Celebrating Our Past
This past Wednesday, September 11th, the Tabernacle Choir Hosted A Performance For Their Hope World Tour Alongside The Morehouse And Spelman Glee Clubs in the State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA. An amazing display of talent and dedication from the choir members, the coordination of this show impressed me.
Met with a warm reception, the Morehouse College Glee Club began their performance with “Great and Glorious” arranged by Joseph S. Daltry and music by Franz Joseph Haydn. While this song was not a personal favorite of mine, it certainly introduced me to what the Morehouse Glee club can do. What followed was “I Ain’t Got Weary Yet,” an African American Spiritual arranged by Courtney Carey that I found far more invigorating. Led by a soloist, this song had call and response and lots of repetition (e.g. “I been in the wilderness a mighty long time, I ain’t got weary yet”). Ending with a great crescendo, I loved this performance and thought it was a great display of dynamics, as well as the many characteristics often found in spirituals.
Following their songs, the Spelman Glee Club was introduced as the oldest collegiate choir of African American women and opened their performance with “Wade in the Water,” another African American Spiritual, arranged by Dr. Johnson. A soloist opens with a promise that “Gods gonna trouble the water” and in a urgent plea the choir responds, “wade in the water children.” The soloist had incredible control over her voice and a distinguishable timbre that fit the genre.
Seamlessly transitioning into another African American spiritual, “Children Go Where I Send Thee” features the choir showing off sharp movements side to side and quick claps, as well as a unique rap crafted by Ayana Davis. This performance was clearly enjoyable for the students who were smiling and had lots of energy, and ended with a dramatic vibrato held by soloist. Spelman also performed their classic “A Choice to Change the World” written by Sarah Stephens and featuring a student on drums, which was met with a standing ovation.
Later in the performance, both choirs performed signature piece “Songs for the People” composed by Dr. Johnson, arranged by Mack Wilberg. Text for the piece comes from poem by Francis Ellen Watkins Harper who was an abolitionist who advocated for education and job opportunities for African Americans, as well as women’s right to vote. A resolute and hopeful ode “for the people” sung by all three choirs, the lyrics and harmonies resonated deeply with me. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” a American Folk Tune coming from the text of Robert Robinson, arranged by Mack Wilberg, was another piece that stood out to me because of the gorgeous flute solo woven into the singing. As a flute player myself, it was sweet to hear how it was incorporated into this performance. Overall, this performance was remarkable and with their synchronized movements, uniform suits and dresses, and eyes focused firmly on their conductors, the men of Morehouse and Spelmanites presented a clear image of Black excellence in front of what appeared to be a majority white audience, and what it means to have hope for the future, while celebrating our past in the form of spirituals.
