Four Black American Dances
Dance has always been a part of any culture. Particularly in Black American communities, dance is and has been the fabric of social gatherings. There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands of dances created over the span of American history that have originated from the social climate of American slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow. This piece is an orchestral study of the music that is associated with the Ring Shout, the Waltz, Tap Dance and the Holy Dance. All of these dances are but a mere representation of the wide range of cultural and social differences within the Black American communities.
I. Ring Shout
A ring shout is an ecstatic, transcendent religious ritual, first practiced by enslaved Africans in the West Indies and the United States, in which worshipers move in a circle while shuffling and stomping their feet and clapping their hands. To evoke the celebratory nature of this dance, I have asked the percussionist to use a large stick on a wooden floor board paired with fast moving passages in the strings and woodwinds.
II. Waltz
Cotillion balls existed for “upper-class” families as they allowed aristocratic families to vie for better marriage prospects for their daughters. However, cotillion balls were segregated and expensive, and did not include Black Americans. Debutante balls finally appeared in Black social circles during the 1930s, in large part due to the efforts of Black sororities, fraternities, and growing number of affluent Black Americans. The waltz was the dance of choice in these environments.
III. Tap!
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. For this movement, I have emulated the sound of the tap with the side rim of the snare drum in the percussion section. The strings play in very short, disconnected passages alongside the brass drawing on jazz harmonies.
IV. Holy Dance
Protestant Christian denominations, such as The Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.IC.), Pentecostal Assemblies of God, Apostolic, and Holiness Church, among many others, are known for their exuberant outward expressions of worship. The worship services in these churches will often have joyous dancing, spontaneous shouting, and soulful singing. The music in these worship services is a vital vehicle in fostering a genuine spiritual experience for the congregation. This movement calls on the vibrant, celebratory character that still exists in many churches today. I have composed music that mimics the sound of a congregation “speaking in tongues” (murmuring in an unknown spiritual language) by asking the orchestra to play in a semi-improvised manner. Often referred to as a “praise break”, the music propels forward continuously with the trombone section at the helm. The section moves to a climatic ending with the plagal “Amen” cadence.
Perusal Score:
Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances [...] impressed right away with the composer’s great orchestration. The rich first movement showcased the brilliant playing of every section of the Philharmonic, including a rollicking solo by concertmaster Sheryl Staples [...] the final section (“Holy Dance”) began with a mystical aura which devolved into a loud and jaunty display.
Simon’s dances came off as colorful vignettes from African-American history. 'Ring Shout' celebrated an ecstatic religious dance that enslaved people brought to the new world, with a syncopated tambourine propelling the brash, brassy sound that is a Philharmonic specialty [....] Religious ecstasy returned, American style this time, in 'Holy Dance,' a sassy, swirling toccata for orchestra that ended Simon’s suite with a bang.
An action-packed and intricately detailed history lesson — and a testament to his talent as one of the most dynamic composers going.
Simon indeed received shouts of joy and acclaim from the audience ― proof that he had captured our spirits.
As with Simon’s other works that have delved critically into the history of race in American life, this new piece, from its title down through its music, feels like a gesture of reclamation.
Four Black American Dances
15 minutes
for Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Andris Nelsons, Music Director
Dance has always been a part of any culture. Particularly in Black American communities, dance is and has been the fabric of social gatherings. There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands of dances created over the span of American history that have originated from the social climate of American slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow. This piece is an orchestral study of the music that is associated with the Ring Shout, the Waltz, Tap Dance and the Holy Dance. All of these dances are but a mere representation of the wide range of cultural and social differences within the Black American communities.
I. Ring Shout
A ring shout is an ecstatic, transcendent religious ritual, first practiced by enslaved Africans in the West Indies and the United States, in which worshipers move in a circle while shuffling and stomping their feet and clapping their hands. To evoke the celebratory nature of this dance, I have asked the percussionist to use a large stick on a wooden floor board paired with fast moving passages in the strings and woodwinds.
II. Waltz
Cotillion balls existed for “upper-class” families as they allowed aristocratic families to vie for better marriage prospects for their daughters. However, cotillion balls were segregated and expensive, and did not include Black Americans. Debutante balls finally appeared in Black social circles during the 1930s, in large part due to the efforts of Black sororities, fraternities, and growing number of affluent Black Americans. The waltz was the dance of choice in these environments.
III. Tap!
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. For this movement, I have emulated the sound of the tap with the side rim of the snare drum in the percussion section. The strings play in very short, disconnected passages alongside the brass drawing on jazz harmonies.
IV. Holy Dance
Protestant Christian denominations, such as The Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.IC.), Pentecostal Assemblies of God, Apostolic, and Holiness Church, among many others, are known for their exuberant outward expressions of worship. The worship services in these churches will often have joyous dancing, spontaneous shouting, and soulful singing. The music in these worship services is a vital vehicle in fostering a genuine spiritual experience for the congregation. This movement calls on the vibrant, celebratory character that still exists in many churches today. I have composed music that mimics the sound of a congregation “speaking in tongues” (murmuring in an unknown spiritual language) by asking the orchestra to play in a semi-improvised manner. Often referred to as a “praise break”, the music propels forward continuously with the trombone section at the helm. The section moves to a climatic ending with the plagal “Amen” cadence.
Perusal Score:
Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances [...] impressed right away with the composer’s great orchestration. The rich first movement showcased the brilliant playing of every section of the Philharmonic, including a rollicking solo by concertmaster Sheryl Staples [...] the final section (“Holy Dance”) began with a mystical aura which devolved into a loud and jaunty display.
Simon’s dances came off as colorful vignettes from African-American history. 'Ring Shout' celebrated an ecstatic religious dance that enslaved people brought to the new world, with a syncopated tambourine propelling the brash, brassy sound that is a Philharmonic specialty [....] Religious ecstasy returned, American style this time, in 'Holy Dance,' a sassy, swirling toccata for orchestra that ended Simon’s suite with a bang.
An action-packed and intricately detailed history lesson — and a testament to his talent as one of the most dynamic composers going.
Simon indeed received shouts of joy and acclaim from the audience ― proof that he had captured our spirits.
As with Simon’s other works that have delved critically into the history of race in American life, this new piece, from its title down through its music, feels like a gesture of reclamation.