This arrangement of the well known spiritual would suit a good school, college or community choir. It is light and a little jazzy in style. While it can be accompanied by piano alone, the addition of string bass and solo violin is to be recommended. Drum kit could also be an optional addition from letter […]
This Spiritual has one of the most beautiful melodies in the entire canon, and is appropriate for inclusion in a worship service, or concert setting. The yearning and exalted words and simple melody, are as timely today as when this song was first composed.
This Spiritual strikes to the very heart of an enslaved people, fervently longing for freedom. The melody is quite simple, and is embellished with a layer of pathos, and yearning that is impossible to resist, or ignore. Absolutely appropriate for performance in a concert hall, as well as a liturgical setting.
Golden Apples Of The Sun (SATB, unaccompanied) is a joyful, rhythmic piece with lyrics inspired by a Yeats poem. Accessible, uptempo and exhilarating, it is ideal for civic events and celebrations. It is a dynamic work that is exciting for both performers and listeners. Winner of the Celebration Singers 80th Anniversary Composition Competition.
‘Balm in Gilead’ is a fervent prayer to the heavens, to relieve the aches and weighty sorrows of an entire enslaved people. In his memorable autobiography, Frederick Douglass wrote these searing, and unforgettable words; “I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, […]
This hauntingly, simple tune is one of the finest melodies ever written- to spring forth from such pain and sorrow. The immense power of faith and determination are imbued in every line of this gorgeous hymn, promising a better tomorrow.
This gorgeously heartfelt Spiritual gently asks the listener, exactly “where they were”, on the dark day when Jesus Christ was brutally crucified… and points an unflinching finger at themselves; a witness to the degrading torture and death that He endured, to expiate the world’s sins. In the entire canon of liturgical hymnody, very few pieces […]
Deep peace of the running wave to you.Deep peace of the flowing air to you.Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.Deep peace of the shining stars to you.Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you. (Words adapted from an ancient Gaelic blessing)
“Amazing Grace” has been called America’s most beloved hymn, and crosses all boundaries of denominations and faiths, with its simple nineteenth- century melody, and uplifting stanzas- penned by John Newton, 1779. This particular arrangement was inspired by listening to an old recording of Marian Anderson’s heartfelt rendition, and her magnificent voice piercing-through the ignorance and […]
This early Nineteenth Century melody literally throbs with the pathos and dreams of an enslaved people, looking heavenward for deliverance. Scored for a cappella SATB choir, and soprano solo, this lush arrangement makes one stop in awe and wonderment, at such beauty born from the deepest despair.
This joyous Spiritual proclaims a fervent belief in “Freedom’s Song”, and its infectious, jaunty, rhythm- coupled with a simple, yet unforgettable melody make this a perennial favorite in the canon of slave songs. Absolutely appropriate in the context of a religious service, or festival choir performance in a secular setting.
This Spiritual is one of the most well-known and beloved in the entire canon of Slave Songs , and has universal appeal — with it’s simple melody, and heartfelt lyrics — pleading for deliverance from earthly oppression in the same manner that Elijah was taken to his Heavenly Home. Perfectly appropriate for inclusion in a […]
This familiar Spiritual is intertwined with another less-known hymn-tune, from one of the earliest collections of Slave songs known- collected by William Francis Allen in 1867. This ardent abolitionist gathered many songs from the post- Slavery communities of Port Royal, South Carolina to create a remarkable published collection of African American music.
This haunting melody, is one of the most beautiful songs that the slaves composed; bone-weary and sorrow-filled… with their eyes firmly fixed on a Great Deliverer somewhere up in heaven. The itinerant preachers that visited the plantations, selected specific passages from the Bible- guaranteeing them entrance to the Promised Land- if they worked hard for […]
An indomitable sense of hope, and unvarnished sorrow, permeate each line and melody of these unforgettable songs- forged in the anvil of abject misery and despair, aching for freedom’s light. Humiliated beyond all human reckoning, and given no respite from the daily drudgery of endless toil- these fiercely resilient souls somehow persevered, despite the harshest […]
This beloved folk tune has been arranged with optional, muted trumpet (the timbre adds to the mood of the piece). The piano accompaniment expands the 4-part harmony of the choir to suggest more contemporary harmony with a few jazz chords. It’s not overdone, however; “Poor Wayfarin’ Stranger” is still a traditional, compelling portrait of a […]
The Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York has a “Poetry in Motion” series that puts posters of poetry in subway cars. I was on the 1 train on Manhattan’s West Side one day when I saw the poem “Heaven,” by Patrick Phillips. I was immediately captured by the simple beauty of Patrick’s poem, and the […]
