Stephen M. Lee - Come by Here

Topic: Art Song
Harry Burleigh, mentioned in the last post, was more responsible than anyone else for introducing African-American spirituals into classical music. He began singing them as art songs in New York in the 1890s, [1] and published a setting for "Deep River" in 1917. [2] The Library of Congress noted:

"As his spiritual arrangements become increasingly popular with concert soloists, a tradition of concluding concerts with a set of spirituals was established." [3]

He was not shunning the original forms as reminders of slavery as so many then were. Indeed, he learned the songs from his grandfather who had purchased his freedom in Maryland in 1832. [4] Instead, he was trying to present an alternative to the stereotypes then rampant in vaudeville that ridiculed Blacks while coopting some of their musical forms. [5]

Stephen Lee created a program devoted to spirituals that began with a series of songs interspersed with readings. After a brief intermission the narrator provided a brief history of the genre, then the choir sang a series of more modern spirituals. The work grew out of a commission by the American Music Therapy Association in 2005. [6]

Performers
Spelman College Glee Club, Morehouse College Glee Club, Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society

Instrumental accompaniment: none
Rhythm accompaniment: African-style drum, men’s voices

Credits
© 2013 Stephen M Lee

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: accent on second syllable of kumbaya
Pronoun: somebody
Line repetition pattern: AAAB

Verses:
Come by here (repeated 4 times)
Somebody needs you
Kumbaya
Come by here

Notes on Music
Basic Structure: repetitions of the four-line melody with variations in roles of men’s chorus, and of male and female choruses. Men sang rhythm and women sang melody. The repetitions fell into two groups.

Group 1 repeated one verse by adding rhythms
Verse 1. Male group sang rhythmic "come by–pause–here–pause–my Lord–come by–here–Oh Lordy. The first and third lines were sung in unison; the second was in chordal harmony with the last phrase sung "Oh Lord of mercy" by men with higher voices.

Verse 2. The group singing rhythm was joined by a single African-style drum.

Verse 3. The vocal rhythm and drum were joined by men singing "ooh."

Group 2 once the melody was added the verses changed
Verse 4-5. The vocal rhythm and drum began. Then, the women joined them singing the melody.

Verse 6. The men began the rhythm on a higher note. Then men and women sang the kumbaya verse together in harmony.

Verse 7. Men sang rhythm, and men and women sang the melody in harmony. On the last line, each word was sustained.

Notes on Performance
According to the script released online, the program began with a soloist singing "Over My Head." Then the chorus entered singing "Come by Here."

The video only showed the cover of the CD. It provided no information on when or where it was recorded.

Notes on Performers
Lee was raised in Washington, D. C. He earned music degrees from Loyola University New Orleans and Morehouse College. He was living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck, and relocated to Douglasville, Georgia. [7]

Availability
CD: Stand by Me. Portland: Oregon Catholic Press. 25 May 2013.

YouTube: uploaded by The Orchard Enterprises, 20 July 2014.

Narrator Script: Stand by Me. Portland: Oregon Catholic Press. 25 May 2013.

End Notes
1. Wikipedia. "Harry Burleigh."

2. "H. T. Burleigh (1866-1949)." Library of Congress website.

3. Library of Congress.

4. Wikipedia.

5. Jean E. Snyder. Harry T. Burleigh. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2016. Summary of chapter 16 published on Project Muse website.

6. "Stephen Lee." Oregon Catholic Press website.

7. Oregon Catholic Press.