Craig McLeish writes of The Negro Speaks of Rivers - Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was the first black American to earn his living from writing. He was an innovator of jazz poetry, becoming part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. He wrote plays, short stories, novels, and his poetry was widely read. He was also a journalist, columnist and lecturer. The Negro Speaks of Rivers was perhaps his earliest published work, written when only 17 and while travelling by train to Mexico to visit his father. As the train crossed the Mississippi he suddenly began thinking about how rivers had impacted on Negro history, particularly in the fight against slavery. The four rivers mentioned in the poem lent themselves to using musical influences from those particular regions. However, I have tried to keep these links fairly tenuous to avoid overt pastiche. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to work with Congolese musicians. These sessions led to the intricate rhythms in The Congo . The Mississippi mentions New Orleans, so a jazz fugue seemed the most appropriate compositional device to weave into the texture. The spirit of The Nile was gauged from many hours listening avidly to Egyptian music. Craig McLeish began his musical life as a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. As a bass guitarist, conductor, musical arranger and composer, he has worked with a wide variety of groups in several genres, and scored a hit with the cult pop band 'Fat and Frantic'. He is musical director of Young Voices UK, and conducts several youth and community choirs in and around Milton Keynes. / Choeur SATB
SKU: SU.90810142
Text: Langston Hughes.
SATB Chorus, a cappella Duration: 4' Text: Langston Hughes Appropriate for chamber or full-sized choirs Composed: 2002 Published by: Subito Music Publishing Galbraith's distinctive compositional language vaunts crisply rhythmic harmonic progressions complemented by lyric, accessible melodies. For these works, she added the full spectrum of choral textures, eliciting pithy expressions of the texts. ... Four River Songs exemplifies her versatility and insight. She filled the pieces with harmonic clusters, vocal ostinatos and complex counterpoint befitting the nimbleness of a chamber choir. --Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Minimum order quantity: 8 copies. Perusal copies are available by contacting perusalrequest@subitomusic.com (include the organization name with your request). To order quantities fewer than 8, please call customer service at (973) 857-3440.
SKU: SU.90810140
Complete version. Includes: 1. The Mountain and the River, 2. The Negro Speaks of Rivers, 3. The Sky a Silver, 4. Psalm 137Also available separatelySATB (divisi), a cappella Duration: 15' Composed: 2002 Published by: Subito Music Publishing.
SKU: HL.49019019
UPC: 884088636739. 6.75x10.5x0.038 inches.