(melodic orchestral music) - Hello, I'm Daniel Meyer, music director of the Erie Philharmonic.

Welcome to Fascinating Spaces.

In this series, we present musical programs inspired by fascinating spaces right here in Erie and across northwest Pennsylvania.

In this episode, we trace some of the most important figures in our own American musical heritage.

Particularly the voices of the African American community that have been so prominent in jazz, spirituals, sacred, and concert music.

We will also take a look at one of Erie's most important musical figures, Harry T. Burleigh, who left a huge imprint on the history of American music.

Let's get started with the music of the legendary Duke Ellington.

Ellington was known as a masterful pianist, arranger, and bandleader.

By 1933, there were fourteen players in his band plus a vocalist.

That group was ultimately known as Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra.

And Ellington's musicians traveled and recorded together, working and virtually living together 52 weeks a year.

In 1943, Ellington mounted a historic performance at Carnegie Hall in New York of a three-movement composition.

It was 45 minutes long, and it had been billed as his first symphony.

The title was "Black, Brown and Beige," and after multiple revisions, we have a version today scored for symphony orchestra by Maurice Peress.

The first movement, titled, "Black," fuses jazz and classical in a way that makes Ellington's original concept take on a bold, powerful new sound world.

(melodic orchestral music) Composer Adolphus Hailstork was born in Rochester New York in 1941, and grew up in Albany.

He studied piano, violin, organ, voice, and did collegiate study at the Manhattan School of Music.

He also earned a doctorate in composition from Michigan State in 1971.

He currently makes his home in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

His music spans a wide range of styles and influences, and you are about to hear the second movement from his piano concerto.

A work that shows Hailstork's ability to write beautiful, song-like melodies and technically virtuosic figures for the piano.

We're excited to feature the renowned pianist, Stewart Goodyear, who makes his Erie Philharmonic debut with this performance.

Stewart will release a full-length recording of this concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic in the coming year.

Here's Stewart Goodyear to tell us a bit about himself and his thoughts on Hailstork's piano concerto premiered in 1992.

- A few months ago, I received a call from the Buffalo Philharmonic asking whether or not I would be interested in performing this concerto and at the performance during rehearsals, Dr. Hailstork himself was at the audience and I had the chance to meet him, had a chance to hang out with him.

Joanne, Dr. Adolphus and I went out for dinner and he told me that the second movement of his concerto was maybe the most beautiful creation he made.

He wanted the audience and the interpreters to feel like they were just suspended.

Like they were in this utopia for around 10 minutes.

Of course there's drama and it is a very beautiful balance between serene and dramatic, and it ends with fireworks at the very end.

I really hope you enjoy my performance of the second movement of Dr. Adolphus Hailstork's, piano concerto.

(melodic orchestral music) Harry T. Burleigh is by far the most famous figure to make his mark on America's classical music history to be born and raised in Erie.

We are fortunate to have an important collection of his papers and music at the Hagen History Center.

And there are few landmarks peppered throughout the city in commemoration of his contribution to American music.

We are also fortunate to have one of the foremost, Harry T. Burleigh scholars here with us for this program.

Her name is Dr. Jean Snyder, and she taught at Edinboro University.

Dr. Snyder's, "Biography of Burleigh," was published in 2016.

Here's Dr. Snyder to give us a look into what a significant figure Burleigh was in our city's history.

- His voice was discovered in elementary or high school and from the mid 1880s, until he left in 1892, his name began showing up in the papers as a singer and as a soloist.

Everybody knew Harry T. Burley and at the first mention of his singing in Erie was with a family quartet.

He was at baritone in family quartet, but he began singing and more and more his singing involved him in a wider and wider group of musicians till his repertoire was really quite varied even before he went to New York City.

So he grew up hearing wonderful church music in this space.

This congregation had a reputation for its fine singing and he heard wonderful organ music, he heard coral music, congregational music from a very young age.

It's really wonderful, it's a beautiful space.

And to think that it's very much as he would've experienced it, he came to church on Sunday mornings with his mother and his aunt Louisa.

Burley's family starting with his grandfather and his parents and his generation were baptized here in 1869.

So this was just shortly after the end of the civil war.

And then of course he was a charter member of the Men and Boys choir that was established in 1885.

So this church and this space were very important to him from his very early years.

- Baritone Eddie Pleasant has been a frequent guest of the Erie Philharmonic and has sung the baritone role in, "Handel's Messiah" under the baton of C. Thomas Brooks.

Eddie brings a special affinity for the artistry required to sing Harry Burleigh's spirituals.

- I am a professional singer amongst other things.

I have a love of singing, different opera roles different pieces, like oratorio, art song.

And I like singing negro spirituals, spirituals.

I also am a choir director in a Jewish synagogue in Croton-on-Hudson, New York and a music minister at the Stanford Church of Christ.

And I say those things because we think of Harry Burleigh as a world famous baritone, but he also sang in church choir and he also sang at synagogue.

My mother taught me these songs, and I think as part of the oral tradition from which they came, I came by many of these spirituals, the way Burleigh did, he heard them.

I think Burleigh is a very fascinating character in our history, in that he's at the, sort of the crossroads of America leaving sort of this slave driven economy and labor force into black men and women beginning to educate themselves.

And I think spirituals speak to freedom.

It is a basic human urge to be free.

And I think the spiritual particularly based on Moses leading his people out of Egyptian captivity speaks time and time again to culture after culture in years and centuries that have gone and that will will come that those basic needs for freedom are tantamount to the human condition.

It's great to be here in Erie, and I'm delighted to perform these spirituals by Erie's own Harry T. Burleigh (melodic piano music) ♪ My Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ My Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ Oh my Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ When the starts begin to fall ♪ ♪ When the starts begin to fall ♪ ♪ My Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ My Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ Oh my Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ When the starts begin to fall ♪ ♪ When the starts begin to fall ♪ ♪ Done quit all my worldly ways ♪ ♪ Join that heavenly band ♪ ♪ Done quit all my worldly ways ♪ ♪ Join that heavenly band ♪ ♪ Oh my Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ My Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ Oh my Lord what a mornin' ♪ ♪ When the stars begin to fall ♪ (melodic piano music) ♪ Ev'ry time I feel de spirit ♪ ♪ Moving in my heart I will pray ♪ ♪ Ev'ry time I feel de spirit ♪ ♪ Moving in my heart I will pray ♪ ♪ Up on the mountain my lord spoke ♪ ♪ Out of his mouth came fire and smoke ♪ ♪ Jordan river chilly and cold ♪ ♪ It chills the body but not the soul ♪ ♪ Oh ev'ry time I feel de spirit ♪ ♪ Moving in my heart I will pray ♪ ♪ Ev'ry time I feel de spirit ♪ ♪ Moving in my heart I will pray ♪ ♪ All around me it looked so fine ♪ ♪ I asked my Lord if it all was mine ♪ ♪ There ain't but one train that's on this track ♪ ♪ It runs from heaven and then right back ♪ ♪ Ev'ry time I feel de spirit ♪ ♪ Moving in my heart I will pray ♪ ♪ Ev'ry time I feel de spirit ♪ ♪ Moving in my heart I will pray ♪ ♪ I will pray ♪ - Harry Burleigh's first start as a choir boy was at Erie's Episcopal Cathedral of St Paul.

Today, the music program continues to flourish with a very fine youth choir under the direction of Sharon Downey.

Here's a glimpse into the cathedral's sanctuary with Sharon Downey leading the Cathedral Choristers.

(melodic piano music) ♪ Ride on king Jesus ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ Ride on king Jesus ride on ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ I was but young when I begun ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ But now my race is almost done ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ Ride on king Jesus ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ Ride on king Jesus ride on ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ King Jesus Christ sitting on thy horse ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ A river of joy that he did cross ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ Ride on king Jesus ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ Ride on king Jesus ride on ♪ ♪ No man can a hinder me ♪ ♪ Ride ride ride ♪ (melodic orchestral music) We will finish our program with the music of William Grant Still.

Born in Mississippi and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Still is considered the dean of African American composers.

His Symphony number one, named the, "Afro-American Symphony" is inspired by black history here in the United States.

The first movement is based on the traditional 12 bar blues, and you can hear the clear fusion of American and European influences.

(melodic orchestral music) The second movement is titled, "Sorrow," and it features long beautiful solos from the oboe, clarinet and violin.

(melodic orchestral music) The third Movement is a celebration, complete with joyous stomping rhythms and the first time a banjo was ever used in a symphony.

(melodic orchestral music) Before the fourth and final movement, William Grant still inscribes the words of Paul Laurence Dunbar, "Be proud my race, in mind and soul, "thy name is writ on glory's scroll "in characters of fire.

"High mid the clouds of fame's bright sky "thy banner's blazoned folds now fly.

"And truth shall lift them higher."

(melodic orchestral music) If you are interested in figures like Duke Ellington, Adolphus Hailstork, William Grant Still, or Erie's own Harry Burleigh, please follow the links posted on our website, eriephil.org.

Thanks also to Reverend Melinda Hall and conductor Sharon Downey and the Cathedral of St Paul as well as our partners at the Warner Theater, WQLN and Mega Media Factory.

If you haven't already, make sure you visit these fascinating spaces right here in downtown Erie.

Thank you for watching, we can't wait to see you again at another performance of the Erie Philharmonic.

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