An Annotated Catalog of the Music of Eusebia Simpson Hunkins in the Music and Dance

Library Special Collections Room and the Mahn Center for Archives and Special

Collections of Ohio University

A thesis presented to

the faculty of

the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University

In partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree

Master of Music

Alexandra R. Taliani

May 2020

This thesis titled

An Annotated Catalog of the Music of Eusebia Simpson Hunkins in the Music and Dance

Library Special Collections Room and the Mahn Center for Archives and Special

Collections of Ohio University

ALEXANDRA R. TALIANI

has been approved for

the School of Music

and the College of Fine Arts by

Richard D. Wetzel

Professor of Music History and Literature

Matthew R. Shaftel

Dean, College of Fine Arts 3

ABSTRACT

TALIANI, ALEXANDRA R, M.M., May 2020, Music History

An Annotated Catalog of the Music of Eusebia Simpson Hunkins in the Music and Dance

Library Special Collections Room and the Mahn Center for Archives and Special

Collections of Ohio University

Director of Thesis: Richard D. Wetzel

Eusebia Simpson Hunkins (1902-1980) was an American musician and composer known most widely for her compositions based upon Appalachian music. She composed in the genres of opera, solo vocal music, choral music, piano music, and instrumental music. Her operas and choral music were performed in Athens, Ohio and across the country, and were published by Carl Fischer and the Lorenz Publishing Corporation, among others. Many of her works are preserved in manuscript.

This thesis is an annotated catalog of the published and manuscript music of

Eusebia Simpson Hunkins located in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections

Room and the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections of Ohio University. It describes the system of cataloging developed in consultation with Dr. Carla Williams, librarian of the Music and Dance Library. The thesis is organized into an introduction and three sections including a brief biography of Eusebia Simpson Hunkins, the annotated catalog and a general summary of her compositional style in the genres of piano and instrumental ensemble music, choral music, solo vocal music, and opera.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank Dr. Richard Wetzel for trusting me with this project and guiding me through this process. I am grateful for his infinite wisdom and knowledge, and I could not have asked for a better advisor and professor. I wish to thank Professor Debra Rentz for being a phenomenal teacher and source of encouragement throughout graduate school, and for fostering my interest in women composers, which led me to this thesis. I wish to thank Carla Williams for assisting me in the cataloging of this music, and for being incredibly supportive of this project. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Ciro Scotto for his guidance and for serving on my thesis committee.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page Abstract ...... 3 Acknowledgments...... 4 Introduction and Explanation of Cataloging System ...... 6 Biography ...... 8 Catalog of Music ...... 11 Piano Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections ...... 11 Instrumental Ensemble Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections . 11 Choral Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections ...... 12 Choral Music in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections ...... 16 Solo Vocal Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections ...... 17 Solo Vocal Music in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections ...... 19 Operas in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections ...... 19 Operas in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections ...... 20 Summary of Eusebia Simpson Hunkins’ Style ...... 22 General Characteristics ...... 22 Characteristics of Piano Music ...... 22 Characteristics of Instrumental Ensemble Music ...... 23 Characteristics of Choral Music...... 23 Characteristics of Solo Vocal Music...... 24 Characteristics of Operas ...... 25 References ...... 28

INTRODUCTION AND EXPLANATION OF CATALOGING SYSTEM

Eusebia Simpson Hunkins (1902-1980) was an American musician and composer known most widely for her compositions based upon Appalachian music. She composed in the genres of opera, solo vocal music, choral music, piano music, and instrumental ensemble music. Her operas and choral music were performed in Athens, Ohio and across the country, and were published by Carl Fischer and the Lorenz Publishing

Corporation, among others. Many of her works are preserved in manuscript.

Her music is preserved in two collections: in the Richard D. Wetzel Collection located in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections Room, and in the Eusebia

Simpson Hunkins Papers located in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special

Collections of Ohio University. The music in this catalog was written between 1928 and

1980. There are sixty-four entries in this catalog, which includes fifty-five individual pieces of music, some appearing in both collections. This catalog includes almost thirty published and manuscript choral works and choral dramas, nine manuscript piano and instrumental ensemble pieces, over ten published and manuscript songs, and ten published and manuscript operas. Some pieces are arrangements in different voicings and instrumentations.

In consultation with Dr. Carla Williams, Music and Special Projects Librarian and

Dr. Richard Wetzel, Professor of Music History in the School of Music, I developed a cataloging system for Hunkins’ published and manuscript music. The catalog is organized by genre and collection location. Each composition within the genre is listed alphabetically and contains the following information: title, composer, folder number, 7 location, performing forces, number of pages, dimensions, publisher and plate number if applicable, place of publication if applicable, year of creation, the librettist or poet if applicable, other collaborators if applicable, and general comments about the composition. All of the available information for each composition is included in this thesis. A spreadsheet of the catalog, which includes the folder numbers for each composition, is available online.

The music located in the Music and Dance Library and the music located in the

Mahn Center are in two separate collections and could not be physically combined. This catalog provides locations for all the music held in both collections. The folder numbers are of two types. For the music located in the Music and Dance Library, the number of each folder is made up of the first letter of the composition’s genre (O for opera, V for solo vocal music, C for choral music, P for piano music, and I for instrumental ensemble music) followed by a number according to the alphabetical order. For example, the first piece in the choral genre, Americana, is listed as A1. For the music located in the Mahn

Center, the box and folder number of each composition is included according to the

Mahn Center’s filing system.

BIOGRAPHY

Eusebia Simpson Hunkins (1902-1980) was an American musician and composer.

She was born in Troy, Ohio on June 20, 1902 (Royster, 2003, p. 147). She studied piano and music theory in Dayton until she received a fellowship to the Juilliard School. At

Juilliard, she studied piano, theory and composition, and conducting; her teachers were

James Friskin, Rubin Goldmark, and Albert Stoessel, respectively (James, 1974). While she was studying at Juilliard, Hunkins traveled to Cornell College in Mount Vernon,

Iowa as a Juilliard Foundation representative, where she taught piano and composition.

After her time at Cornell College, Hunkins worked in composition with Darius Milhaud,

Ernest Hutcheson, and Ernst von Dohnányi. She continued to study composition after

Juilliard, studying at Aspen, Chautauqua and Tanglewood, as well as Salzburg, Austria

(“Eusebia Hunkins obituary,” 1980). She met her husband Maurel Hunkins in

Chautauqua in 1930. He was the assistant conductor of the Chautauqua Symphony and

Opera, and she was a piano soloist with the orchestra. (Royster, 2003, p. 147). They married the following year, and stayed in New York until 1946, where Hunkins composed, taught, and conducted choral groups. They had two children, Arthur and

Nancy Jean, who later became musicians themselves (“Eusebia Hunkins obituary,”

1980).

The Hunkinses moved to Athens, Ohio in 1946, when Maurel became the dean of men at Ohio University. It was here that Eusebia began to research Appalachian folk music, which inspired many of her compositions. Her first folk opera, Smoky Mountain, was premiered in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium in 1951 as a 9 fundraiser for the proposed John Calhoun Baker University Center, and featured a cast of many Athenians, including President John Calhoun Baker. The opera had over four thousand performances by the time of her death and established her as one of Ohio’s most frequently performed composers at the time (“Eusebia Hunkins obituary,” 1980).

What Have You Done to My Mountain was awarded a grant by the Ohio Arts Council in

1972 and was premiered in 1974. This is considered to be her major operatic work. A member of the board of the National Opera Association, Hunkins wrote several operas, including Young Lincoln I and II, Mice in Council, The Reluctant Hero, Maniian, and The

Spirit Owl. The latter was sparked by her fascination with and research into Indian lore

(“Eusebia Hunkins obituary,” 1980). In addition to her operas, Hunkins arranged and composed many choral works and Biblical choral dramas, most notably Wondrous Love,

Child of Promise, and Appalachian Mass, which was dedicated to the memory of John

Fitzgerald Kennedy. Hunkins also composed for solo voice, solo piano and duo piano, and instrumental ensembles. Her music was published by Carl Fischer Inc., the Lorenz

Corporation (formerly the Lorenz Publishing Company), Interlochen Press, and The

H.W. Gray Company.

During her time in Athens, Hunkins was an active teacher. She wrote Let’s Write

Music, a workbook for beginning composers which was published in 1973. Hunkins also wrote Music is Our Language, a guide to practical musicianship. In addition to her work as a pedagogue, she wrote two children’s operas, The End of the Rainbow and The Magic

Laurel Trees. She was a co-founder of the Opera for Youth project, state chairman for

Junior Composers (as part of the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs), chairwoman of the 10

Young Composers Committee, as well as a member of the board for the Athens

Children’s Theater (“Eusebia Hunkins obituary,” 1980).

Hunkins was active in the National Federation of Music Clubs. She was passionate about American music. During 1975 and 1976 she directed the National

Federation of Music Clubs’ participation in the Bicentennial Celebration, in which each state was represented in a musical week in Washington D.C. As part of the celebration, she composed Happy Land, Our American Heritage in Song and Story, a medley of music and texts arranged for chorus. She initiated the Musical World of Ohio, weekly broadcasts of the music of Ohio composers on the Ohio PBS stations (James, 1974). In addition to her involvement in the National Federation of Music Clubs, Hunkins was also the founder and past president of the Hocking Valley Arts Council, an active member of the Athens Women’s Music Club, a life-long member of the American Society of

Composers, the Juilliard Alumni Association, the American Association of University

Women, and the League of Women Voters (“Eusebia Hunkins obituary,” 1980).

CATALOG OF MUSIC

Piano Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections

Americana: two pianos. 22 pp, 11 x 16. Unpublished manuscript, 1966. Arr. for two pianos, eight hands for The Pile Drivers. Arr. of choral piece Americana.

Ballet—The Star: two pianos. 15 pp, 9.5 x 12. Unpublished manuscript, n.d. Three movements.

[Collection of Piano Pieces]: piano. 9 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, n.d. Five short piano pieces.

Personalities: piano. 12 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1972. 3 movements.

Sputter-Pop!: piano. 10 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1973. Dance suite for solo piano. 5 movements.

Instrumental Ensemble Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections

Dance Suite for Woodwind Quintet: flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano. 6 pp, 8.5 x 12. Unpublished manuscript, n.d. Five movements. Piano and horn parts incomplete. 12

In Memoriam for String Quintet: two violins, viola, cello, bass. 4 pp, 8.5 x 11.

Unpublished manuscript, 1968. Score and parts.

Rhapsody: cello, piano. 8 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1949. 2 copies. Full score.

Choral Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections

Americana: SATB chorus, piano. 32 pp, octavo. N.Y. Carl Fischer, Inc., pl. no. O4629,

1962. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. Dedicated to Eugene Wickstrom and the Ohio

University Singers. 1 unpublished manuscript, same arrangement.

Appalachian Mass: unison chorus, organ, opt. gtr.. 14 pp, octavo. N.Y. Carl Fischer, Inc., pl. no. 04769,1968. Dedicated to the memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy; approved by the Commission on Church Music by the Archdiocese of New York.

Begin Each Day: SA chorus, piano. 4 pp, 7.5 x 9.5. Unpublished manuscript, 1970. Text by Kathleen Lemmon. Dedicated to those who contribute services beyond the call of duty with little recognition and no glory.

Begin Each Day: TTBB chorus, piano. 1 p, 8.5 x 14. Unpublished manuscript, 1970. Text by Kathleen Lemmon.

Child of Promise: treble chorus, sop. and alto solos, wind quintet, percussion, harp, piano.

24 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1962. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. A biblical choral-drama of the infancy of Moses.

Come unto Me: SATB chorus, piano. 3 pp, octavo. Dayton, OH. Lorenz Publishing Co.,

1928. Text by Catherine Esling. Published in The Choral Leader.

Erie Canal: TTBB chorus, piano. 4 pp, 7 x 8.5. Unpublished manuscript, 1959.

Arrangement of American folk-song.

Fairy Voices: Two-part treble chorus, piano. 2 pp, octavo. Dayton, OH. Lorenz

Publishing Co., pl. no. 5052, 1926. Text by Dorothy Lehman Sumerau.

Forest Voices: SSA chorus, a capella. 4 pp, octavo. NY. Carl Fischer, Inc., pl. no. CM

7169, 1951. Text by Eusebia Hunkins. Based on two Ojibwe themes. Dedicated to the Six

Notes girls sextette. 2 unpublished manuscripts, same arrangement.

Happy Land, Our American Heritage in Song and Story: treble chorus, piano or reed organ, flute. 31 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1975. Text by Emily Hammood.

Musical arrangements by Eusebia Hunkins. Includes readings, presented like an oratorio.

Hey Betty Martin: SATB chorus, piano. 8 pp, octavo. Interlochen, MI. Interlochen Press, pl. no. 30-26, 1960. From her opera Young Lincoln.

Love is a Sickness: TTBB chorus, a capella.13 pp, octavo. NY. The H.W. Gray Co., pl. no. 439, 1933. Text by Samuel Daniel. Dedicated to the New York University Glee Club.

The North-Wind’s Frolic: SAB chorus, piano. 5 pp, octavo. Dayton, OH. Lorenz

Publishing Co., pl. no. 7035, 1928. Text by Lizzie de Armond.

The North-Wind’s Frolic: SA chorus, piano. 5 pp, octavo. Dayton, OH. Lorenz

Publishing Co., pl. no. 5111, 1929. Text by Lizzie de Armond.

Old Sister Phoebe: SSA chorus, piano. 5 pp, octavo. Interlochen, MI. Interlochen Press, pl. no. 30-27, 1960. From her opera Young Lincoln.

Pickaninny Joe: SAB chorus, piano. 4 pp, octavo. Dayton, OH. Lorenz Publishing Co., pl. no. 7019, 1926. Text by Sarah Grames Clark.

Shall I Marry?: TTBB chorus, piano. 12 pp, octavo. NY. Mills Music, Inc., pl. no. 1139,

1961. Text by Nora Hegedus and Olcutt Sanders. Arrangement of Hungarian Folk Song.

Dedicated to the Ohio University Glee Club.

Shenandoah: SATB chorus, piano. 3 pp, octavo. Interlochen, MI. Interlochen Press, pl. no. 30-28, 1960. From her opera Young Lincoln.

Sweet Betsy from Pike: SATB chorus, piano. 8 pp, 8.5 x 12. Unpublished manuscript,

1979. Arrangement of American Folk Song.

What Wondrous Love: SATB chorus, piano or organ. 5 pp, octavo. NY. Carl Fischer,

Inc., pl. no. 7112, 1960. From her choral drama Wondrous Love.

Why?: SSA chorus, piano. 3 pp, octavo. NY. Carl Fischer, Inc., pl. no. 6950, 1955. Text by Hunkins. From her choral drama Wondrous Love. Dedicated to the Six Notes girls sextette.

Wondrous Love: SATB chorus with SATB solos, piano, organ. 47 pp, octavo. NY. Carl

Fischer Inc., pl. no. 03948, 1951. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. Music and arrangements by Hunkins. Features “A Virgin Unspotted” by William Billings, arr. by Hunkins. A mountain choral-drama of the nativity in five scenes. Features arrangements of

Appalachian carols and original music. 16

Wondrous Love: SATB chorus with SATB solos, piano, organ. 31 pp, octavo.

Unpublished manuscript, 1951. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. Music and arrangements by

Hunkins. Features “A Virgin Unspotted” by William Billings, arr. by Hunkins. A mountain choral-drama of the nativity in five scenes. Features arrangements of

Appalachian carols and original music. 6 copies.

Wondrous Love: treble chorus, piano and organ. 32 pp, 7.5 x 11. NY. Carl Fischer, Inc., pl. no. 04108, 1951. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. Music and arrangements by Hunkins.

Music and text to “A Virgin Unspotted” by William Billings, arr. by Hunkins. A mountain choral-drama of the nativity in five scenes. Features arrangements of

Appalachian carols and original music.

Choral Music in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

Child of Promise: treble chorus with sop. and alto solos, wind quintet, percussion, harp, piano. 24 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1962. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. A biblical choral-drama of the infancy of Moses.

Old Sister Phoebe: SSA chorus, piano. 2 pp, 8 x 8.5 Unpublished manuscript, n.d. From her opera Young Lincoln.

Seek Ye The Lord: SATB chorus. 4 pp, 9.5 x 13. Unpublished manuscript, n.d.

Shenandoah: SSA chorus, piano. 2 pp, 7 x 8.5. Unpublished manuscript, n.d.

Unto Thee, O Lord: SATB chorus. 3 pp, 9.5 x 13. Unpublished manuscript, n.d.

Wondrous Love: SATB chorus with SATB solos, piano and organ. 47 pp, octavo. NY.

Carl Fischer, Inc., pl. no. 03948, 1951. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. Music and arrangements by Hunkins. Music and text to “A Virgin Unspotted” by William Billings, arr. by Hunkins. A mountain choral-drama of the nativity in five scenes. Features arrangements of Appalachian carols and original music. Choral score and vocal score included.

Solo Vocal Music in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections

[Collections of songs with text by Emily Dickinson]: soprano, piano. 16 pp, 8.5 x 11.

Unpublished manuscript, 1977-1979. Text by Emily Dickinson. 7 songs.

Haiku (Grass): treble voice, piano. 1 p, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1980. Text by

Rachel Liechty.

I Believe in You: SB duet, piano. 5 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1954. Text by

Eusebia Hunkins.

The President’s Song: treble voice, piano. 2 pp, 7 x 9. Unpublished manuscript, 1957.

Text by Eusebia Hunkins.

Rainbows: treble voice, piano. 2 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, 1980. Text by

Laurie Lehman.

Surprise: treble voice, piano. 1 p, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, n.d.

Triangles: treble voice, piano. 2 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished manuscript, n.d. Text by

Dianne Loerr.

Wisps of Smoke: mezzo-soprano, flute, piano. 4 pp, 8.5 x 12. Unpublished manuscript,

1973.Text by T.C. McLuhon. Three Indian Fragments. 2 copies.

Wisps of Smoke: mezzo-soprano, alto flute, piano. 3 pp, 8.5 x 12. Unpublished manuscript, 1973. Text by T.C. McLuhon. Three Indian Fragments. 4 movements. 2 copies.

Solo Vocal Music in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

The President’s Song: treble voice, piano. 2 pp, 7 x 9. Unpublished manuscript, 1957.

Text by Eusebia Hunkins. 3 copies.

Seek Ye the Lord: treble voice, piano. 5 pp, 9.5 x 12. Dayton, OH. Lorenz Publishing Co.,

1928. Low voice.

Seek Ye the Lord: treble voice, piano. 5 pp, 9.5 x 12. Dayton, OH. Lorenz Publishing Co.,

1928. High voice.

Operas in the Music and Dance Library Special Collections

The End of the Rainbow: opera; 17 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1951.

Libretto by Ada Simpson Sherwood. Operetta for children in two scenes.

Interlude from The Spirit Owl: opera; 6 pp, 9.5 x 12.5. Unpublished piano reduction,

1956. Libretto by Hunkins.

The Magic Laurel Trees: opera; piano, 2 flutes, percussion. 69 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1974. Libretto by Emily Hammood. Opera for children in two acts.

Based on Les Douze Princesses Dansantes, a medieval French fairy tale. 20

Maniian: opera; 30 pp, 9.5 x 12. Unpublished piano reduction, 1956. Libretto by Eusebia

Hunkins. One act in three scenes.

Mice in Council: opera; two trumpets, snare drum. 45 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1952. Libretto by Eusebia Hunkins. Musical fable in one act. Dedicated to

President Baker. 3 copies of the piano reduction, 3 copies of the chorus parts, 1 instrumental part for 1st and 2nd trumpet.

The Reluctant Hero: opera; TTBB chorus. 35 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction,

1952. Libretto by Hunkins. One act opera. Adaptation of Mice in Council.

Young Lincoln: opera; 42 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1958. Libretto by

Hunkins. American folk opera in one act, two scenes.

Young Lincoln II: opera; 55 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1960. Libretto by

Hunkins. American folk opera in one act, two scenes.

Operas in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

The End of the Rainbow: opera; 24 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1951.

Libretto by Ada Simpson Sherwood. Operetta for children in two scenes. 21

Mice in Council: opera; 82 pp, 11 x 15. Unpublished full score, 1952. Libretto by

Hunkins. Musical fable in one act. 1 vocal-piano score.

Smoky Mountain: opera; 83 pp, 7.5 x 11. NY. Carl Fischer, Inc., pl. no. 03830, 1950.

Libretto by Hunkins. American folk-opera based on folk music from the Appalachian

Mountains. Dedicated to her husband Maurel Hunkins. 1 vocal-piano score, 1 unpublished piano reduction, 2 copies of the chorus parts.

Wings Over Erie: opera; 49, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, n.d. Libretto by

Hunkins. Incomplete manuscript. American folk-opera based on historical incidents of the War of 1812 with authentic folk tunes.

Young Lincoln: opera; 42 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1958. Libretto by

Hunkins. American folk opera in one act, two scenes. 2 vocal scores, 2 excerpts of the full score.

Young Lincoln II: opera; 55 pp, 8.5 x 11. Unpublished piano reduction, 1960. Libretto by

Hunkins. American folk opera in one act, two scenes. 4 copies.

SUMMARY OF EUSEBIA SIMPSON HUNKINS’ STYLE

General Characteristics

Certain characteristics are common in Hunkins’ music. These include the abandonment of key signatures, chromaticism, and the repetition of phrases. Other characteristics include frequent changes in meter and tempo, syncopation, and sudden and dramatic shifts in dynamics. Her vocal music places emphasis on the text. The majority of the music in her catalogue are of short duration.

Characteristics of Piano Music

Although Hunkins was a pianist, there is only a small amount of piano music in this catalog. These pieces are of short duration. She composes with the whole range of the piano in mind but seems to like the color of the higher range; for example, in Sputter-

Pop!, she writes “8vas” in the right hand, and both hands are in treble clef for a large part of the piece. There are no key signatures, and there is chromaticism. In some of her pieces, such as the dance suite Sputter-Pop!; her collection of piano pieces, and her work

Ballet--The Star, she heads the movements with titles (such as Earth, Heaven, and The

Star for Ballet—The Star, or Henrietta the Horse and Rope Dance for her collection of piano pieces.) She evokes the mood of these words with various tempos and changes in meter, sustained passages versus rhythmically active phrases, and fixed versus graded dynamics. In Ballet--The Star, she also writes words into the music such as “lust, depravity” and “slander, suspicion”, which also enhances the expression of the music.

The expressivity of these short piano works evoke Robert Schumann’s character pieces. 23

Characteristics of Instrumental Ensemble Music

There are only three instrumental ensemble works in this catalog; two are written for string instruments. The third work, Dance Suite for Woodwind Quintet, is very chromatic and rhythmically active. Hunkins uses ascending melodic gestures and repeated rhythmic motives, as well as fixed dynamics, to create an upbeat atmosphere to these pieces. The string quintet In Memoriam is more subdued and chordal, but still has frequent shifts in tempo and dynamics. Rhapsody for cello and piano is short, chromatic, and jazzy; the cello and piano are fairly equal partners, trading the melody between them.

The dynamics of this piece are more gradual, but she uses a variety of markings

(marcato, tenuto, accent mark) for expressivity.

Characteristics of Choral Music

Hunkins composed and arranged numerous choral works, many of them influenced by the folk music of Appalachia. In her Appalachian Mass, Hunkins set the five parts of the Ordinary of the Catholic mass in English, and simulated “the simple eloquence of modal Appalachian folk-music in this original setting of the Mass. This deep-rooted musical idiom provides fresh and meaningful expression to the familiar affirmation of faith” (Hunkins, Appalachian Mass, 1968). In this piece, she uses diatonic modality and the harmony is not necessarily functional. She also uses various keys and chromaticism for color. Many of her choral works are text oriented; phrases are repeated for emphasis, with only slight variations melodically and rhythmically. The melodic line and the accompaniment are frequently syncopated. There are sudden and dramatic changes in dynamics. For example, in the first movement, the final repetition of the 24 phrase “Lord have mercy” starts at a fortissimo and ends in a pianissimo. This technique creates drama and also emphasizes the text.

Syncopation, repetitions of phrases, emphasis on text, and dramatic and sudden shifts in dynamics are also features of her choral dramas, such as Child of Promise and

Wondrous Love. Other aspects of her choral dramas include a high tessitura for all voice parts and frequent meter changes. In Wondrous Love, Hunkins uses her own music and a combination of Appalachian carol arrangements to tell the story of Christmas. These arrangements of secular American and Appalachian folk songs are simpler, with chordal, homorhythmic textures, short and simple melodies and several verses. She composed and arranged for men’s choruses, women’s choruses, and SATB choruses; choral works make up the majority of this catalogue.

Characteristics of Solo Vocal Music

Hunkins’ solo vocal music is quite different from her choral works. Her songs, such as her collection of Emily Dickinson songs and Wisps of Smoke, share similar features. They have a generally high tessitura and require a wide range. Each song is through-composed and relatively short in duration. There are usually no key signatures, and major and minor tonalities are indicated with chromaticism, harkening back to the diatonic modality of Appalachian Mass. She writes sudden dynamic and tempo shifts, as well as frequent meter changes and syncopation. Like her choral works, her vocal music is text-oriented. Her Emily Dickinson songs particularly emphasize the inquisitive and introspective poems, by syllabically setting the text, and creating a mainly chordal accompaniment. Each poem is set sensitively, with drama, somberness and joy created by 25 brief changes in the accompaniment that is motivated by the text, sustained notes in the melody, and various changes in tempo and tonality. Wisps of Smoke sets three “Indian fragments,” as Hunkins calls them, each have a different mood. She creates these colors with the above techniques, as well as with diverse accompaniment; the flute is the accompaniment for the first song and the piano accompanies the other two songs. It is interesting to note that the majority of the vocal works in this catalog were composed in the later part of her career and were largely unpublished.

Characteristics of Operas

Eusebia Hunkins was most known for her operas. The librettos are varied in terms of subject matter. For example, Mice in Council is a musical interpretation of the fable

“Belling the Cat”; Smoky Mountain weaves Appalachian folk songs together to create a story about romance in the Smoky Mountains; Maniian, her opera about two Indians,

Maniian and Wabejic, who are in love, is based on authentic American Indian music; and

Young Lincoln I is about Abraham Lincoln as a young man. These operas are simpler and more vocally accessible than her other vocal works. They are relatively short in duration

(Smoky Mountain is the longest at 90 minutes), the orchestration is limited and the chorus is active, singing throughout the operas. These aspects made them appealing to schools and colleges, and her operas were performed across the country. Smoky Mountain, her first opera and most performed, is classified as a folk opera. The music is based on

Appalachian Mountain folk tunes such as “On Top of Old Smoky.” The main characters

Jess and Ben are meant to be together, but they are both promised to other people

(George and Arabella); Grandpa and Aunt Sary give them advice and help everything to 26 work out in the end. It is an opera about the people of Appalachia, written for the people of Appalachia. Mice in Council is a musical fable about making plans versus executing them. A group of mice plan to put a bell around the menacing cat’s neck so that when the cat approaches the mouse hole, they can prepare. However, when it comes time to “bell the cat” no one wants to do it. It is a humorous and charming one act. The melodies are not challenging (the solos are short and the chorus sings in unison frequently), the rhythms are straightforward, and the accompaniment is jaunty and often follows the melodic line. The simplicity of the music gives emphasis to the drama and the story, which is a characteristic of most of her operas.

Hunkins also wrote several children’s operas, including The Magic Laurel Trees and The End of the Rainbow. These operas have librettos based on themes of magical lands and nature. The End of the Rainbow is about two school children who want to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They wander through the forest looking for it, and eventually fall asleep and dream about the pot of gold and all of the wonders they would see. The Magic Laurel Trees is about a boy who dreams of a dancing princess in a faraway land, and he is summoned to go to this land and meets this princess. These stories are told mainly through dialogue and chorus numbers, as well as overtures that set the atmosphere. The operas are relatively short, the melodies are simple and memorable and the chorus sings in unison making it more accessible to children’s voices. The text is set syllabically, and the melody and the accompaniment are often homorhythmic. The instrumentation is also simple. The compelling drama and the beautiful music of these operas were appealing to audiences of children across the country. As Charles Haywood 27 wrote in his review of Smoky Mountain, “What makes these works [operas] “American” is, first, that they are written by native American composers; and second…that so many of these operas are drawing their inspiration, in libretto and music, from our bountiful store of folklore” (Haywood, 1957, p. 86). This idea embodies Hunkins’ operas.

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