On Friday, December 6, at the Church of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity and Sunday, December 8, at Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope. Grace Chorale of Brooklyn presented a Christmas concert spanning both centuries and musical genres, featuring:
Margaret Bonds’ The Ballad of the Brown King, set to text by Langston Hughes
and
J.S. Bach’s Magnificat
Other pieces include an early American shape-note setting of Star in the East, arranged by William Walker; Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming (In German) by Michael Praetorius; and Mary Had a Baby, arranged by Roland Carter
with
a 30-piece Orchestra and soloists:
Carami Hilaire, Soprano
Karmesha Peake, Mezzo-Soprano
Brandon Hornsby-Selvin, Tenor
Wayne Paul, Baritone
Margaret Bonds (1913–1972) was an African-American composer, concert pianist, and educator. Her career spanned genres and activities, including composing classical works, musical theater, and songs for Tin Pan Alley; touring and performing as a concert pianist; and working as a church music director and in education. The Ballad of the Brown King premiered in New York in 1954 and was televised in 1960.
Bonds sought to combine the Western European classical style with African-American music. The Ballad of the Brown King is a cantata written in honor of the African king Balthazar, with text written by Bonds’ lifelong friend Langston Hughes. The piece encompasses a combination of European, jazz, Calypso, and gospel music. Bonds and Hughes dedicated The Ballad of the Brown King to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He composed some of the most recognizable melodies and pieces in the Western canon and is regarded as one of the towering figures of classical music. His output of instrumental compositions includes works such as the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, among many others; and his vocal works, such as the St. Matthew Passion, the Mass in B Minor, and multiple cantatas and other pieces, are memorable and beloved.
Bach’s Magnificat, created for Christmas in 1723 and revised in 1733, will be performed with chorus, soloists, and orchestra. The piece is an exhilarating and innovative ride through swift contrasts, alive with freshness and vitality. Magnificat is one of Bach’s most popular vocal works and was his first major liturgical composition on a Latin text.