Troubled Water - Trombone Concerto
In January 2020, Kenneth Thompkins of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra asked me to write a concerto for him as the principal trombonist of the orchestra. He suggested a piece about the Underground Railroad since Michigan was one of the last states for enslaved persons to reach before getting to freedom in Canada. The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. The piece is inspired by the many stories, accounts and experiences told by many enslaved people and abolitionists.
I. Bird Calls
We know that Harriet Tubman used the call of an owl to alert refugees and her freedom seekers that it was safe to come out of hiding and continue their journey. It would have been the Barred Owl, or as it is sometimes called, a ‘hoot-owl.’ To evoke the nature of this call, I have used the trombones in the orchestra to mimic the sound of the ‘hoot owl’ coupled with short bird calls in the woodwind section.
II. By Water
The “Saltwater Railroad” refers to the coastal waterway followed by many enslaved people escaping from the Southern slave states into the British-controlled Bahamas. The saltwater railroad served a similar function as the Underground Railroad, a land pathway, that allowed enslaved people to flee to northern states and ultimately to Canada. For this movement, I have used the rhythmic motion of the traditional barcarolle to imitate moving through water along with the melody from the spiritual, “Steal Away”.
III. Wade
Wade in the water
Wade in the water,
God’s gonna troubled the waters
“Wade in the Water” is possibly the most well known spiritual that was birthed out of the horrors of slavery. The song originated in the southern US in the mid-1800s, as a spiritual sung by enslaved African-Americans. In those communities, spirituals were more than just expressions of religious devotion. Some spirituals would be sung to alert freedom-seekers when it was safest to escape, without slaveholders (“masters”) knowing that information was being communicated. The lyrics of ‘Wade in the Water’ reference the Biblical story of the Israelites crossing the river Jordan, but the lyrics also remind those seeking freedom to walk in the rivers along their journey, so that tracking dogs and slave-catchers could not follow their footprints or their scent. I decided to quote the melody with the brass section under a bed of chaotic, agitated moving passages in the woodwinds and strings to “trouble the water”. A short fugal passage leads to a climatic ending playing the main theme.
Perusal Score:
Troubled Water - Trombone Concerto
ca. 20 minutes
for trombone and orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Kenneth Tompkins
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
In January 2020, Kenneth Thompkins of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra asked me to write a concerto for him as the principal trombonist of the orchestra. He suggested a piece about the Underground Railroad since Michigan was one of the last states for enslaved persons to reach before getting to freedom in Canada. The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. The piece is inspired by the many stories, accounts and experiences told by many enslaved people and abolitionists.
I. Bird Calls
We know that Harriet Tubman used the call of an owl to alert refugees and her freedom seekers that it was safe to come out of hiding and continue their journey. It would have been the Barred Owl, or as it is sometimes called, a ‘hoot-owl.’ To evoke the nature of this call, I have used the trombones in the orchestra to mimic the sound of the ‘hoot owl’ coupled with short bird calls in the woodwind section.
II. By Water
The “Saltwater Railroad” refers to the coastal waterway followed by many enslaved people escaping from the Southern slave states into the British-controlled Bahamas. The saltwater railroad served a similar function as the Underground Railroad, a land pathway, that allowed enslaved people to flee to northern states and ultimately to Canada. For this movement, I have used the rhythmic motion of the traditional barcarolle to imitate moving through water along with the melody from the spiritual, “Steal Away”.
III. Wade
Wade in the water
Wade in the water,
God’s gonna troubled the waters
“Wade in the Water” is possibly the most well known spiritual that was birthed out of the horrors of slavery. The song originated in the southern US in the mid-1800s, as a spiritual sung by enslaved African-Americans. In those communities, spirituals were more than just expressions of religious devotion. Some spirituals would be sung to alert freedom-seekers when it was safest to escape, without slaveholders (“masters”) knowing that information was being communicated. The lyrics of ‘Wade in the Water’ reference the Biblical story of the Israelites crossing the river Jordan, but the lyrics also remind those seeking freedom to walk in the rivers along their journey, so that tracking dogs and slave-catchers could not follow their footprints or their scent. I decided to quote the melody with the brass section under a bed of chaotic, agitated moving passages in the woodwinds and strings to “trouble the water”. A short fugal passage leads to a climatic ending playing the main theme.
Perusal Score: