Performed by Puget Sound Piano Trio
The Dignified Heart for piano trio is a tribute to three human rights leaders: Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman. Commissioned by the Rivers School Conservatory, for their Seminar of Contemporary Music for the Young, this work is in three movements with a duration of 14 minutes. I have woven into each movement songs and musical elements that were important to the three individuals or related to their culture. I chose this topic to help people discover the intrinsic value in all humans and to inspire them to have the courage to work together to make our world a better place for everyone.
Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most influential women of the 20th century. She had a difficult childhood and by the age of 15 both of her parents had died. Following this she lived with a grandmother and was later sent to a boarding school in England where she was encouraged to develop her independent spirit. As a young woman she married Franklin Delano Roosevelt and later became the first lady of the United States. Because of Franklin’s inability to walk due to polio, Eleanor often traveled for him and became “his eyes and ears” of what was happening around the country and was one of his main advisors during his presidency. Her marriage was a very difficult one so she was forced to become her own person and dedicated herself to human rights. For years she had her own weekly radio program and daily newspaper column.
This movement is inspired by Eleanor’s courage, determination and dedicated to the welfare of others. She was very a very outspoken supporter of rights for women, the poor, and for Black, Jewish and Latino Americans. She was the first United States delegate for the UN and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My piece opens with the pitches AED which are the first letters of her name. (Anne Eleanor Roosevelt). Eleanor’s favorite song was Brighten the Corner Where you Are a hymn which I wove into the texture near the end of movement.
Nelson Mandela was as a member of the Thembu royal family of the Xhosa people of South Africa. Nelson was arrested for his political activity and imprisoned for 27 years. Upon being released he became the first black president of South Africa. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation. This movement is inspired by the highly virtuosic and rhythmically complex music of the Xhosa people. Especially superb is their use of overtone singing, the beautiful harmonic and rhythmic textures created by the ensemble and the use of Uhadi Calabash Musical Bow and the Mrhubhe Mouth Bow.
The final movement is inspired by the life and heroic actions of Harriet Tubman, an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions south to rescue approximately 3000 slaves, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army and also gave many lectures about the evils of slavery. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women’s suffrage.