Page 43 - CJSept24

tessitura. an ensemble of singers with moderately advanced vocal
Dawson’s reverence for the spiritual is clearly appar- skills (especially sopranos and basses) and balanced sec-
ent, as his treatment of the melody is delicate and sensi- tions is required. Sopranos carry the melody throughout
tive. An example of this is his decision to end the first and should be able to sustain pitches in the upper reg-
phrase of the theme with a meter change to 6/4, facili- ister and have the vocal flexibility to execute the arpeg-
tating a stylistic character of holding the word “whole” giated intervals and larger leaps in the melody. The alto,
in a manner that feels somewhat unmetered when the tenor, and bass voices support the melody, sometimes
tune idiomatically performed. Dawson codified this with sustained note values and at other times by echoing
style when he added the two extra beats to the measure. fragments of the text in varying rhythmically and lyri-
Sensitivity to the nature of the piece is shown in cally interesting passages, especially at cadences. Basses
the polyphonically enlivened homophony in the low- anchor the harmonic progression. However, there are
er voices. There is a clear “hymn-like” feeling in the passages where the basses sing in a high tessitura, espe-
texture with beautiful and subtle moments of coun- cially when they join the tenors then the other voices in
terpoint that highlight both his understanding of the singing the melody in unison. There is one measure of
style and his own compositional prowess. The solo is divisi in the bass part leading to the end, and an optional
strictly the melody but makes room for a singer to add low pitch for bass on the final chord.
appropriate embellishments that mimic the subtlety of A skilled pianist will be needed to play the virtuosic
Dawson’s own liberties. piano part, which plays a prominent role in the dramatic
effect of the piece, especially in the contrasting section
Jason A. Dungee, DMA marked presto, with passages of arpeggiated triplet fig-
Director of Choral Activities ures for the left hand while octave chords are played in
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte the right hand. A note in the score indicates that orches-
tral or wind ensemble accompaniments are available on
rental.
Out in the Fields Dawson effectively musically illustrates the text,
William L. Dawson portraying the sense of calm found in leaving behind
SATB Chorus, piano (also available for SSA choir and worries and fears through a connection with God and
solo) nature. “Out in the Fields” would be appealing to ex-
Neil A. Kjos Music Company (3:30) perienced singers and suitable for a variety of program-
Difficulty: Moderate ming themes.

A. Jan Taylor, DMA
Choral Conductor
Houston, TX

“Out in the Fields” is a standout example of the
non-idiomatic choral works of William L. Dawson.
Known for his arrangements of Negro folk songs, Daw-
son demonstrates his penchant for the lyricism and lush
harmonies of Romanticism in this work. Dawson dedi-
cated the piece to the memory of his first wife, Cornella
Lampton, who passed away a year after their marriage.
Although the pitches and rhythms are not difficult,

CHORAL JOURNAL September 2024 Volume 65 Number 2 41