The Evolution of Eva Jessye's Programming as Evidenced in Her Choral Concert Programs from 1927-1982 Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Jenkins, Lynnel Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 25/09/2021 23:30:45 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622962 THE EVOLUTION OF EVA JESSYE’S PROGRAMMING AS EVIDENCED IN HER CHORAL CONCERT PROGRAMS FROM 1927-1982 by Lynnel Jenkins __________________________ Copyright © Lynnel Jenkins 2016 A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the FRED FOX SCHOOL OF MUSIC In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2016 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Document Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by Lynnel Jenkins, titled The Evolution of Eva Jessye’s Programming as Evidenced in Her Choral Concert Programs from 1927-1982 and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree. ________________________________________________ Date: 10/14/16 Bruce Chamberlain ________________________________________________ Date: 10/14/16 Elizabeth Schauer ________________________________________________ Date: 10/14/16 John Brobeck Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the document to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: 10/14/16 Document Director: Bruce Chamberlain 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgment of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Lynnel Jenkins 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to a number of people who have been influential in the culmination of this study. To my committee members, Dr. Bruce Chamberlain, Dr. Elizabeth Schauer, and Dr. John T. Brobeck, thank you for your guidance and support which has been essential to the success of this study. To the Eva Jessye Collections at the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan and the Special Collections & University Archives, Pittsburg State University, thank you for making the materials of Eva Jessye available for this study and keeping her legacy alive. To my colleagues and friends, thank you for your friendship and encouragement throughout this project. To Dr. Lani Johnson, thank you for being an inspiration and a guiding light. I offer my deepest appreciation to my family for their continuous loving support, encouragement, and prayers throughout this academic and musical journey. Soli Deo Gloria 5 DEDICATION To my parents, Dorothy and George Jenkins 6 CONTENTS EXAMPLES ....................................................................................................................... 8 TABLES ............................................................................................................................. 9 FIGURES .......................................................................................................................... 10 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 12 Statement of Primary Thesis ................................................................................. 12 Justification for the Study ..................................................................................... 12 Delimitations of Study ........................................................................................... 13 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 14 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF SCHOLARLY LITERATURE ........................................... 16 Choral Concert Programming Techniques ........................................................... 16 Eva Jessye, Choral Conductor .............................................................................. 21 CHAPTER 3: EVA JESSYE BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ............................................. 28 CHAPTER 4: EVA JESSYE’S APPROACH TO PROGRAMMING ............................. 36 Organizational Schemes ....................................................................................... 36 Music, Composers, and Arrangers ....................................................................... 51 Unity and Variety .................................................................................................. 60 Philosophy ............................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER 5: CREATING A CONCERT UTILIZING JESSYE’S PROGRAMMING . 68 Program Type ....................................................................................................... 69 Models ................................................................................................................... 70 Unity and Variety .................................................................................................. 77 An Example ........................................................................................................... 79 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 85 Recommendations for Future Research ................................................................ 87 APPENDIX A: CLASSIFICATIONS OF THIRTY-FIVE SELECTED FULL CONCERT PROGRAMS ................................................................................................. 88 APPENDIX B: VOCAL WORKS FROM THIRTY-FIVE SELECTED FULL CONCERT PROGRAMS ................................................................................................. 93 7 APPENDIX C: MOST FREQUENTLY PROGRAMMED TITLES AS IDENTIFIED IN THIRTY-FIVE SELECTED PROGRAMS (1927-1982) ......................................... 104 APPENDIX D: MOST FREQUENTLY PROGRAMMED COMPOSERS/ARRANGERS AS IDENTIFIED IN THIRTY-FIVE SELECTED CONCERT PROGRAMS ............................................................................................... 105 APPENDIX E: PERMISSIONS ..................................................................................... 108 Eva Jessye Collection, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan ...... 108 Eva Jessye Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, Pittsburg State University ................................................................................... 110 APPENDIX F: JESSYE CONCERT PROGRAM EXAMPLES ................................... 113 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 116 8 EXAMPLES 1 Excerpt from Program Featuring a Major Work, Go Where I Send Thee (1980, #34) ............................................................................................................ 43 2 Excerpt from Themed Concert Program, “The Spiritual: A Celebration in Imagery, Rhythm, and Drama” (1982, #35) ......................................................... 44 3 Excerpt from “A Program of Negro Music” Part I Spirituals (1935, #7) ............. 54 4 Excerpt from “A Program of Negro Music” Part II Secular Works (1935, #7) ... 56 5 Excerpt from Themed Concert Program, “The Eva Jessye Choir: Dramatist of Negro Music” (1938, #9) ...................................................................................... 58 9 TABLES 1.1 Jessye’s Early-Career Themed Programs ............................................................. 37 1.2 Jessye’s Middle-Career Themed Programs .......................................................... 39 1.3 Jessye’s Late-Career Themed Programs ............................................................... 40 1.4 Jessye’s Special-Occasion Themed Programs ...................................................... 41 1.5 Jessye’s Major Work Programs ............................................................................ 46 1.6 Jessye’s Free-Form Programs ............................................................................... 48 10 FIGURES 1 A Jessye-Inspired Themed Program and Concert Titles, Indicating the Unifying Concept for the Body of Music Selected for the Concert Program’s Intent/Purpose ...................................................................................... 70 2 Concert Model One: Standard Indicating the Unifying Concept for the Body of Music Selected .......................................................................................