AfriClassical: The WITNESS Collection: Philip Brunelle and VocalEssence champion the artistry of the classical African-American composer on 4 CDs

Saturday, February 9, 2013

The WITNESS Collection: Philip Brunelle and VocalEssence champion the artistry of the classical African-American composer on 4 CDs

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and Chorus with orchestra and numerous guest artists

Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director

A complete set of all four VocalEssence WITNESS CDs in a deluxe box set edition at a special price;

"In this ground-breaking series of recordings, Philip Brunelle and the artistic forces of VocalEssence have championed the nearly forgotten artistry of the classical African-American composer. They have given the world of music an inestimable gift!” –– Dr. Anton Amstrong, Professor of Music and Conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf College

Program Notes

Disc 1: What a Mighty God

1. Witness—Jack Halloran (1986) [3:27]
2. Hush! Somebody’s Callin’ My Name—arr. Brazeal W. Dennard (1986) - [4:40]
3. Death Is Gonna Lay His Cold Icy Hands on Me—arr. André Thomas (1993) - [3:45]
4. Walk Together, Children—arr. William Henry Smith (1937) - [2:33]
5. Were You There?—arr. Robert Scholz (1982) - [4:00]
6. Elijah Rock—arr. Moses Hogan (1992) - [3:42]
7. This Train—arr. Sanford Moore (1988) - [7:39]
8. Jesus, Lover of My Soul—arr. Richard Smallwood (1992) - [5:22]
9. My Lord, What a Mornin’—arr. Harry T. Burleigh (1929) - [3:40]
10. Go Down, Moses—arr. Robert A. Harris (1984) - [5:12 }
11. In Dat Great Gittin’ Up Mornin’—arr. Jester Hairston (1930) - [3:03]
12. Crucifixion—Adolphus Hailstork (1973) - [5:14]
13. Go Where I Send Thee—arr. André Thomas (1989) - [3:27]
14. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot—arr. Dale Adelmann (1988) - [3:27]
15. Go, Tell It on the Mountain—arr. Sanford Moore (1993) - [5:04]
16. What a Mighty God—arr. Michael Abels (1992) - [4:14]

Total Timing: 69:11

Disc 2: Skyward My People Rose

1. Wailing Woman - [9:12]
2. Swanee River (Old Folks at Home) - [2:56]
And They Lynched Him on a Tree
3. We’ve swung him higher - [3:37]
4. Look dere - [2:05]
5. Oh, sorrow - [4:33]
6. He was her baby - [3:32]
7. They took away his freedom - [2:08]
8. They left him hanging - [2:09]
Miss Sally’s Party
9. Introduction - [2:07]
10. The Square Dance - [2:28]
11. Tia’s Dance - [2:40]
12. Toby and Tip’s Dance - [1:56]
13. The Country Dance - [2:33]
14. Miss Sally’s Dance - [1:18]
15. Jim Slick’s Dance - [2:44]
16. The Cake Walk Contes - [3:16]
17. Reverie - [3:56]
18. Elegy - [5:25]

Total Timing: 58:50

Disc 3: Dance Like the Wind

1. Mother to Son : Undine Smith Moore (1955) - [ 2:41 ]
2. We Shall Walk Through the Valley: Undine Smith Moore (1977) - [ 2:54 ]
from Lamentations: Black Folk Song Suite : Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1973) - [ 7:13 ]
3. II Song Form
4. IV Perpetual Motion
5. An Old Black Woman, Homeless and Indistinct: Joseph Jennings (1995) -
[ 9:49 ] from Dance Like the Wind : William Banfield (1995) - [ 9:25 ]
6. She’s Making Coffee (Act A, scene 4)
7. All Four in the Car (Act B, scene 5)
8. Dance Like the Wind (Island Sway) (Act B, scene 6a)
9. Tambourines to Glory: Undine Smith Moore (1973) - [ 1:03 ]
10. My Soul Hath Found Refuge in Thee (Psalm 91) : Evelyn Simpson-Curenton (1996) - [ 4:54 ]
11. Nocturne : Adolphus Hailstork (1984) - [ 6:59 ]
from Piece for String Orchestra : Billy Childs (1989)
12. II Slow
13. III Fast
Images, Shadows and Dreams: Five Vignettes : David Baker (1993)
14. I Rents Due Monday
15. II The Nonagenarian
16. III If There Be Sorrow
17. IV The Rebel
18. V Let Me Tell You How to Meet the Day

Total Timing: 75:26

Disc 4: Got the Saint Louis Blues

1. Saint Louis Blues : William C. Handy, arr. Hall Johnson (1914/1936) [ 4:26 ]
2. O Southland : Harry T. Burleigh (1919) - [ 3:08 ]
3. Song for Snow : Florence B. Price (1930) - [ 1:57 ]
4. Moon Bridge : Florence B. Price (1930) - [ 2:23 ]
5. Listen to the Lambs : R. Nathaniel Dett(1914) [ 4:28 ]
6. Ethiopia’s Paean to Exaltation : Harry T. Burleigh (1921) - [ 5:40 ]
7. Poor Mourner’s Got a-Home at Last : arr. Carl Diton (1914) - [ 3:!4 ]
8. Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody : arr. James P. Johnson (1927) - [ 15:49 ]
9. The Chariot Jubilee : R. Nathaniel Dett (1919) - [ 11:43 ]
10. Charlestonia: Folk Rhapsody for Orchestra, No. 1 : Edmund Thornton Jenkins (1917) - [ 9:30 ]
11. Ave Maria : R. Nathaniel Dett (1930) - [ 3:31 ]

Total Timing: 66:35

Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com, writes:

It is not only within this series that VocalEssence has recorded music by Black composers. In the album, From the land of sky blue water, appears We shall walk through the valley (Undine Smith Moore) and My soul's been anchored in the Lord (Moses Hogan), which is also included in The world beloved; A bluegrass Mass. With Brunelle sharing the podium with Anton Armstrong (St. Olaf College), Sigrid Johnson and André Thomas, one CD is fully given to the works of Thomas, from the faculty of Florida State University, the singers coming from the St. Olaf Choir and singers of the area's high schools: African noel, Barbara Allen, Beautiful city, Deep river, Go where I send thee, Here's a pretty little baby, Hold fast to dreams, I couldn' t hear nobody pray, I dream a world, I hear America singing, I open my mouth, Keep your lamps, My good Lord's done been here, Peter go ring dem bells, Rockin' Jerusalem, Swing down chariot, The kingdom, and Walk in my shoes,

All of these recordings -- still available -- may be purchased though Gothic Records: http://www.gothic-catalog.com/The_WITNESS_Collection_VocalEssence_p/clcd-9044.htm.

[Harry T. Burleigh, R. Nathaniel Dett, Adolphus C. Hailstork, James P. Johnson, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Florence B. Price, William Grant Still