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Celebrating Legacy and Unity: The Enduring Influence of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast

ture, music, and communal celebration. Longfellow illustrates the gathering of people, their
The text presents four key thematic elements for feasting, and their songs, emphasizing the significance
readers to explore. First and foremost is the beauty of of unity and collective joy.
nature in Longfellow’s writing. The passage selected for Music and storytelling emerge as central themes in
the cantata is rich in imagery, vividly depicting rivers, the poem, with storytelling serving as a fundamental
forests, and wildlife as integral to the celebratory scene. aspect of the human experience. It fosters connection,
preserves history, and provides a means of sharing cul-
Then along the sandy margin tural identity—particularly in indigenous traditions,
Of the lake, the Big-Sea-Water, where oral narratives play a vital role in passing down
knowledge and heritage. The wedding festivities are in-
On he sped with frenzied gestures,
fused with references to “the flute’s wild music” and
Stamped upon the sand, and tossed it the rhythmic energy of dancing. Longfellow highlights
Wildly in the air around him; song and storytelling as vital traditions for preserv-
Till the wind became a whirlwind, ing cultural memory—an idea that Coleridge-Taylor
Till the sand was blown and sifted echoes through his intricate orchestration and interplay
between voices and instruments.
Like great snowdrifts o’er the landscape,
Finally, at its core, the text celebrates love and uni-
Heaping all the shores with Sand Dunes, ty. Hiawatha and Minnehaha’s marriage represents
Sand Hills of the Nagow Wudjoo! their personal bond and the union of different tribes,
symbolizing peace and harmony. This theme resonat-
Longfellow’s vivid descriptions harmonize the peo- ed deeply in an era when discussions of cultural uni-
ple with their environment, allowing listeners to visual- ty and division were at the forefront, making the work
ize the landscape as the music unfolds. both timely and timeless. Among the most passionate
Of note is the theme of communal celebration. Hi- moments in the text is the aria, “Onaway! Awake, Be-
awatha and Minnehaha’s wedding feast is not merely a loved,” in which their love is described in the following
personal milestone but a shared experience for the en- way:
tire village. Longfellow immediately sets the scene with
a rhythmic, chant-like passage: And the gentle Chibiabos
Sang in accents sweet and tender,

You shall hear how Pau-Puk-Keewis, Sang in tones of deep emotion
How the handsome Yenadizze Songs of love and songs of longing;
Danced at Hiawatha’s wedding; Looking still at Hiawatha,
How the gentle Chibiabos, Looking at fair Laughing Water,
He the sweetest of musicians, Sang he softly, sang in this wise:
Sand his songs of love and longing; “Onaway! Awake, beloved!
How Iagoo, the great boaster, Thou the wild-flower of the forest!
He the marvellous story-teller, Thou the wild-bird of the prairie!

Told his tales of strange adventure, Thou with eyes so soft and fawn-like!
That the feast might be more joyous, “If thou only lookest at me,
That the time might pass more gayly, I am happy, I am happy,
And the guests be more contented. As the lilies of the prairie,
When they feel the dew upon them!

CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2025 Volume 65 Number 9 17