listener’s attention to the soaring cascading SA voices. "Winter-Store " from Voices of Earth (1991)

This mass work is composed for double SATB adult choir, children's choir, two pianos, and percussion. This work is especially compelling for its choice of compelling text and potential for community collaboration (Herbert, 2007, 12). Singers of all ages can relate to the intertwined themes of nature and spirituality. In Henderson's own words, “The text is the inspiration for my musical ideas. It shapes the form, the rhythm, and the harmonic color of the music. I believe that music can make words come alive with added dimensions and depth” (Herbert, 2007). Compositionally, this work involves mixed meters, impressionistic melodies, thick and sparse textures, and dramatic dynamic shifts.

Concluding thoughts

The history of English choral sight-singing schools began with good intentions, but the insular nature of the programs created internal colonization. Internal colonization limited the scope of England's choral output, making for an insular music experience. Henderson's legacy points to the success of resisting forms of colonization and celebrating individuality. To resist various forms of colonization, the choral community can learn from Henderson’s involvement of varied textual sources, engaging new harmonic sounds, and creating opportunities for community engagement.

References Herbert, R. (2006). A conductor's study of Ruth Watson Henderson's Voices of Earth (No. 3581) [Doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical

College]. LSU Digital Commons. Hebert, R. (2007). “Voices of Earth” by Ruth Watson Henderson: Textual Considerations for

Analysis and Performance. The Choral Journal, 48(6), 8–21. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23556787 McMillan, Barclay and Kimberly Francis. "Ruth Watson Henderson" . The Canadian

Encyclopedia, 16 December 2013, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ruth-watson-henderson-emc Needler, H. (2010). 'She walks in beauty' and the theory of the sublime. The Byron Journal, 38(1), 19-27. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/385568 Watson, R. H. & Byron, G. G. (1997). She Walks in Beauty from “Shades of Love” [SATB]. Boosey & Hawkes. Watson, R. H. & Harrison, W. (2002). The River [SSA or SATB]. Hinshaw Music: Hinshaw.

Sacred. Watson, R. H. & Joseph, J. (2009). When I am an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple [SSAA].

Roger Dean Publishing. Watson, R. H., Assisi, F. & Lampan, A. (1991). Winter-Store from “Voices of Earth” [SATB and children’s choir]. Counterpoint Musical Service. Whittaker, W. G. (1922). A reply to tonic-sol-fa; pro and con. The Musical Quarterly, 8, 265-272.