The Short Choral Works of R. Nathaniel Dett (Final Draft)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2018 The Short Choral Works of R. Nathaniel Dett Marques Lamar Aramis Garrett Follow this and additional works at the DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC THE SHORT CHORAL WORKS OF R. NATHANIEL DETT By MARQUES LAMAR ARAMIS GARRETT A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2018 Marques L. A. Garrett defended this dissertation on April 13, 2018. The members of the supervisory committee were: André J. Thomas Professor Directing Dissertation Clifton Callender University Representative Kevin Fenton Committee Member Katarzyna “Kasia” Bugaj Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii To the memories of Royzell Dillard and Dr. Carl Gordan Harris, Jr. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I acknowledge my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the head of my life. All praise, glory, and honor belong to Him for without Him, none of this would have been possible. I owe the greatest amount of gratitude to my parents for giving me life, continually praying for me, acknowledging my gift and supporting my musical career and every endeavor, for moving me to and from many residences, and giving me challenging questions and statements that have shaped me into the man I am today. I thank my brother, Troy, for being a source of inspiration. I love him more than he’ll ever know. I thank Edryn J. Coleman for being a best friend who gave me encouraging words as we endured this process together. I would have never known eight years ago that we would have stayed connected, much less become best friends. I’m able to share my hopes, fears, and successes with you and know that you have my best interest at heart. I continually strive to be a great musician and educator as you are. I thank my other best friend, Kelley Y. Johnson, for calming me when I stressed out on FaceTime and helped me organize my thoughts and life. You have been a rock in my life for so long. The memories of Royzell Dillard and Dr. Carl G. Harris, Jr., will live with me forever. Those two men saw much more in me than I ever saw in myself while at Hampton. They gave me opportunities that propelled my career and gave me more in my time at Hampton than I could begin to describe. I thank my Florida State teachers, Drs. Kevin Fenton, Judy Bowers, Clifton Callender, and Kasia Bugaj for their tireless dedication to my education. A special recognition goes to my advisor, Dr. André J. Thomas, for recognizing something special in me many years ago and allowing me to be a part of this amazing program. Without his words of wisdom, motivational talks, and hilarious stories, I would not have been able to endure the rigors of this life-changing experience. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Roland Carter. It is because of his dedication to the music of R. Nathaniel Dett that I learned about him from my teacher, Royzell Dillard, who was a student of Roland Carter. He is a wonderful example of staying true to your passion for black music. Thank you for helping me get the missing scores to analyze. I continually look up to the amazing black men upon whose shoulders I stand. My many mentors include Drs. James Abbington; Marvin Curtis; Leo Davis, Jr.; Emmett G. Price III; and Raymond Wise. You are an inspiration to me. I hope to, one day, live a life as full as yours. iv I cannot begin to describe the wonderful friendship that has developed with my classmate, Alex T. Favazza, Jr. Your unmerited, unwavering, and selfless friendship has kept me grounded, encouraged, and inspired. Thank you for listening to my many conversations about black classical music. It is an honor to call you a colleague and friend. Lastly, I thank the additional host of other family members, friends, and colleagues who continually encouraged me through my many educational endeavors. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... xi List of Examples ..................................................................................................................... xii Abstract .................................................................................................................................. xvi 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Brief Biographical Information .......................................................................................... 4 Dett’s Legacy ..................................................................................................................... 6 Timeline ............................................................................................................................. 8 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................. 8 Delimitations ..................................................................................................................... 10 Choral Catalog Overview ................................................................................................. 10 Publication Arc................................................................................................................ 12 Short Choral Works Catalog .......................................................................................... 13 Review of Literature ......................................................................................................... 17 Books about R. Nathaniel Dett ...................................................................................... 17 Books Containing Reference to Dett ............................................................................. 19 Dissertations Related to Dett’s Choral Music ............................................................... 23 Dissertations Related to Dett’s Compositional Output ............................................... 28 Journal Articles about Dett ............................................................................................ 30 2. BLACK FOLK MUSIC AND ITS USE IN THE LATE NINETHEETH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES ................................................................................................... 35 Black Folk Music ............................................................................................................... 35 Spirituals ............................................................................................................................ 35 An Early History of Historically Black Colleges and Universities ............................. 37 Beginnings of the HBCU Choir ..................................................................................... 39 Collections of Folk Songs ............................................................................................... 41 The Writings of Dett on Black Music ............................................................................... 43 After the Plantation ........................................................................................................ 44 The Concert Stage ........................................................................................................... 47 Dett’s Use of Black Folk Music......................................................................................... 49 Other Black Composers and Their Music ....................................................................... 53 3. ANTHEMS BASED ON BLACK FOLK MUSIC ............................................................. 56 As Children, Walk Ye in God’s Love ............................................................................ 56 Communion .................................................................................................................... 60 vi Gently, Lord, O Gently Lead Us .................................................................................... 62 Go Not Far from Me, O God .......................................................................................... 68 Listen to the Lambs ......................................................................................................... 72 O Hear the Lambs a-Crying ........................................................................................... 79 O Holy Lord .................................................................................................................... 84 On That Sabbath Morn ................................................................................................... 89 Sit Down, Servant, Sit Down.......................................................................................... 93 Somebody’s Knocking at Your Door ............................................................................. 97 Weeping Mary..............................................................................................................