Marshall University Music Department Presents "Sacred Concert" by Duke Ellington, The Høybye/Pederson version, performed by the MU Choral Union, Chamber Choir, and Jazz Ensemble 12.0, Mark Smith, director, accompanied by Alanna Cushing, piano, Kristen Pino, soprano, Alisha Bowen, tap dancer, choreography by Marlo Shaver Wentz, Elite Performance Academy

Personal Name

Mark Smith

Files

Publication Date

4-24-2010

Year of Release

2010

Note(s)

Saturday, April 24, 2010, 8:00p.m.

Sunday, April25, 2010, 3:00 p.m.

Mark Smith, director

accompanied by:

Alanna Cushing, piano

Kristen Pino, soprano

Alisha Bowen, tap dancer

choreography by Marlo Shaver Wentz, Elite Performance Academy

MU Choral Union

Personnel:

Sue Parker, Ruth Crowe, Jeanne D. Hubbard, Candace Duty, Barbara Ladner, Gwenyth Hood, Sue D. Woods, Frances Plemich, Melanie Griffis, Elin Fields, Molly White, Whitney Garner, soprano

Maria Teresa Miller, Sarah Hall, Pat Pierce, Lou Spears, Joyce Wilcox, Maria-Tulia Gomez, Patty Perdue, Gertrude Spurlock, Ann McDaniel, Nancy Campbell, Karen Barnett, Mary Beth Brown, Mary Ruth Powers, Alaina Krantz, Rebecca Harrison, Heather Wood, Caroline Thomas, Carla Rae Terry, Rachel Cochenour, Sarah Stover, Courtney Bell, Beth Rankin, alto

Tyler Stewart, Joseph E. Smith, Sam Mitts, Michael Sidoti, tenor

David Patrick, John L. Hubbard Fred Workman, Bill Rath, Paul Winters, Bill Jennings, Jacob Lucas, Graham Rankin, Edward Brown, bass

Marshall University Chamber Choir

Personnel:

Kelsey Anderson, Jennifer Billups, Jeseca Bragg, Laura Campbell, Kaitlin DeSpain, Jessica Kline, Amber Martin, Aurelia Ward, Molly White, soprano

Rachel Bartram, Leah Cook Callie Huff, Sarah Nichols, Kira Ross, Diana Vorhees, alto

Edward Brown, Casey Edwards, T .K. Lombardo, Andrew Lowers, Michael Rose, Michael Sidoti, Mark Smith, Adam Stephenson, tenor

Zachary Chancey, David Hines, John Hurley, Chase Likens, Sean Link, David Patrick, William Richards, Christian Rudloff, bass

Marshall University .Jazz Ensemble 12.0

Dr. Ed Bingham, director

Personnel:

Jason Mitchell, Carl Hamlin, alto saxophone

David Hamilton, J.T. Pritt, tenor saxophone

Luke Miller, baritone, saxophone

Austin Seybert, Ben Frederick, Katie Ferber, Daniel Ellis, trombone

Dylan Elder, Briana Blankenship, Chris Chapman, Ben Stern, trumpet

Rhythm Section:

Zack Arbogastt, piano

Rod Elkins, Neal Titus, percussion

Jimmy Lykens, bass

Wes Hager, Andrew Winter, guitar

Special thanks to Marshall faculty members Jeff Wolfe and Mike Stroeher for their assistance in this performance.

Program Notes

Duke Ellington rarely expressed his association with the church in his music. However, at the age of 66 he was asked to compose music for a series of concerts planned to take place in major churches all over the U.S. He was inspired and accepted the commission. His increased

interest in sacred music may have been connected with the fact that his close friend and fellow composer Billy Strayhorn had become very ill and died shortly after the initial performance of the First Sacred Concert.

Between 1966 and 1974 Ellington and his band toured the U. S. and Europe with the three Sacred Concerts. He used different vocal soloists - one of the more famous being the Swedish jazz singer Alice Babs and baritone Brock Peters - and local choirs.

The music consisted of partly old compositions, revised for the occasion, and partly new material. The order in which the different pieces were played was not fixed and the program could vary from one concert to the next (which is not alien to a Jazz musician). Parts originally written for the First Sacred Concert could easily be used in the Second or Third or vice versa. It seems that Ellington, together with his musicians, decided upon the contents of a concert immediately before each performance. This is probably why no complete score of the Sacred Concerts exists. Consequently, each time leaders of big bands and choirs all over the world have planned performances of this music, they have been forced to make their own arrangements.

In 1993 John Høybye was asked to lead a large, international workshop on Ellington's Sacred Concerts. As no score is available, he decided to arrange the music along with Peder Pederson and to have a complete score including orchestral parts and choral arrangements published.

In the original version the choir mostly sang in unison and had a somewhat minor role, partly because the touring composer had a very limited amount of time to rehearse with the successive local choirs.

Furthermore, Ellington was not nearly as familiar with the choir as he was with the orchestra.

In the Høybye/Pederson version the choir and the band are equals, perhaps even with a slight emphasis on the choir. As the new version consists of material from all three concerts, it is simply called Sacred Concert.

''Every man prays in his own language, and there is no language that God does not understand." -Duke Ellington, from "Third Sacred Concert"

Note

Smith Recital Hall

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Fine Arts | Music | Music Performance

Recommended Citation

Smith, Mark, "Marshall University Music Department Presents "Sacred Concert" by Duke Ellington, The Høybye/Pederson version, performed by the MU Choral Union, Chamber Choir, and Jazz Ensemble 12.0, Mark Smith, director, accompanied by Alanna Cushing, piano, Kristen Pino, soprano, Alisha Bowen, tap dancer, choreography by Marlo Shaver Wentz, Elite Performance Academy" (2010). All Performances. 443.
https://mds.marshall.edu/music_perf/443