The title Songs for the Soul and the subtitle "Chamber Music by African American Composers" may leave the buyer wondering whether the music included is vocal or instrumental; there is actually one sizable vocal piece, William Banfield's Soul Gone Home, along with three instrumental chamber works. The program is well-nigh ideal, and the disc can be recommended for anyone seeking an introduction to contemporary music for small ensembles by black composers. The beauty of it is that the four works, although quite different in ...
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The title Songs for the Soul and the subtitle "Chamber Music by African American Composers" may leave the buyer wondering whether the music included is vocal or instrumental; there is actually one sizable vocal piece, William Banfield's Soul Gone Home, along with three instrumental chamber works. The program is well-nigh ideal, and the disc can be recommended for anyone seeking an introduction to contemporary music for small ensembles by black composers. The beauty of it is that the four works, although quite different in style, have a common thread that is persuasively woven into the whole by each composer. That common thread is the presence of African-American vernacular materials, which affects each piece and also gives each composer something to stretch away from a bit. Each work contains sections oriented toward popular African-American materials but then veers off in unexpected ways. Undine Smith Moore's highly underrated Afro-American Suite of 1969 sets spiritual-like materials of the old school...
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