When Storms Arise - Adolphus Hailstork

Performed and Recorded Thursday, December 7th 2023 at Catalina United Methodist Church in Tucson, Arizona.
Speaking Notes and Sources: www.neotericch...
Text:
"When storms arise
And dark'ning skies
About me threat'ning lower,
To thee, O Lord, I raise mine eyes,
To thee my tortured spirit flies
For solace in that hour.
The mighty arm
Will let no harm
Come near me nor befall me;
Thy voice shall quiet my alarm,
When life's great battle waxeth warm-
No foeman shall appall me.
Upon thy breast
Secure I rest,
From sorrow and vexation;
No more by sinful cares oppressed,
But in thy presence ever blest,
O God of my salvation."
- Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 -1906)
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Program Notes:
Hailstork’s Three Dunbar Hymns set poetic texts of 20th century poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African American poet to garner national acclaim. Dunbar’s work often addressed the difficulties by members of his race and the efforts of African Americans to achieve equality in America. Hailstork sets Dunbar’s poetry in modified strophes, allowing single voices to puncture the text with a special emphasis on the bass section. His piece is introspective, with rare but effective use of colorful harmony to illicit an emotional response in the listener. The simplicity of the piece supports the necessary message of the narrator of the poem calling for clemency amidst a society which does not support them.