Prophecy: Dvořák, Brahms and Paths in American Choral Music

Boston Cecilia will present songs of Dvořák and Brahms, Burleigh’s moving arrangement of the spiritual “My Lord What A Morning” and a rich selection of choral pieces by American composers Amy Beach, Aaron Copland, Nathaniel Dett, Charles Ives, Rosephayne Powell, Zanaida Robles, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and George Walker.

Antonin Dvořák whose music was much influenced by the folk songs of his native Bohemia came to the “New World” in 1892 and was enthralled by what he considered the most important sound indigenous to the country, the spiritual. He encouraged American composers to draw from that sound and “prophesied” that it would become the foundation of American classical music. Johannes Brahms wrote songs influenced by the German and Hungarian folk traditions. Harry Burleigh, an African-American classical composer who championed black music and musicians, worked closely with Dvořák, and each composer’s music influenced the other. From Brahm’s melodic story songs of love and loss to Zanaida Robles’ powerful anthem “Ecstatic Expectancy”, the concert explores both heritage and invention. Come hear us sing!

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