Ls There to Sing About? a SHORT THEATER PIECE by CO.MPOSER CHARLES STROUSE
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GI hat lS There to Sing About? A SHORT THEATER PIECE BY CO.MPOSER CHARLES STROUSE DONALD B. MILLER "Everyman" plays. But.these memories only mock and gen erally disappoint him. The score of "What Is There to Sing About?" is through composed: an apt choice of form for conveying the idea that Donald B. Miller received his MM from Cincinnati College life is an ever-changing, evolutionary process and we are Conservatory of Music with graduate stUdy at Indiana Uni shaped or victimized to a certain extent by our own time. versity and the University of Southern California. He was Truly serious music throughout, the work exhibits neo-classic elected New York State President of ACDA in 1972. As direc tendencies in several quasi-recitative sections (Example 1) tor of the Onondaga Community College Choirs at Syracuse, New York, Miller's group placed third on its day of competi tion at the International Koorfestival at Den Haag, Nether £am .. Ie. 1 lands in 1973. The Syracuse Bicentennial Ambassadors chorus performed for the New York State Composers Radio series in April. He is also director of the St. Paul's United Methodist Church Choir at Syracuse. I'1r1.Jic "lh T£xr JANUARY 15, 1976: An historically momentous date for .jy c/TA.NE.f ./r,fdc!.ft'.F the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York. After half a century of planning, Onondaga County's new $25 mil lion Civic Center arrived at its Opening Night(l). And, as if the building itself was reluctant to be considered finished (is anything ever really finished?) pungent odors of last minute paint jobs greeted an elegantly dressed opening night -capacity audience, each of whom had paid $25 or $35 to attend. The Civic Center Opening Night concert was divided into three parts: First the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (Chris topher Keene conducting) performed Samuel Barber's First which are used much in the same manner as found in opera and Second Essays fOl' Orchestra. Following a first inter and in oratorio to carry the narrative from one changing mission came the world premiere of a commissioned work mood to another. We have to admire the skillful baroque by Broadway composer Charles Strouse. Ella Fitzgerald closed figurations which accompany the solo parts of Death (bass), the program, after a second intermission. This article deals Good Deeds (mezzo soprano 01' alto), Friendship (baritone), with Charles Strouse's unique work, "What Is There to Sing and the related choral parts (Example 2, bar 549-552). About?" - the middle part of the program. Strouse's talent is well known: Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, Golden Boy, and the musical score for the film Bonni,e and Clyde, among others. In these scores, however, we are not exposed to his total versatility and musicianship as we are in this newly premiered work(2). "What Is There to Sing About?" is both fascinating and frightening, Fascinating as a multidimensional work in scope and content, it could be understood on several levels. Moreover, for vocal and choral musicians, it is an original in that it lies somewhere between the theater and contemporary secular oratorio. The work is frightening as a stark commentary on the repetition of history(3). At the same time that this is a new kind of theater piece, it is as well a personification of Charles Strouse's philosophy as an artist; in short, one dimension is an auto biographical sketch of the composer himself. A thought that can concern all of us: composers, choral directors, singers, instrumentalists any kind of musician, any kind of artist, is the germinal question: why do something which is of no Some sections call for sprechstimme from the chorus, as a tangible or material value? Thus evolved the question, "What commentary on and illumination of the narrative carried by Is There to Sing About?": a metaphor about singing and more the principals. In other sections, the principals personify dis importantly about life. illusionment with the 20th century (Example 3, bar 389-394), The theme centers on a young composer who has been commissioned to write a new work, and who experiences disillusionment about his own career, and about life. Re flected constantly in today's "pop" music, particularly Rock and Gospel, there is still and again (and always?) a perva sive disillusionment with the world: Watergate, Vietnam, ~f pollution, "ennui", suicide, racism, crime, drugs, and so forth. This disillusionment accounts for the "now" sections in . ......... Strouse's work, which have been written satirically with ('TCJ<J~ J,£tiJ./ j,f/J11'1 AJIlltE 1/ ttJr' :1'; JicK_ '/4'/ /Ii..;!'ttlEl-/;( J,g:,/ /iJcJ ,,'/19,,}_ Y considerable skill. As indicated before, a second thought 'Coupled with the original metaphor evolves as the young -composer realizes his dilemma is all-encompassing and that 'he must face his Maker and confront the reality of death, which can be artistic or actually physical. And this con frontation has nothing at all to do with economic or with aesthetic values. Actually, the entire composition could be interpreted as a dream. Through a sequence of events, the Young Man (tenor) comes to realize that his question is unanswerable; that is, the answer is in his bones, his skin, his heart, his very being. He has to sing, he has to give that pleasure to others, he has to make music because he lives and he doesn't want to die. As he confronts possible death, he re caIls a chronology of his past life, in the manner of the 12 THE CHORAL JOURNAL and prophetic of impending doom for the Young Man who faces death. And so, Friendship tells the Young Man, "... the truth is there, it can't be denied" because "I was your pal!" As the Young Man further recalls his past, Young Love (soprano) is not tender, but jeering and mocking: a part of him that was all hedonistic and rhythmic, just full of Oh wow!, like 00 and Oh, Baby, Baby! (Example 5, bar 599-606), Pictured above: Donald Miller (left) and Charles Strouse (right) reviewing score of "What Is There to Sing About?" In this case Good Deeds is a poor, broken Black woman. Those three memories (Good Deeds, Friendship and Young Strouse's concluding section, a choral coda, is an example of Love) abysmally disappoint him; but after all, he has no exceptionally beautiful writing for principals, chorus, and one to blame but himself for conjuring them up. orchestra, consisting of bitonal complex harmonies remini There are some hauntingly beautiful sections that seem scent of the pseudo jazz-influenced style of Darius Milhaud entirely Strouse's creation. When the Young Man actually (Example 4, bar 770-773). Summer Conducting with William Hall for School Musicians and Church Directors Chapman College is offering ADVANCED CONDUCTING, Music 657, 3 units, as part of the MASTERS IN CONDUCTING program. June 21·July 9,1976 Monday through Friday 7·10 p.m. in the NEW Music Building DR. WILLIAM HALL, noted conductor and teacher, will concentrate on three aspects of conducting: First week: Review of conducting techniques; basic patterns June 21-25 to complex rhythms Second week: Conducting new literature for school June 28-July 2 and church Third week: Rehearsal techniques for choral-orchestral .. II July 5-9 performances; emphasis will be on major choral works for church and school THE WILLIAM HALL CHORALE All conductors will be able to work with the William Hall It would appear that Strouse's prime methodology in this Chorale as a laboratory choir composition is to fuse the natural mockery and parody found CONDUCTING RECITAL-Sunday, July 11, 1976 in today's popular music with his own very significant talents There will be a recital of several students conducting as a classical composer, resulting in a completely new sort compositions studied in class of vocal work. To us, this composition is therefore distinctive in a very special way. Strouse's unique talent has unified This will be an opportunity to refresh yourself in several what could have been simply a musical collage of multiple conducting areas in addition to earning credit towards a unrelated concepts. Masters degree The following solo parts are examples of the composer's For further information write to: Dr. Thomas G. Hall, Chairman, mockery/parody technique: Department of Music, Chapman College, 333 N. Glassell, Good Deeds is a beaten old Black woman. She is good Orange, CA 92666 - Or call: (714) 633-8821, Ext. 291 ness that has simply grown old by waiting so long (racism!). Friendship is an overbearing, oversincere rhinestone cow boy country and western star whose friendship is ludicrous MAY 1976 13 Above all, we feel that the vocal!choral art form has been SING ... significantly enriched by this new theater piece(6). faces death, this momentous transformation of thought is FOOTNOTES inspirationally portrayed in the music by means of an har 1. By 1966 when a Performing Arts Facility Committee monic "shift" at bar 309 (Example 6, bar 307-313) from b was established, the drive to get a concert theater built al ready had been going on for 38 years! 2. Charles Strouse studied music with Howard Hanson, at the Eastman School in Rochester, with Nadia Boulanger in Europe, and with Aaron Copland at Tanglewood. The United States has yet to see his latest show, I and Albert which opened in London and is based on the lives of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. 3. Strouse had in mind the medieval morality, or "Every man" plays. 4. He was commissioned by Onondaga County, with the ~ ..... ,., _:....:::==:::'j::::-/l~-_:::::::==:::::..../- specific request that it be written for full orchestra.