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slave entertainers. This is probably the way our highly popular during the second half of the twentieth
song would have sounded had Stephen Foster century. Directors may be familiar with his more pop-
arranged it for a minstrel show. 50 ular works; in recent decades, however, many of Hair-
ston’s compositions and arrangements have become
While the performance of minstrel music is highly ob- overshadowed. It is this author’s hope that directors
jectionable today, Hairston did not shy away from the continue to program Hairston’s well-known works while
subject. discovering his less familiar pieces, further preserving the
Throughout his works, Hairston frequently notates musical legacy of this beloved choral director, arranger,
dialect in the score. Interestingly, upon first joining the and composer.
Hall Johnson Choir, Hairston avoided dialect in favor
of the New England pronunciation he learned at Tufts
University. To Hairston’s surprise, upon asking Johnson NOTES
to serve as his assistant conductor, Johnson replied that
he was considering removing him from the choir due 1 Eugene Thamon Simpson, “Eugene Thamon Simpson–
to his lack of dialect. Hairston quickly adopted dia- Rowen College–1994 Interview,” YouTube Video,
51
lect to remain in the ensemble. Regarding the inclusion 26:14, September 1, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/
of dialect in performance, Hairston and Harry Robert watch?v=VxRtGXHxkiY&t=53s.
Wilson wrote: 2 There is conflicting information as to the exact number.
An editorial introduction to Hairston’s autobiography
Another debatable point in the singing of claims he received “at least five honorary doctorate de-
these songs is the extent to which … dialect grees,” while other sources list four or fewer.
should be used. After all, they were created in 3 “1989 National Convention to Be Dedicated to Jester Hair-
dialect. Much of their charm is enhanced by ston,” Choral Journal 29, no. 7 (1989): 25. André Thomas
the dialect. In performance, when all dialect is was asked to lead the conference in Hairston’s setting of
eliminated, the singing sounds unnatural and Poor Man Lazarus.
affected. On the other hand when most choirs, 4 André J. Thomas, Way over in Beulah Lan’: Understanding and
either Negro or White, attempt to render them Performing the Negro Spiritual (Dayton, OH: Heritage Music
in meticulous dialect, the performance sounds Press, 2007), xiv.
stilted. Probably the wisest course is to intro- 5 Donald Neuen, Robert Shaw Choral Award acceptance
duce dialect which is natural to the music and speech (March 2023, Cincinnati, Ohio). Printed in Choral
universally accepted. 52 Journal 64, no. 2 (September 2023): 53–55.
6 Jester Hairston, “The Story Song – Black American Folk
In connection with this concern of stilted perfor- Music,” YouTube Video, 13:27, August 24, 2020,
mances, Hairston and Wilson noted the importance of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28JKN4ZKucM.
sincere heartfelt expression when performing spiritu- 7 Jester Hairston, “ACDA Jester Hairston Video,” YouTube
als. According to Hairston and Wilson, this expression Video, 1:04:24, October 3, 2020, https://www.youtube.
should manifest through physical movement including com/watch?v=Sn801ortqmk.
facial expression, hand clapping, and the rhythmic 8 Jester Hairston, Jester Hairston: My Black Hollywood and the Legacy
swaying of the body. However, they also noted that of the Spiritual, ed. Richard Hatch (2013), 95.
clapping, which primarily occurs in secular works, 9 Jester Hairston, My Black Hollywood.
should be limited in spirituals unless performed in a 10 Jester Hairston, “ACDA Jester Hairston Video.” According
“spirit of religious ecstasy.” 53 to Hairston, this musical training took place every day
due to a lack of employment opportunities during the
Great Depression.
Conclusion 11 Jester Hairston, My Black Hollywood, 128.
The published choral works of Jester Hairston were 12 Juilliard Office of the Registrar, e-mail to author, January

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3 31