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Hallelujah, Amen!
George Walker: His Story, His Song, His Legacy

George Walker: His Story
Trailblazing American composer, pianist, and ed-
ucator Dr. George Theophilus Walker was born on
June 27, 1922, in Washington D.C. His father was
a practicing physician who migrated to the United
States from Jamaica, West Indies, and his mother
was an educator. Walker began formal piano study at

five years old. A studious learner, he graduated high
school at age fourteen and was admitted to Oberlin
Conservatory a year later, where he studied piano
and organ, earning a Bachelor of Music degree (with
honors) in 1941. Subsequent study included obtaining
Artist Diplomas in Composition and Piano from the
Curtis Institute—where he was the first African Amer-

ican graduate—and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree
from the Eastman School of Music. 1
Some of his fi rst publications are the result of a re-
lationship Walker cultivated with Paul Kapp at Gener-
al Music Publishing Company. The publishing of his
earlier works coupled with the support for its perfor-
mance from Kapp led to the blossoming recognition
of his work. The African American Music Opportu-

nities Association offered the emerging composer the
opportunities to have his compositions performed in Image Copyright Public Domain
Avery Fisher Hall to fair reviews. This led to future
2
performances of his work with the major orchestras of his most virtuosic compositional output, including
on the East Coast. By the time of his 1996 Pulitzer neo-romantic and classical tendencies, among other
Prize win, he had amassed a catalog of over fi fty works contemporary styles. The two settings presented in this
for both vocal and instrumental forces. survey are not representative of his complete compo-
He taught, most notably, at Rutgers Universi- sitional makeup but offer a survey of two small works.

ty-Newark, where he served as distinguished professor
and chair of music from 1962 to 1992. His time at Rut-
gers was not without opposition, facing discrimination George Walker: His Song
from colleagues. With the university-wide policy that
required professors to retire at age seventy, Dr. Walker O Praise the Lord (Psalm 117)
ended his work in higher education in 1992. He would Publisher: Lauren Keiser Music Publishing
continue teaching privately and through visiting pro- SATB a cappella
fessorships and residencies around the world. Time: 3 minutes
George Walker’s compositional output includes
over 100 works for a variety of ensembles in multi-
ple styles. Walker’s earliest music is for instrumental
makeup and then expands to include voice. Listening
to his instrumental work Spatials for Piano brings to the
forefront a clear use of twelve-tone writing. His monu-
mental Mass is a complex work that has spanned some

8 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2022 Volume 63 Number 3