tailed map of how to reach Canada. The "Drinking Gourd" referred to the constellation the Big Dipper. Slaves knew that if they followed it they were headed north. Another favorite song of Harriet Tubman, “Go Down
Moses” was used as a signal to let slaves know that she was in the area and that a trip northward was being planned. I chose to use this song as thematic material for this com- position because of its compelling nature and its familiar- ity. Other melodic and harmonic elements of "Harriet" are based on the melodic and harmonic structure of “Go Down Moses.”
I have been waiting for the right opportunity to write a composition inspired by Harriet Tubman for years so when Dr. Thomas McCauley approached me with the possibility I immediately accepted the commission. I've known Dr. Mc- Cauley for about fifteen years now and every project we have collaborated on has been a fantastic, spiritual experience. Tom always brings a vibrant dynamic to the music that goes well beyond just the notes on the page, and he is a class act.
One of the main sources of Harriet comes from the
spiritual, Go Down, Moses; sewn into the fabric of the work, this melody comes alive across the pages of the three-movement piece.
throughout the compositional process. In Harriet, how- ever, Douglas’s approach was different. Douglas elabo- rates:
I usually start with a figure that isn’t yet a fully com- posed melody. With Harriet, I had a pre-written, full melody, with an associated harmony. So, in- stead of building the primary theme piece by piece as my writing progresses, revealing the full melodic idea, I already knew what the full melody was go- ing to be. So, there was a lot of working backwards from the full reveal and deconstructing the melody the further back I went.
Harriet is approximately 12 minutes in length, and
the program supplied by the composer follows: Movement I. Araminta's Escape
Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross. After her es- cape she took on the first name Harriet and used her mar- ried name of Tubman. My aim in this 1st movement was to represent what must have been a dangerous, terrifying, and anxiety ridden first escape. There are short quotes from the song “Go Down Moses” throughout. For the last section of this movement I used the song “Go Down Moses” to represent her liberation into a new life and her resolve to help others to freedom.
Movement II. Stranger in a Strange Land This movement represents the solitude of being away
from home and family. It was during this time that she finds work to fund her return trips and makes intricate plans to return to Maryland to help free her family and others.
This spiritual’s process of selection was thorough and
significant. While researching materials for use, the coin- cidental connection between Tubman’s nickname, “Mo- ses,” and the spiritual above haunted the composer. After assessing the components of the spiritual’s adaptability, particularly with regard to the ever-present interval of the minor 6th, Douglas decided that Go Down Moses needed to serve as a major building block in the construction of Harriet. It is worth noting that much of Douglas’s wind band
music centers around small, specific, musical “cells,” which are manipulated in varied and interesting ways
TEMPO Movement III. Moses
The beginning of this movement returns to the tension and anxiety of participating in the escapes of other slaves including family members, through the "Underground Rail- road." The title is a reference to the fact that many referred to Harriet Tubman as “Moses.” In the middle and ending sections of this movement there is a return to the song “Go Down Moses,” sung by the ensemble members along with the percussion section and then later played by the full ensemble.
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