tippett

Was reminded of this piece tonight for some reason, although I can't remember what it was that provoked its thought for the life of me.  This is the first of the negro spirituals taken from Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time, an oratorio written by the English composer in response to the Nazi attacks on Jews in Germany in 1938.  Tippett incorporated five African-American spirituals throughout the three parts of the oratorio, which act much in the same manner as the chorales found in the cantatas and larger choral works of J.S. Bach.  These chorales (or in this case, spirituals) allow for summary of the emotions and provide group commentary on all that has passed musically up to that point within the larger work.

The first spiritual from the oratorio, Steal Away, is found at the end of Part I, which contemplates the state of oppression found in society when A Child of Our Time was written between 1939 and 1941.

We did this in college, thanks to my dear friend James.  It. is. stunning.

I'd sing it again every year for the rest of my life if I could.

I hope this new year finds you at home, wherever or with whomever that is for you, even in the midst of hardship or heartache.