CONTRIBUTED

The Moore County Choral Society's 2009 Spring Concert will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at Robert E Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School.

Themed "An American Portrait," the concert features music of 20th century American composers. The program opens with Aaron Copland's "Old American Songs." The work consists of two sets of five songs each, originally composed for soloist and piano.

Copland chose for inclusion three folk songs of unknown origin, with the rest dating from 1830 to 1865. The first set of songs was completed in 1950. Baritone William Warfield gave the first performance on Jan. 28, 1951, with Copland at the piano. The success of the first set prompted the quick setting of the second five adaptations, completed in 1952, and again performed by Warfield and Copland. Copland transcribed the piano part for orchestra, and over time others arranged the songs for chorus.

The songs in the two sets include an original banjo melody by Old Dan D. Emmett called "The Boatmen's Dance," "I Bought Me a Cat," a children's nonsense song, "Simple Gifts," a favorite song of the Shaker religious sect, "At The River," composed by the Rev. Robert Lowry in 1865, (and still sung in churches today), and the minstrel song, "Ching-a-Ring Chaw." The songs provide a diversified portrait of America.

The first half of the concert concludes with Randall Thompson's "Frostiana," a cycle of seven country songs. This work was commissioned in 1958 for the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Amherst, Mass. Randall Thompson chose as his text the poetry of great American poet Robert Frost. Thompson conducted the first performance of this work, and the composer was present. At the end of that performance Robert Frost shouted, "Sing that again!"

The composer chose Frost's poems "The Road Not Taken," "The Pasture," "Come In," "The Telephone," "A Girl's Garden," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "Choose Something Like a Star" for inclusion in this work. Two of the songs are scored for men's voices only, two for women's voices, and the rest are written for SATB chorus.

An interesting note about the composer: Randall Thompson auditioned for but was turned down by the Harvard Chorus. Later, Thompson became a professor at Harvard. The poet Robert Frost is considered by many to be the foremost 20th century American poet. He won four Pulitzer Prizes for his works.

The second half of the program begins with "Song of Democracy" by Howard Hanson, poetry by Walt Whitman. Hanson (1896-1981) was a composer, conductor, educator, music theorist and ardent champion of American classical music. He was the director of the Eastman School of Music for 40 years. While there, he built a first-class school of music and provided many opportunities for the commissioning and performing of America classical music.

Hanson received many awards for his music, including the Pulitzer Prize for his "Symphony No. 4." "Song of Democracy" premiered April 9, 1957, in Washington, D.C. The work was commission by the National Education Association, and the Music Educators' National Conference in commemoration of NEA's 100th anniversary and in honor of the 50th anniversary of MENC. The work is inspired by two of Walt Whitman's poems, one of which was written for the dedication of a public school. The work was also performed at the inaugural concert for Richard Nixon in 1969.

The concert will conclude with three settings by composer Mack Wilberg. Wilberg is the associate music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the music director of the Temple Square Chorale. He has written many works for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and his works have been performed by such artists as Renee Fleming, Frederica von Stade, Bryn Terfel, and the King's Singers. The three compositions included in this particular concert are a setting of the familiar spiritual "Deep River," a beautiful, and evocative arrangement of the 19th century American folk song, "Shenandoah," and a rousing and moving setting of "America the Beautiful."

This concert will be accompanied by a full orchestra comprising many of the area's finest instrumentalists. The Moore County Choral Society is under the direction of Anne Dorsey, and accompanied by MariJo Brown. The spring concert is receiving support from the Arts Council of Moore County with funds from the N.C. Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults and $7.50 for students and are available at the Campbell House and The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, Kirk Tours in Pinehurst and the Coffee Scene in Seven Lakes or by calling 295-3971.