American Choral Music Maestro Andre Thomas Visits Korea
Seoul Metropolitan Chorus 2023 'Master Series'
'Black Spirituals' Reflecting the Pain and Sorrow of Black Slaves
Depicting the Sorrows of Black Slaves Expressed Through Stories of Pain and Hope by White People
Andre Thomas, regarded as the top choral conductor in the United States, is a maestro actively working as a choral conductor and director worldwide, including in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. Visiting Korea for the first time in a while due to COVID-19, he will take the stage of the Seoul City Choir's 'Master Series' at the Sejong Center Chamber Hall on the 13th and 14th, presenting a performance titled 'American Contemporary Choir' featuring works by Black composers.
In an interview with Asia Economy on the 11th, he said, "This performance will showcase Black spirituals, works by early Black classical composers, and contemporary pieces that dream of a futuristic utopia."
Until now, American choral music introduced domestically has mainly focused on works by white composers. Professor Thomas plans to highlight the first Black female composer Florence Price, as well as Nathaniel Dett, a Black classical composer who combined 19th-century Romantic styles with Black spirituals to compose choral music and oratorios.
The United States, a multiethnic country, has formed diverse genres and trends in music. This performance introduces the importance, history, and Black-centered American choral music culture through choral works by Black composers.
Professor Thomas emphasized, "Although Black people make up a significant portion of the U.S. population and have shaped its culture, works by Black-centered composers and choral music have not been well known (in Korea) until now. This performance will focus on Black culture and music to introduce American choral music."
Conductor Andre Thomas lecturing at the seminar "Understanding and Performing Negro Spirituals" held on the 11th. [Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Chorus]
Black Spirituals: 'White People's Stories' Sung by Black People
White people allowed religion to enslaved Black people brought to America. The Black people, forcibly taken and subjected to hard labor, created songs from biblical stories using rhythms inherent in their genes. These Black spirituals became a genre and established themselves as music loved by Christians worldwide.
Regarding the song "Keep Your Lamps," derived from the biblical verse in Luke instructing to keep lamps lit until the master returns, Professor Thomas explained, "This piece, expressed in a minor key, reflects the dark life and history of Black slaves at the time."
The earnest hope of waiting for the master's return, the Second Coming of Jesus, in the biblical verse was sublimated into a song sung by Black slaves linked by chains at their legs, walking in a line, placing hands on each other's shoulders. Professor Thomas says, "Black spirituals make Black people more authentically Black." At the seminar on "Understanding and Performing Black Spirituals" held on the 11th, he offered a time to understand their lives through songs imbued with their dark history and pain, and to confirm the origins of Black music that later developed into various genres.
Black slaves, longing for liberation from the hardships of reality, projected themselves onto the lives of Jews seeking a savior amid despair in the Old Testament and sang these stories. Whenever difficult and harsh moments came, they sang biblical stories to forget their pain and strive to overcome it. So, are work songs and Black spirituals similar?
Professor Thomas drew a clear line, saying they are distinctly different. "Although Black spirituals were also sung during work, some people mistake them for work songs, but these pieces were not created to boost workers' morale," he explained. He added, "They are songs expressing their difficult lives through biblical stories, and these two should be understood separately."
He explained that Black spirituals were created around three themes: the Old Testament, the New Testament, and personal emotions, and that these songs were passed down like folk music, developing into their current form.
A conductor, accompanist, and composer, he will also present his own compositions in this performance. Through a diverse program including Black spirituals, classical works by Black composers, and pieces by contemporary Black artists, Professor Thomas said, "This is a time to share the music of my ancestors," emphasizing, "I hope this performance will serve as an opportunity to inform Korean audiences that such diverse types of music exist within Black culture."
Finally, he conveyed to the audience attending the performance, "Please sit comfortably, lean back, and properly enjoy this music that is both unfamiliar and familiar."
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