Songs of Ourselves

for baritone voice, two trombones, two percussionists and piano (text by Amit Majmudar) (2016; 21 min.)

I first encountered the poetry of Amit Majmudar in the pages of The New Yorker during the early 2010’s. I was immediately struck by his precise, vivid language as well as his ability to speak to problems of contemporary society- in those particular poems, the often fraught relationships between Islam and the West- with an unflinching eye, deep humanistic compassion, and the abundance of poetic technique and discipline that assure his work a lasting place. Eventually, I felt such a personal connection with Majmudar’s work that I decided to act- I wrote to him asking whether he had ever considered working with a composer. He answered affirmatively, and I began to consider possiblities for a collaboration.

By a stroke of luck, I then heard from Professor Martin, an alumnus of my university wth whom I have stayed in touch as his impressive career as a vocalist and educator has unfolded. Professor Martin and I also had the idea of a possible collaboration simmering on our respective back burners, and he described to me an opportunity to premiere a composition in conjunction with the opening of the nation’s first federally-funded civil rights museum in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was living at the time. Considering the occasion and the context, I immediately thought of Amit who, to my immense gratitude, produced three powerful poems on the human damage inflicted by bigotry. With the help of a grant from my university and an artist residency sponsored by Crosshatch in northern Michigan, I composed Songs of Ourselves (Amit’s title, a reference to Whitman) in 2016.

Working with Majmudar’s poetry drew out an abundance of new musical ideas and expressive depth in my work. This began with the choice of instruments. In addition to piano, two trombonists and two percussionists are called for. The trombones provide an exceptionally wide range of expression, from angry snarling to tender lyricism; also, since they possess a quasi-vocal tone color and much the same range as baritone voice, they function as musical alter egos to the vocal part. Percussion greatly expands the instrumental colors available to illustrate Amit’s imagery, from the sinister engines of the “hate train” to the pealing bells of an American cathedral built from dignity. The rich historical and cultural associations in the poems prompted me to draw on multiple musical wellsprings: jazz, spirituals, neoclassicism, protest music (a modified “We Shall Overcome” undergirds the final outpouring of hope), funk, avant-garde concert music. Professor Martin’s glorious voice and blazing stage presence were ever-present in my imagination as I worked. I cannot imagine anyone better suited to sing Majmudar’s poetry, which is indispensable for our times.

Premiered Oct. 27, 2019 at Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. Performers: James Martin, baritone; Gregory Strohman, Stephen Shiffer, trombone; Alyssa Resh, Lucas Conant, percussion; Lynn Raley, piano; Robert Pound, conductor.

Excerpt 1: from first movement, “The Hate Train”