Charles Kaufmann: 'Hiawatha Overture' played in 1904 'may be revived by The Marine Band'

Charles Kaufmann, Artistic Director of The Longfellow Chorus, is seeking to raise $15,000 via Kickstarter.com to support production of the documentary film Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his music in America, 1900–1912, to be released in March 2013.  Thirteen backers have pledged $317, with 21 days remaining to reach the goal.

by Charles Kaufmann

A New "Hail to the Chief?"

Update #1 · Jul. 28, 2012 

I move onto Washington on August 3 to prepare for filming at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Marine Barracks Extension August 6-8 -- our attempt to reproduce the "Hiawatha-mania" of 1904, to use the term coined by the late Howard University historian Doris McGinty.

This will be an exciting trip, with time allowed to research Coleridge-Taylor's music and activity in Washington 1903-1906 at the Library of Congress. One thing I want to know, what day and time exactly did Coleridge-Taylor meet with President Theodore Roosevelt in the presidential office of the White House? It was sometime between November 13 and November 23, 1904. Library of Congress holds Roosevelt's appointments diary for the time period.

We have made an agreement with the Marine Band to hold the interview with their historian, MGySgt Mike Ressler, and GySgt Kira Wharton, Assistant Chief Librarian, at the Marine Barracks Extension, followed by a short filming of the Marine Band in rehearsal.

The Marine Band has taken renewed interest in Coleridge-Taylor's conducting appearance in 1904, and they still have the parts for the Hiawatha Overture they used in 1904. While the Band is too busy to play for us a little of the Hiawatha Overture, I understand the piece may be revived by the Marine Band and performed sometime in the near future. That would be an historic occurrence, actually, reoccurrence. A new "Hail to the Chief?"

Charles Kaufmann