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Troubled Water, from Spiritual Suite. Margaret Bonds

Margaret Bonds

Margaret Bonds arranged over fifty African-American spirituals for various instruments, one of which is the five-minute piano work Troubled Water, based on the spiritual Wade in the Water.The context of the spiritual is associated with Songs of the Underground Railroad, work songs used by slaves in the nineteenth century to share coded information for escape.

Troubled Wateris composed in the key of E minor. Bonds opens the piece with a energetic, syncopated rhythm in the left hand that leads into the recognizable theme in the spiritual. As the piece develops, the texture of the melody thickens, and Bonds weaves in jazz-inspired sonorities in between the voices. This could create challenges for pianists when memorizing and coming up with fingerings that feel comfortable.

Pianists must also practice smooth transitions between the different characters and sections of the piece as they happen quite fast. Despite its repetitive nature, the theme transforms through many distinct characters, including a brief, lyrical key change to E major. Specific notations in the music like scherzando, dolce, marcato, leggiero, con fuoco call for the pianist to balance sensitivity and lyricism with flair and virtuosity. It may also be helpful for the pianist to identify the climaxes of the piece so as to maintain a cohesive musical narrative without making the piece too loud.

Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) started her musical journey in her hometown Chicago, learning piano from her mother who was a charter member of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM). She developed meaningful relationships with many African American artists including Florence Price, who she took lessons from as well. She deeply admired the works of Langston Hughes which eventually led to their lifelong friendship and collaboration. One of her numerous achievements includes being the first African-American woman to solo with a major American orchestra. Despite facing ongoing racism in her career and her studies, she dedicated her life to civil rights activism and raising awareness for African-American art. Bonds’ contributions played a major role in re-establishing the presence of African-American sound and culture within American identity.

Sources

 

Troubled Water, from Spiritual Suite. Margaret Bonds. Performed by Alice Hyoung.

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