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published a total of thir-
ty-eight works, a staggering
72 percent of his currently
available oeuvre. The re-
maining fifteen works were
published during a twenty-
six-year period from 1961
to 1987. An explanation
for Hairston’s concentrated
publishing activity during
the 1950s is unknown. Two
possible explanations may be
inferred, however. First, hav-
ing arranged music since the
1930s, Hairston likely had a
large catalog of unpublished
works ready for release. Ev-
idence for this can be ob-
Jester Hairston and Dimitri Tiomkin leading an integrated Hollywood film choir. Photo courtesy of dimitritiomkin.com.
served in the fact that he
published thirteen works be-
State Department, and he was sent throughout the tween 1950 and 1952. Second, Hairston possibly limit-
world as a Goodwill Ambassador, leading choirs and ed his publishing activity after 1960 due to his increased
teaching them about the spiritual genre. Between 1986 activities as a clinician, appearances as an actor in more
and 1991, Hairston regularly appeared in the television prominent film and television roles, and the death of
sitcom Amen as elderly church member, Rolly Forbes. Schumann.
During the later part of the twentieth century, Hairston As a composer, Hairston was known for his arrange-
continued to appear in film and television as an actor ments of spirituals. Not surprisingly, twenty-seven (51%)
and toured throughout the world working with choirs of Hairston’s published works are representative of the
until his death on January 18, 2000. 19 spiritual genre. Hairston’s emphasis on the spiritual re-
sults, in part, to most of his works being arrangements
(70%), unaccompanied (75%), and based on a sacred
Overview of Published Works text (81%).
As of the release of this article, fifty-four of Hair- Possibly the most interesting feature of Hairston’s
ston’s published works are still available for purchase published choral works can be observed in his affinity
(Table 1 on the next four pages). Table 2 on page 24 for divisi soprano and SSATB voicing. Table 4 on page
lists additional published works by Hairston that have 25 lists the various ensemble voicings utilized by Hair-
been discontinued and are no longer available. Table ston. Twenty of his works incorporate SSATB voicing,
3 on pages 24 and 25 identifies arrangements of his with almost two-thirds of his works utilizing divisi so-
original works by other composers. Due to the limit- prano. In contrast to this soprano divisi, Hairston rare-
ed access of Hairston’s discontinued works, this article ly divides the altos or tenors with only five and twelve
provides an overview of Hairston’s fifty-four available works, respectively. Hairston also favors the mixed cho-
works, with attention given to six selected works. rus, with all but one of his works published for this voic-
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Although Hairston released a few works during the ing. Alternative voicings (SAB, SSA, SSAA, and TTBB)
1940s in conjunction with his film career, his publish- are available for select works and listed in Table 1 on
ing endeavors did not fully take off until he met Walter pages 20-23.
Schumann in 1949. Between 1950 and 1960, Hairston Reasons for Hairston’s preference of soprano divisi

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3 19