November, 1998
Volume 12, No. 5




Contents:


Editorial

KING and the DUKE

NYSCA

Meet the Board

The View from Here

Hymn Queries

The Singingmaster's Assistant

Off the Record(ing)

Paraphernalia

MA Home page

EDITORIAL -- October, 1997

The Importance of the Black Singing Tradition I've written almost yearly about the influence that Spirituals, Jazz, etc. have had on our culture. It's no longer a national phenomenon, it's world-wide. Audiences want to hear spirituals all over the world, and wherever the real songs go, they create an immediate bond. The rhythm gathers people in -- the melodies and texts touch the heart -- even if the words are in an unfamiliar language.
I've discovered in reading a book about Duke Ellington how seriously he took this music, and how often he reiterated that he was not performing 'swing' or 'jazz' or 'blues' -- he was performing the music of his people, which could speak to all people. It's as much of a style as classic or baroque -- with its timeless masterworks and its quantities of lesser lights. Nowadays there are imitators everywhere -- much of the music that we hear in churches is a very watered-down concoction of popular rhythms and forms. But the real thing is enormously strong -- and inimitable. One must take its study seriously to enter into it.
It's interesting to ponder the relationship between sacred and secular in this regard. When Bach wrote a Brandenburg Concerto he did not use a totally different style from the Cantatas -- some of the Sinfonias which introduce the festival cantatas sound very similar. Yet many good church folks are sure that the jazz rhythms and turns of phrase do not belong in the service. Remember that Bach was vociferously criticized in his day for being "too operatic", "writing secular music for the church" and "being too emotional". He knew, as all creators know, that he had to follow his own vision; that his vision was formed and nurtured in his own society; and that sooner or later it would be accepted. (His own sons found him very old-fashioned -- they wrote, as they had to, in the Mozartean style.)
But all composers whose music lives know that style is the vehicle through which raw human emotions are processed. Dylan Thomas's unforgettable line "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower" gives the picture. The honesty of the basic emotion is the start, then the discipline of the art, and the vision to make the connection between the vision and the work, between the creator and the listener. Style is the outward covering of the inner reality, and we must learn to listen for the true, the real, and not be dissuaded by the timid safety of half-expressed emotions, or of half-learned tricks of phrase.
The language of true spirituals can lead us as truly to the God-head as any music of the past masters of western music. It is capable of the depths and heights of the greatest music before it, and worthy of our love, honor and respect. Let us perform it in our churches and concert halls, and be enfolded into the warmth and truth of its message.

Alice Parker

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KING and the DUKE


Melodious Accord is pleased to announce the completion of its new recording KING and the DUKE: American Praise. Alice Parker's cantatas A Sermon from the Mountain: Martin Luther King and Ellington: Songs from the Sacred Services were taped in September 1997, with soloists Eugene Perry, John Aler, Pamela Warrick-Smith, Gail Blache-Gill and the Musicians of Melodious Accord. This ambitious project, also involving a string quintet and improvising jazz players, is now going through final editing and production. The CD will be released in January, 1998.

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NYSCA


The Musicians of Melodious Accord have an enviable record of support by the New York State Council on the Arts. Our grant amount was increased for this season, enabling us to plan three concerts in New York in the spring. We are grateful for their faith in us, and for their invaluable supports of the arts in the state.

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Meet the Board

Timothy Riley was elected in September to be the new Chair of the Board of Trustees of Melodious Accord, Inc. Presently a Lecturer/Administrative Assistant at The Cloisters, he has an active interest in our educational activities, and brings with him a wealth of administrative experience and arts business know-how. His enthusiasm for choral music is unbounded, and we are looking forward to lively seasons under his leadership. Beth Wladis, from the New York Public Library, is Vice-Chair, and Cynthia Simonoff our invaluable Treasurer.
And it is distressing to note that our dear friend and colleague Pamela Warrick-Smith is battling cancer. The prognosis is good, but that doesn't cancel out the discomfort of treatment, and the total disruption of schedule. We know she'd love to hear from you: send a note or card to the office at PO Box 20801, Park West Station, New York, NY 10025-1516. And if you'd like to repay some of the pleasure she's given you through her recordings, you might want to contribute to her medical expenses. Send a check made out to Melodious Accord marked Pamela Fund, and we'll make sure she gets the full amount. She was able to contribute two wonderful solos to the new CD.

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The View from Here


Have you ever seen a New England autumn? If not, you've really missed one of the great color shows of the world -- it's impossible to describe adequately. The hills are an incredible orange as you see them from the interstate, but as you move onto the smaller roads the colors intensify, and on the dirt road to the south of my house, there is a tunnel of gold to drive through: arching boughs at the top and sides, open enough to let the dappled sunlight through, and a complete carpet of leaves below. It surpasses any trick of theatrical lighting I have ever seen. . . Up close, one sees colors in all the range from scarlet to yellow-green, with the black-green of the hemlock, spruce and pine trees as counterpoint. I'd forgotten how different the effect is each week: we've lived in wonderland for three weeks now, and the leaves won't be all down till the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the yard finally looks the way I've wanted, with small evergreens in the planter tubs, pumpkins on the steps, and late mums by the walk. My kids helped me put in some bulbs, so I'll have the fun of seeing those come up in the spring -- in that long period in March and April between winter and green grass. It's hard to leave for those weekend workshops (much as I enjoy them) -- and a pleasure to come home!

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Hymn Queries


Questions written on a white card and handed to me at a recent Workshop (just like Press Corp. luncheons!):

How do you put on a Hymn Sing?

FOOD! It can be as small as a gathering at your home, so you can practice leading) or an ALL-DAY-SING-WITH-DINNER-ON-THE-GROUNDS. The gathering principle is the same. People come together on the model of the family, for mutual pleasure and sustenance.

Any suggestions for a small choir that sings a lot of unison?

First, good! Are you listening for pitch, rhythm, 'blend', phrasing, diction to make your unison an artistic whole, not a compromise? And second, is it always accompanied? Unaccompanied singing can be just beautiful, and should be a primary goal. As you move into two part, try rounds -- these make people sing independent parts and hold their own -- but all must know the melody very well before you start separating. As for two-part settings, they usually sound much better in equal voices, that is, with just women or just men. So perform them that way: let the men sit this one out, and then do a unison bit by themselves. Remember that your sound at the performance is the key -- no credit for attempting a difficult piece and not doing it well.!

Some people in my congregation resist any hymn that isn't an 'old favorite'. What do you say to them?

"Thank you for your suggestion! Name me five hymns right now that you want, and I'll start scheduling them next month." (Often they won't be able to name one on the spot.)...You will never be able to please everyone, and there will always be people who want to turn off their minds as they enter the service. So be polite to them and don't get worried at their critique. Imagine how it must have been in Bach's - or Watt's - or Wesley's congregations -- people expecting the new. "What's the newest hymn today?" (with great expectation) -- just like a popular song! Times change -- and we are not completely at their mercy. I like the middle position best -- cherish both the old and the new, and realize that hymns mean many different things to different people. [Of course, none of this deals with leadership or choice of songs: that's another article!]

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The Singingmaster's Assistant


"Beth Hart, who is Alice's right-hand everything in Massachusetts, is editing a publication that we thought would interest many of you. Here's the scoop." Beth Hart announces . . . (Is scoop too jazzy? Then use 'Here are the details'.
Beth Hart is Alice's right-hand in Hawley, running the office-in-the-woods and using her musicianship and organizational skills in many ways. While helping put together a program for an upcoming workshop, she mentioned the following idea, which seems to us like a great one. We take pleasure in announcing a new newsletter, The Singingmaster's Assistant, offering choral directors help with programming ideas. The newsletter will be filled with articles on the fine art of programming, and reviews of various choral editions and of the latest publications. Also, repertoire ideas for choral ensembles ranging from student choirs to community choruses to early music groups and everything in between. If interested in this valuable new resource, contact Beth Hart, Illuminare Press, 67 Burrows Turnpike, Bernardston, MA 01337 for a sample copy.

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Off the Record(ing)

-Dan Colburn
If you have ever been responsible for pulling together all the elements -- human and material - required to achieve a successful musical event of any kind, you will be able to relate to the scene at Christ Chapel of The Riverside Church in New York City on the evening of September 8, 1997 -- the first recording session for the new Melodious Accord CD of Alice Parker's Sermon on the Mountain: Martin Luther King and Duke Ellington's Songs from the Sacred Services. Months (years, really) of imagining, planning, organizing, fund raising, etc. were about to be on the line, at great expense per hour, to get this wonderful music "in the can."
What seemed like a chaos of cables, instruments, music stands, and people, was beginning to take shape. Alice had led an intense rehearsal in the afternoon with the chorus; the recording engineer and producer from Ethereal Recordings had moved in all their equipment, run their tests, and declared the place suitable; the instrumentalists were assembling, tuning up, figuring out a way to plug in their stand lights without creating a lethal web of electrical cords; Alice was going through her scores; the soloists were expected shortly.
The whole project finally seemed possible. We were waiting only for the magic hour when the deep (but specifically pitched!) rumble of the giant central air conditioning system of the church would magically fall silent (microphones have a way of hearing everything you don't want them to hear) to begin the first test takes... And we waited... The air seemed to have stopped moving, but there was still an audible rumble. A fan motor somewhere nearby had not gone off. The staff of the Church was mobilized to "search and destroy, : which they eventually did...At last, blissful silence in the beautiful Neogothic Chapel, littered with the paraphernalia of music and technology.
There remained the gnawing feeling that something was missing, as indeed there was. There was no drummer. The string players were there, all tuned up. The jazz pianist and bassist were there, playing riffs that lent the faintly incongruous air of a nightclub to the place, the chorus was lounging on the steps and in the great chairs designed for somber participants in a religious service, various of us were running in and out seeing to details ... but there was no drummer. We gave him a little time to allow for transportation trouble, then became really concerned. We had only a certain amount of time. Everybody was on the clock. Only a certain amount of music was ready to record that didn't require percussion. What would we do?
The last to arrive on the scene was Cynthia Simonoff, MA Treasurer, former managing director and veteran of MA performances and recordings -- doer of all things needed. When apprised of the problem, Cynthia, in her characteristically optimistic way, announced that she actually knew a wonderful jazz drummer in the neighborhood. Grasping at any (unlikely) hope, Alice said "get him." We would worry about having to pay two of them (if the first showed up) later. Time was of the essence. With two phone calls, Cynthia contacted her acquaintance. Not only did he live just a block away, but he was home, and free for the evening. Only on that corner, only in New York! I was dispatched to help him up Claremont Avenue with his (very heavy) equipment, and within 20 minutes, we were in business. The schedule was slightly rearranged, movements without drums were recorded first, but when it was time for the jazz -- he was right on cue.
Compared to those first moments, the rest of the there days of recording went by blissfully without incident. You will be able to hear the results -- Alice's inspired music in tribute to Martin Luther King, complete with percussion, and without air conditioning -- on the finished CD in the spring.
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If you have not already done so, please help finish the project with your gift to the MA recording fund, or order a copy of the CD in advance (form enclosed), and when you hear the drums.... you'll know.

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paraphernalia


"Dan Colburn has been working as a consultant for Melodious Accord on our special projects. As you can tell from the article, he is not only capable and well organized, but has a lovely sense of humor as well."
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