One of the most prolific and admired living American composers, Dr. Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III, continues to write music that is thrilling, poignant, and introspective. It was my honor to visit with him in early April.
Tell us about your weekend.
This past weekend was a momentous one historically because April 4 was the assassination of Martin Luther King. Two different orchestras wanted to program pieces that reflected the heritage, and the problems, and the triumphs of being an African American in this country. And they scheduled them for the same weekend. That had never happened before.
You started the weekend in Boston for a performance of your Lachrymosa: 1919. Tell us about that work.
I wrote it for the 75th anniversary of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. By then JoAnn Falletta had been there for 10 years. I just wanted to write something; in my bold way I was going to write something to celebrate both anniversaries. The Symphony was founded in 1920 and I discovered 1919 and the horrific events of that time [known as “Red Summer”] so I decided I would pay homage to that. It turned out not to be a celebratory piece at all but a very subdued composition.
Since the premiere in 1995, has it been performed often?
No. In fact, the Minnesota Orchestra did it a few years ago, and that was the first time in 30 years that it had been done. And Boston Symphony picked up on it. There was a very good write up in the BSO program book by Robert Kirzinger. (www.bso.org/works/hailstork-lachrymosa-1919) I met him afterwards and told him it was the most fantastic write up I had ever seen.
What was the second orchestra?
The Vista Philharmonic Orchestra in Groton; they contacted me first. Bruce Hangen, the symphony conductor there, contacted me a year ago and I agreed because I liked Bruce and he’s a wonderful conductor. And then Boston contacted me only a few months ago, and they had me come up, sit in on a couple of rehearsals. With the Boston Symphony, the conductor, Dima Slobodeniouk, a very nice guy, asked if I had any comments. It was so meticulous, so gorgeous. I said, “I can’t say anything, I’m glad to be here, thank you for inviting me.” I went to two performances, got in the car, and took off for Groton.
And what did they perform?
They performed my Fourth Symphony; it’s called Survive, probably my most historically oriented work. The first movement was commissioned and premiered by the LA Philharmonic [conducted by Thomas Wilkins, February 2, 2019], and it’s called “Still Holding On.” I played on the word still because the whole concert was a tribute to William Grant Still. I had wanted to do a Bridge Crossing piece for a long time and I saved that for the last movement. This came about because I was strongly reacting to the police shootings of African American men at that time and a few years before. I mean, 16 bullets in one guy, 7 bullets in another guy. It was horrific. And it was before I did the George Floyd piece. The idea that all I had to do was step out of my door and I could get shot just because of my complexion is a scary idea to me. And should be to anyone, actually.
So, the first movement is “Still Holding On.” The second is, “Sometimes With a Lighter Touch.” The third is, “While Still Remembering the Emmanuel Nine (And Many Others).” There has just been too much slaughter. The Emmanuel Nine of course were the nine people killed in a church after a prayer service, in which a young man walked in, sat with them during the prayer meeting, then shot nine people in the church. That, for some reason, that one really hit home. That movement ends quietly. And the fourth is, “Still Crossing That Bridge,” and turns into a march with snare drums. But it doesn’t end triumphantly because the problem is still going on. After the climax, there’s a solemn coda that brings the piece to a quiet close, in my opinion, reminding everybody that the fight continues. That section was really in my head dedicated to John Lewis. It’s a big piece but it holds attention, and it got a good reception.
What is it like for you to attend performances of your works?
I’m filled with gratitude that I’m able to have pieces of mine done, and some people see enough worth in doing them. I’m very grateful.
And when you hear from singers? I always encourage my students to tell composers that they are singing their pieces.
I hear from singers once in a while. Some songs are done more than others, of course. And occasionally a singer or a teacher will write. Just a few days ago a teacher wrote to me and said, “A student walked in with your Four Romantic Love Songs and I just absolutely fell in love with the fourth one, ‘Goodnight.’ I just wanted to let you know that and I will henceforth look up more materials of yours.’ So that was very nice. They are favorites of mine, too.
I want to point out that the Four Romantic Love Songs, which have gotten so popular, now exist in two versions, the original tenor version and also a lower key, baritone/mezzo version. Louise Toppin says she’s going to put together a new volume of my works for medium and low voice, which needs to be done. I have not written much for that so she’s in conversation with Presser Music, my publisher, to take over some of those things, so we’ll see what happens down the road. Also, they’ve been transcribed by me for string quintet and harp. So, if anybody wanted to have a concert or recital with a larger instrumental format, that’s available. I’m still waiting for a premiere of that version.
Five volumes of your songs have been edited and published by Lousie Toppin, available through the Videmus website.
Yes. Songs for Love and Justice (1992) [found in Art Songs for High Voice] is a major collection. Those four songs on texts by Martin Luther King are terrific. They’re really strong, they’re available for voice and piano, but they’re also fully orchestrated. The problem with that is using the King texts. You never hear the “I have a Dream” speech, you never hear artistic use of Martin Luther King’s words because the family cracked down on it. Those songs are still available and Louise boldly went ahead and published them. It would be a damn shame if those pieces were not available because they’re really good, they’re challenging, but they’re meaningful, especially because of the texts.
Including the Four Romantic Love Songs, there are a couple of recordings on YouTube of a movement or two from Songs of Love and Justice. And I’m very interested in having Summer. Life. Song. [nine songs on poems of Emily Dickinson for voice and piano] performed; that is one of my all-time favorite song cycles. It can be done with piano, but preferably with string quartet and clarinet, a classic arrangement.
It seems like you’ve written vocal music all your life.
Yes. I’m one of the few composers of my generation who came up as a singer. Writing for the voice is a unique skill, and if you can learn to do it well, there’s a whole world of people willing to sing your stuff if you can write a decent tune, and hold them enraptured and move their hearts; the idea of lyricism is not dead. I’m in the most lyrical stage of my writing and I’ve stopped wondering if someone will approve of it as modern enough or contemporary enough.
It’s so easy for performers, conductors, directors, opera companies to have careers without ever considering booking or programing an African American. Who needs another composer, especially a Black composer? That’s the kind of thing we have to overcome. It’s a struggle, but it’s really not because the information is out there. People have to care enough. You may find some good stuff out there that you can really use. I happen to think that you’re a good example of that. You cared enough to reach out, say hello, and ask me important questions. You don’t have to—you could have a whole career doing standard repertoire.
What parting thoughts do you have for our readers?
Musically, I’m encouraged. Right now, young African American composers are getting opportunities that didn’t exist when I first came along. And I hope that I’ve been a bridge to open people’s eyes to the fact that there are qualified writers out here.
Singers can purchase Dr. Hailstork’s songs through Videmus (www.videmus.org/), Presser (www.presser.com/), and Classical Vocal Reprints (www.classicalvocalrep.com/). Contact the composer through his website: www.adolphushailstorkcomposer.com/contact
