A Lunchtime carillon concert. Free. Free Parking in the lot in front of the tower on Euclid Avenue also along Bellflower Rd behind the tower, a great place to hear the concert.
You can also tune in on your computer, tablet, or smart phone through our YouTube channel
Sheryl Modlin,
Church of the Saviour, Cleveland Heights
View the Live Stream
program
Celebrating Black History Month
J. Rosamond Dorsey arr. John Courter
Lift Every Voice and Sing (Black National Anthem)
The lyrics were written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), then set to music by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson in 1899. This song was written when Jim Crow Laws went into effect (after slavery) enforcing racial segregation. The song sets an atmosphere of reverence for the suffering and sacrifices of ancestors, and celebrates the liberties of the African American people. The song was first performed at Stanton school in Jacksonville, Florida where James Weldon Johnson served as school principal.
Rev. Dr. Charles Albert Tindley arr. Tiffany Ng
We Shall Overcome
I’ll Overcome Someday was a hymn written by Charles Albert Tindley, published in 1900. I Will Overcome was sung as a protest song on a picket line in a 5 month labor strike against American Tobacco in Charleston, SC from 1945-1946. Most of the workers were African American women protesting for a wage increase from 40 to 65 cents an hour and medical benefits. The song was changed to We Shall Overcome and became the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement.
Thomas A. Dorsey arr. John Courter
Precious Lord
Precious Lord was written by Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993) after he lost his wife and infant son during childbirth in 1932. Rev. Dorsey wrote 1000 Gospel songs and is called the “Father of Gospel Music”. Precious Lordwas Martin Luther King, Jr’s favorite song. He invited Mahalia Jackson to sing this song at Civil Rights rallies- she sang it for his funeral April 1968.
Florence Prince arr. Tiffany Ng
Allegretto
Florence Price (1868-1953) was the first African American woman recognized as a Symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. She was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. She gave her first piano performance at age 4, and her first composition was published at age 11.Jim Crow laws prevented her from pursuing music studies in the South, so she studied at the New England Conservatory of Medicine. She settled in Chicago ; during her life she composed over 300 works including 4 symphonies.
Traditional arr. Peter Paul Olejar
Wade in the Water
Wade in the Water was first published in “New Jubilee Songs as sung by Fisk Jubilee Singers” (1901) John Wesley Work, Jr. – Negro Spirituals were not written down, but were passed down verbally plantation to plantation. Mr. Work was the first collector of Negro Spirituals- traveling home to home, writing lyrics and melodies on music scores. The verses of Wade in the Water reflect the Israelite’s escape from Egypt in the Book of Exodus. Harriet Tubman sang the song telling runaway slaves to get off the trail into the water so dogs could not follow their scent.
Traditional arr. Jen Wang
Busses’ are a comin’
Buses Are A-Comin’ is a freedom song that was composed in a Jackson, Mississippi jail cell. 1961 was the year of the Mississippi Freedom Rides. The supreme Court ruled that segregated buses were unconstitutional. However Southern states did not integrate buses, and the Federal Government did not enforce the rulings. Freedom riders were Civil Rights Activists who traveled in groups by bus into the Segregated South. Riders drew attention to the violence used to force segregation. Police let local mobs attack the riders, then arrested riders for trespassing. “Buses Are A-Comin” was a way for riders to communicate that more buses and riders were coming.
Harry Dixon Loes arr. Tiffany Ng
This Little Light of Mine
This Little Light of Mine is a Gospel Song of unknown origin. Harry Dixon Loes is often credited with composing the song, but he never copyrighted or claimed credit for writing the original piece. It is associated with the Civil Rights movement.
Scott Joplin arr. Wesley Arai
The Cascades
Scott Joplin (1868-1917) is known as the King of Ragtime. He wrote 40 Ragtime pieces, one Ragtime ballet and two operas. He performed at the Chicago World’s Fair (1893) which had 27 million attendees and was largely responsible for making Ragtime a National craze. The publication of “The Maple Leaf Rag” brought him fame in 1899. The 1973 Academy Award winning film “The Sting” featured several of Joplin’s compositions. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
R. Nathaniel Dett arr. Roy Lee
Juba Dance
JUBA is a dance of Afro-American slaves. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) was a Black Canadian American Composer who incorporated Spirituals into Classical music. He was the first Black American to complete the Bachelor of Music at Oberlin- studying Composition and Piano.
Bob Thiele & George David Weiss arr. Lisa Lonie
What a Wonderful World
What a Wonderful World was a first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967and released in 1968. This was the year race riots broke out in over 100 cities from Newark to Detroit. The song was written in hopes to ease racial and political tensions -and to provide inspiration through the message of peace, love and harmony.
Traditional arr. John Courter
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands is an African American Spiritual first published in 1927.
Sheryl Modlin
Sheryl Modlin has played the Arter Memorial Carillon at the Church of the Saviour, Cleveland Heights, OH for the past five years. Other musical interests include the church handbell and Good News choirs. She is an anesthesiologist with the Cleveland Clinic. Sheryl is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the McGaffin Carillon in University Circle.
The carillon can be heard from the grounds around the tower including the Case Western Reserve Campus behind the tower away from the Euclid Avenue traffic noise. Concerts are rain or shine and your car is also a place to hear the concert. Horn honking is an accepted form of applause at the end of the program.
Send music requests to info@ucbells.org
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