Page 30 - CJOct25

The Life and Choral Works of Jester Hairston

solo in measure 21, with all the tenors joining the solo- Recordings of Mary’s Little Boy Chile, featuring Hairston
ist during each repetition of the text, “Keep yo’ hand as soloist, can be found on YouTube or accessed using
on de plow, Hold On.” the QR code on page 26. 34
Mary’s Little Boy Chile is of moderate difficulty, utiliz-
ing lively syncopated rhythms, and relies heavily on the
use of a soloist. The method used for notating the solo
Christmas
may be challenging for some singers, as the second and
third verses are notated separately on the final page of
the octavo. The work is accessible to most high school
Mary’s Little Boy Chile ensembles capable of the divisi, as the music is high-
SSATTB, piano, solo ly repetitive, with the chorus singing only two motives
Duration, 3:00 comprising a verse and chorus. Although accessible,
Bourne Co., 1956 the work’s greatest challenge is its use of syncopation.
Ranges
During each chorus, the choir performs two measures
of music entirely on the off-beat (Figure 2). Accord-
ing to Hairston, while leading a choir in Madagascar,
the song’s rhythm proved to be a challenge. During the
dress rehearsal, the ensemble continually performed
In addition to his spiritual arrangements, Hairston’s the rhythm incorrectly, to which Hariston informed
holiday songs are among his most popular, particularly them that he would stop and rehearse the mistake in
Mary’s Little Boy Chile. Subtitled, “Calypso Christmas,” front of the audience if it were incorrect during the
the work is described as “an original Christmas Spiri- performance. Hairston was true to his word, stopping
tual based on West-Indian Rhythms.” Initially titled the concert to correct the rhythm. 35
31
“He Pone and Chocolate Tea” (cornbread and choco-
late tea), the song was composed as a birthday gift for
a friend from the West Indies. In 1954, Hairston re-
32
vised the tune, recording it with The Voices of Walter
Schumann under the title Calypso Christmas. The choral
octavo for Mary’s Little Boy Chile was published two years
later in 1956 and was soon recorded and released by
Harry Belafonte in December the same year. Initially,
Hairston was not credited by Belafonte for the work.
This oversight was quickly cleared up in court. Solo
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variations have since been recorded by several other Christmas Gift
artists, most notably Harry Connick Jr., Tom Jones, SSATBB, piano, optional tenor solo
John Denver, and Boney M., making it possibly his (Also available for SAB)
most recognizable original composition. Duration, 2:30
Interestingly, the original 1954 Voices of Walter Bourne Co., 1955
Schumann recording is accompanied by a flute, bells, Ranges
and percussion. Alternatively, the published choral oc-
tavo and a later recording produced by Hairston are
limited to piano accompaniment. The variation in
these recordings may suggest flexibility with the instru-
mentation of Hairston’s published works, further sup- Christmas Gift for divisi mixed chorus and piano, is an
ported by similar discrepancies discussed later in the original holiday song with words and music by Hair-
article (Christmas Gift and Goin’ Down Dat Lonesome Road). ston and serves as a second example of his interest and

28 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3