School of the Arts and the Arts Diversity Series present Christopher C. Jordan, baritone Cindy St. Clair, piano in SONGS OF THE SOUL: An Evening of Music by African American Composers Sunday, February 21, 2021 Brock Recital Hall 7:00 p.m. Program Drei Lieder für Bariton mit Klavierbegleitung (Hesse) Robert Owens Fremde Stadt (1925–2017) Eine Geige in den Gärten Im Nebel Five Creole Songs arr. Camille Nickerson Chère, Mo Lemmé Toi (Creole Love Song) (1888–1982) Danse Conni Conné! (Creole Nursery Song) Lizette, Ma Chêre Amie (Creole Love Song) Fais Do Do (Creole Lullaby) Michieu Banjo (Creole Folk Song) Intermission (10 minutes) The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Hughes) Margaret Bonds (1913–1972) The Barrier (McKay) Charles S. Brown (b. 1940) I, Too (Hughes) Bonds Spirituals from Twenty-Four Negro Melodies, Op. 59 arr. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (1875–1912) Cindy St. Clair, piano Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, A long way from home, a long way from home. Witness arr. Hall Johnson (1888–1970) Give Me Jesus arr. Moses Hogan (1957–2003) Ride on, King Jesus! arr. Johnson We appreciate your assistance in silencing all devices during the performance. Photography and unauthorized recording of the performance are prohibited. Recital ushering provided by the Omicron Gamma Chapter of Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity. Robert Lee Owens III (1925–2017) was born into a musical family in Denison, Texas. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Berkeley, California. He first studied piano with his mother starting at the age of four. At eight years old, Robert told his father that he wanted to live in Germany because he was so moved by the music of composers like Schubert and Schumann. After a short stint in the military, piano studies in Paris, and a move to Hamburg to become an actor, Owens eventually set up his permanent residence in Munich in 1964. In 1970, Robert Owens completed his first opera, Kultur! Kultur! In 1998, his work for voice and piano, Drei Leider Für Bariton Mit Klavierbegleitung, Op.20, was published by Orlando-Musikverlag (München). The song cycle expresses feelings of heart-wrenching loneliness and restless longing for a sense of home. Drei Lieder für Bariton mit Klavierbegleitung, Op. 201 Hermann Hesse, Poet Robert Owens, Composer Fremde Stadt How strange—how sad it is To wander through the empty streets Of a sleeping city, the moon shining Down on thatched roofs. And high above the chimney sweeps, The clouds flow by, mysteriously Im Nebel Like lost, wandering ghosts, Seeking for a place called home. How odd, to wander through the fog! Then suddenly, stillness overwhelms you— Each bush and each stone is alone, You give into this strange magic, One tree does not fathom the next tree, Drop the heavy load from your shoulder Each tree stands alone. And weep long and sob bitterly. Once the world was full of friends, As my life still glowed brightly; Eine Geige in den Gärten Now that the fog has settled in, I can perceive no one. From far away—from distant, dark valleys— The blackbird’s sweet song reaches my ear, Truly, no one is wise, And my heavily beating heart listens That hasn’t gone through this darkness, And quivers ‘til dawn. That separates him—quietly but relentlessly— From everyone else. The moon shines down For hours on my knowing Longings— How very curious it is to wander through the fog! They suffer from hidden wounds, Living means: being alone. Which bleed all through the Night. One person does not fathom another person, Each one remains alone. A fiddler in the garden Bows his melancholy tones Up to my ears and a sudden tiredness Lulls me to sleep. * Gypsy fiddler, down in the garden— Where do you find those soothing tones, Which comfort my restless Longings? 1 Translations by Robert Owens. Camille Lucie Nickerson’s (1888–1982) inspiration to explore the Creole folksongs came directly from her experiences growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nickerson was familiar with the music and dialect of her native culture2 having lived in the French Quarter at the turn of the century. She heard many of these songs in her home, neighborhood, and church. She was a lauded educator having taught at Howard University from 1926–1962. Camille arranged, performed, and educated others about the Louisiana Creole culture and was widely recognized as “The Louisiana Lady”. On her Five Creole Songs, Ms. Nickerson writes: “The Creole folk songs herein represented originated on the plantations of the French and Spanish colonists of Louisiana much in the same manner as the spirituals and works songs of the American Negro. But, whereas the latter folk music is in part a product of Anglo-Saxon environment, the former reflects the influence of a Latin regime; hence there are differences in the two folk creations.” Five Creole Songs3 Camille Nickerson, Arranger Chère, mo lemmé toi Lizette, Ma chêre amie Dear, I love you, Lisette has left the plantation, Dear, I love you, I have lost my happiness; Yes, I love you, My eyes seem like fountains With all my heart I love you. Since I have not seen you. During the day when I cut sugar cane, I think of my love; Dear, I love you, At night when I am in my bed, Dear, I’m crazy ‘bout you, In my sleep [my dreams] I see you. Yes, I love you Like a pig loves mud. If you go to the city, You [will] find young Candios, If I ever stop loving you, Who have to deceive girls If I ever stop loving you, With mouths [words] sweeter than syrup. I’ll take a knife and cut my neck. You are going to believe him to be very sincere, While in fact, he is a mere thief. It’s like the Snake that pretends to cry Rat, to fool them. Dansé Conni Conné! Fais Do Do Dance for the Nursey My little papa! Go to sleep Mama’s little son. When the potato is done If Baby doesn’t go to sleep We will eat it! A wagon of sheep will come and eat him. And even if it’s not cooked We will eat it! Go to sleep Mama’s little son. If Baby doesn’t go to sleep The “Big Bad Wolf” is going to eat him! 2 For more information on Louisiana Creole (Kouri-Vini), please visit www.mylhcv.com. 3 Translations by Cliford St. Laurent and Christopher C. Jordan. Michieu Banjo Look at that little Mulatto over there, Mister Banjo He’s so full of himself! Hat turned on one side, Mister Banjo, Walkin’ cane in hand, Handkerchief in his pocket, Mister Banjo Cigar in his big mouth. Hair all smooth an’ slick, Mister Banjo, Necktie so very red, Pants so full, little Banjo, But shoes that cry “Crank, Crank!” Eyes a-rollin’ up an’ down, Mister Banjo, With a flower in his buttonhole, little Banjo, Playing up his own abilities, But he’s ugly as the Devil! Margaret Allison Bonds (1913–1972) was born into a musical family in Chicago, Illinois. While in high school, she also studied piano with renowned composer Florence Price, and a staple in the choral world, William Levi Dawson. Her formal education includes a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, with further study at the Juilliard School. During her time at Northwestern, she had her first direct exposure to racism. In an interview with James Hatch, Bonds had this to say about the experience: “I was in this prejudiced university, this terribly prejudiced place--I was looking in the basement of the Evanston Public Library where they had the poetry. I came in contact with this wonderful poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," and I'm sure it helped my feelings of security. Because in that poem he [Langston Hughes] tells how great the black man is: And if I had any misgivings, which I would have to have--here you are in a setup where the restaurants won't serve you and you're going to college, you're sacrificing, trying to get through school--and I know that poem helped save me.” Bonds would eventually meet Langston Hughes in 1936 and went on to compose music to several of his poems including “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (1942) and “I, Too [Sing America]” (1959). “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” connects the soul and heritage of the African American community to four great rivers in the Middle East, Africa, and America. In this way, the poem charts the journey of Africans and African Americans and links this community to the birth of civilization. “I, Too” is a part of Bonds’ Three Dream Portraits (1959), which also includes “Minstrel Man” and “Dream Variations.” In this piece, the singer claims his patriotic right as an American even though he is a “darker brother.” When he is often cast aside, the singer laughs at the hypocrisy of his fellow Americans because he knows that “tomorrow”, everyone will see his beautiful contributions to the American culture – “and be ashamed.” The Negro Speaks of Rivers Langston Hughes, Poet Margaret Bonds, Composer I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.