Event Title
Two Poems by Ray G. Dandridge
Performer / Ensemble
Edward Knoeckel (Piano), Jolie Rocke (Soprano)
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Composition
Abstract / Program Notes
When the terms African American and the arts are mentioned the first thing that comes to most minds are Negro Spirituals. However, in 1922, James Weldon Johnson compiled a beautiful anthology of poetry for this very reason; “the public, generally speaking, does not know that there are American Negro Poets “. Through the 20th century Johnson’s anthology of gifted poets has largely been left behind. When I came across this collection I was enchanted, 20 years later, no less so. The two poems set to music here are notable in that neither are spiritual in nature. The subject matter reflects poles of the spectrum of human experience, celebration and death, and both are void of longing for the afterlife, but rather, they reflect on the human condition and of the life lived on earth. The words of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Death Song and Ray G. Dandridge’s De Drum Majah richly express character and psychology through the use of Negro dialect in a way that is anything but quaint; but to artistically break the “fixing effect of long convention”. Johnson desired the anthology to be a testament to the greatness of a people through the creation of literature and art. The musical settings seek to celebrate the poems through stylistic diversity; blending quintessential American products that are rooted in Negro artistry, ragtime and folksong, with 20th century jazz and art song elements. The result, I hope, is an advocacy to mine this anthology for its richness still to be enjoyed.
Biography
Edward Knoeckel has had his works featured in numerous national and international performances. He has written for a wide range of ensembles and styles to include choral, wind ensemble, chamber, big band, musical theater, and over a dozen independent and international films. His compositions and arrangements have been performed by the Hartford Symphony, New Haven Symphony, University of Connecticut Symphony, and the George Mason University Wind Ensemble. He has written for a wide range of ensembles and styles with performances across the country by the Grammy winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird, baritone Richard Novak, and the Dimensions in Blue Air Force Big Band. As a pianist, he has performed with the Puerto Rico Symphony, the Coast Guard Band, the President’s Own Marine Band, and recorded with Latin music artist Dan Salazar and the Ray González Latin Big Band Guakía. He has taught community college and university courses on theory, composition, jazz performance, film music theory and appreciation. In an administrative role, he was the team lead for Hartford Public School system’s implementation of the core arts standards. His research on film music theory has been presented at national conferences for SMT, SCI and at the National Archives in DC. He is an active duty pianist and has toured the country and abroad with the US Air Force Band of the West. He is stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio with his wife and three children and continues to teach film music theory and appreciation at George Mason University.
Keywords
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Death Song, Ray G. Dandridge’s De Drum Majah, Mezzo-soprano, piano
Description
Duration: 9:00. Instrumentation: Mezzo-Soprano and Piano. Date of Composition: November 15, 2019.
Two Poems by Ray G. Dandridge
When the terms African American and the arts are mentioned the first thing that comes to most minds are Negro Spirituals. However, in 1922, James Weldon Johnson compiled a beautiful anthology of poetry for this very reason; “the public, generally speaking, does not know that there are American Negro Poets “. Through the 20th century Johnson’s anthology of gifted poets has largely been left behind. When I came across this collection I was enchanted, 20 years later, no less so. The two poems set to music here are notable in that neither are spiritual in nature. The subject matter reflects poles of the spectrum of human experience, celebration and death, and both are void of longing for the afterlife, but rather, they reflect on the human condition and of the life lived on earth. The words of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Death Song and Ray G. Dandridge’s De Drum Majah richly express character and psychology through the use of Negro dialect in a way that is anything but quaint; but to artistically break the “fixing effect of long convention”. Johnson desired the anthology to be a testament to the greatness of a people through the creation of literature and art. The musical settings seek to celebrate the poems through stylistic diversity; blending quintessential American products that are rooted in Negro artistry, ragtime and folksong, with 20th century jazz and art song elements. The result, I hope, is an advocacy to mine this anthology for its richness still to be enjoyed.