Kyle Pederson - Come By Here

Topic: Pandemic Versions
The title “Kumbaya” was less popular this year when I did a search of new versions in YouTube than in the past.  This is partly a reaction against the cooption of the word “kumbaya” by politicians, who denigrate “kumbaya moments,” and by rap and electronic music artists, who use it for secular purposes.  The original “Kum Ba Yah” employed by Cooperative Recreation Service still is used, especially by music publishers.

The term “Come by Here” has become more accepted since the Library of Congress began publicizing Henry Wylie’s version as the first, true version. [1]  Those people who were always uncomfortable with an unknown/foreign/nonsense word are vindicated: “kumbaya” is simply an error.

Ironically, one of the men whose arrangements was popular this year rejected the literal interpretation of the phrase “come by here.”  Kyle Pederson said “though I love the invitational nature of the lyric ‘come by here, Lord,’ I also believe that God’s spirit is already with us in all of our circumstances.  In our joy, grief, rising falling, living and dying, God is there with us, working toward wholeness and healing.” [2]

The Lutheran composer began with women echoing each other through “someone’s prayin’” and men singing “come by here, my Lord” as a rhythm.  After this nod to the Gullah origins and an extended piano solo, he orchestrated traditional four-part harmony for “someone’s cryin’” while the piano played the motif from “Holy, Holy, Holy.”  Bert Polman said the tune “resembles the style of the Lutheran chorale.” [3]

After another brief piano interlude, Pederson introduced his own text that addressed God directly as “You.”  He replaced the generic “someone” with the first person, and used the three-part motet form with each vocal section singing a different text. [4]  It proclaimed God is here.

Choir directors always are looking for new material.  Pederson’s arrangement was released in early 2020, [5] just as the new Coronavirus form was spreading across the country.  It was publically acknowledged in Florida on March 1, but it may have been present in the state since January.  The governor issued an order restricting activities of non-essential services, [6] but declared churches were essential.  Some defiantly refused to limit their congregations, [7] and others voluntarily did.

The Lutheran church on Saint Armand Key in Sarasota Bay scheduled Pederson’s arrangement for September 9.  One couple was seated in a pew row, and they alternated left or right ends.  The choir was reduced to four college students.  All were casually dressed except the pianist.  Michael Bodnyk wore a black choir robe.

The virus also was reported in New York on March 1, where the governor declared a state of emergency on March 7. [8]  Andrew Cuomo was much stricter than Ron DeSantis.  On October 2, the Episcopalian church in Buffalo posted a video of Pederson’s arrangement with “images for inspiration” to support its online worship.

Trinity Church may have used someone else’s tape, but Bobby Militello added a saxophone solo [9] to the first piano interlude.  The first section displayed images of Russian Orthodox, Hindus, Buddhists, and a Black child praying.  The saxophone section was accompanied by pictures of nature.  Photographs of homeless people followed with the “crying” section, while the last part had images of the old and young.

New Mexico did not report the virus until March 11.  The governor closed the state on March 23, eased restrictions on May 15, and reimposed them on July 13. [19]  An Albuquerque Methodist church turned to virtual choirs for its music.  The accompanying video for “Come by Here” alternated the array of the seventeen member choir with a drawing of a partially opened door.  Since it was New Mexico, the two-panel door was wooden and painted blue. [20]

It was difficult to maintain faith in God’s presence during the pandemic, especially after Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd until he died on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [21]  People converged on the city to protest his murder, where rioting continued until the National Guard was deployed on May 30. [22]

On September 28, Pederson released his own video of “Come by Here.”  It begins conventionally enough, with photographs of the Minneapolis skyline and a farmstead, then juxtaposes prison cells with children going to school.  These accompany the displayed “come by here” lyrics.

The last line of the verse, “Oh, Lord, Come by here” switches to the mural painted on the Cup Food store at the intersection where Floyd died. [23]  “Someone’s praying” is accompanied by images of the memorial street where the names of people killed by the police have been painted in different colors. [24]

Pederson and his videographer, Chris White, switch to images of a church being closed for the “crying” verse.  This is followed by photographs of floods and forest fires, before returning again to the Floyd memorial.  The last part displays the text against an early morning sky.  The finale features a black boy and white girl holding hands as they run through a park.

By September, things had calmed somewhat in Minneapolis.  The city’s Congregational church posted a video on 9 March 2021 that simply showed the members of its virtual choir singing the arrangement.  Like Pederson’s video, the last section displayed the text against a black background.

March 9 was the day jury selection began for the trial of Chauvin. [25]  Tensions increased, but were internalized, not riotous. [26]  Still, everyone was prepared for the worse when the jury returned its guilty verdict on April 20. [27]  Two weeks later the governor announced most pandemic restrictions would end on May 28.  Masks would be required until July 1. [28]

Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: SABT
Instrumental Accompaniment: piano
Rhythm Accompaniment: none

Credits
Text: African American spiritual (PD)
Tune: KUM BA YAH, African American spiritual
Setting: Kyle Pederson (ASCAP), newly composed
Copyright © 2020 Birnamwood Publications (ASCAP)
Musical quotation from John Bacchus Dykes, “Nicaea,” 1861 (PD)

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: drops terminal /g/
Verses: come by here, prayin’, cryin’, own
Pronoun: someone, my
Term for Deity: Lord, You
Basic Form: four-verse song
Ending: repeat “come by here” followed by “You are here”
Unique Features: change from third to first person

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: simply, quarter note = 112–116 beats per minute
Key Signature: two sharps
Basic Structure: four parts
Singing Style: sopranos one note to one syllable; altos and men some melisma

Vocal-Accompaniment Dynamics: call-response by women over male rhythm; then four-part harmony

Ending: slower, softer

Notes on Performers
Pederson is from a family of musicians: his father was a band teacher, [29] while his mother taught piano until 1990.  Then she was hired to teach religion at Augustana University, [30] a school founded by Swedish Lutherans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. [31]  At that time, his maternal grandmother, who also played piano, joined the family.  Her husband had died in 1989. [32]

After graduating from Augustana in 1997, [33] Pederson moved to Minneapolis where he taught geography in the public schools.  In 2005, he opened a business to help teachers use music in other subjects.  Since 2013, he has been devoting more time to composition. [34]  He also is active in the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, [35] a city 15 miles south of Minneapolis. [36]

The Singers who performed his arrangement are a professional Minneapolis group led by Matthew Culloton. [37]  He graduated from Concordia College, but directs the choir at Saint Paul’s House of Hope Presbyterian Church. [38]  Chris White is the media arts director at Prince of Peace and operates a private recording studio. [39]

The minister of music at Saint Armands Key Lutheran Church earned a degree in vocal performance from Mannes College of Music, and a masters in choral conducting from Concordia University Wisconsin. [40]  In 2019, Michael Bodnyk began supplementing the choir with music students from the University of Tampa in 2019 instead of hiring professional singers.  He said “The congregation just loves them.” [41]

Trinity Episcopal Church is a monument to Buffalo’s prosperous past as a port on Lake Erie.  Its organist and choir director, Paul Cena, went to high school in Tonawanda, New York, and graduated from the University at Buffalo. [42]  Bobby Militello attended Buffalo’s LaFayette High School.  He worked with Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinson, and Dave Brubeck, [43] before returning to Buffalo around 2014. [44]

Paradise Hills United Methodist Church was established in 1963 as Albuquerque expanded to the north. [45]  Rebecca Talbott is the choir teacher at the high school in neighboring Rio Rancho.  She earned both her bachelors and her masters degrees from the University of New Mexico. [46]  Her husband, Dale, did the technical audio work for the virtual choir. [47]

Mayflower United Church of Christ of Minneapolis did not identify any of the twenty-three participants in its virtual choir.  Nancy Grundahl is the church’s choir director, and Dorothy Williams the organist.  Williams began her music studies in Texas, and since has taught college courses in Texas, Kentucky, Calgary, and Chicago.  Grundahl graduated from Saint Olaf College and the University of Minnesota.  She said “She enjoys finding repertoire for the Mayflower Choir that challenges the singers and enhances and deepens the worship experience.” [48]

Availability
Sheet Music: Kyle Pederson. “Come by Here.”  Saint Louis, Missouri: MorningStar Music Publishers, 2020.

Video: “Come by Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by MorningStar Music on 17 April 2020.

Video: Saint Armand Key Lutheran Church Choral Scholars.  “Come By Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by St. Armands Key Lutheran Church on 1 September 2020.  Michael Bodnyk, minister of music; Justin Kaiser, AV Technician.  The singers are Nina Vannucci, Kelly Collins, Bronson Byerley, and Kevin Moroney.

Video: Matthew Culloton and The Singers.  “Come By Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by Kyle Pederson music on 28 September 2020.  Chris White, videography.

Video: Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo, New York.  “Come By Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by Trinity Church Buffalo on 2 October 2020.  Paul Cena, choir director; Bobby Militello, saxophone.

Video: Paradise Hills Methodist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  “Come by Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by Paradise Hills UMC Music Ministry on 1 November 2020.  Becky Talbott, choir director and video production; Dale Talbott, audio engineering.

Video: Mayflower United Church of Christ, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  “Come By Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by Mayflower MPLS Worship on 9 March 2021.

End Notes
1.  Stephen Winick.  “Kumbaya: History of an Old Song.”  Folklife Center website, 6 February 2018.

2.  Kyle Pederson.  “About the Arrangement.”  First page of arrangement.

3.  “Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almigty.”  399–389 in Psalter Hymnal Handbook, edited by Emily R, Brink and Bert Polman.  Grand Rapids, Michigan: CRC Publications, 1998.  389.

4.  “Motet.”  183 in The Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music, edited by Willi Apel and Ralph T. Daniel.  New York: Washington Square Press, 1961.  The Medieval Motel was polytextual.

5.  MorningStar released a video with a profession group of singers and showed the score.  It was intended as an advertisement, but could be used as a guide recording by a virtual choir.  Guide recordings are mentioned in the post for 20 June 2021.

6.  Wikipedia.  “COVID-19 Pandemic in Florida.”

7.  Janelle Irwin Taylor.  “Does Ron DeSantis’ stay-at-home order allow megachurches to continue meeting?  Looks like it.” Florida Politics website, 1 April 2020.

8.  Wikipedia.  “COVID-19 Pandemic in New York (State).”

9.  The video provides no credits.  However, the church “is known for jazz presentations at the church, with Bobby Militello performing there monthly.” [49]

19.  Wikipedia.  “COVID-19 Pandemic in New Mexico.”  The governor is Michelle Lujan-Grisham.

20.  Anglos believe Hispanics used blue paint to ward off the evil eye, and adopted the color for exterior trim.  While beliefs in the evil eye and blue are widespread in the Mediterranean, Spanish-speaking settlers did not fear the evil eye so much as what was translated into English as “witches.”  Coral beads were more likely to be used to protect infants. [50]

21.  Wikipedia.  “Murder of George Floyd.”  This has photographs of scenes in the video.
22.  Wikipedia.  “George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul.”

23.  It was a Cup Foods store employee who called the police.  The mural was painted by Xena Goldman, Cadex Herrera, and Greta McLain, with help from Niko Alexander and Pablo Hernandez. [51]

24.  The list on Chicago Avenue was painted by Mari Hernandez. [52]
25.  Wikipedia.  “Trial of Derek Chauvin.”

26.  Sanjana Karanth.  “Ilhan Omar Says Derek Chauvin Trial Has ‘Unearthed So Much Trauma’ For Minneapolis.”  Huffington Post website, 4 April 2021.

27.  Wikipedia, Trial.
28.  Wikipedia.  “COVID-19 Pandemic in Minnesota.”  The governor is Tim Walz.

29.  “About Mr. Pederson.”  Patrick Henry Bands website for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, middle school.  He is Gary Pederson.

30.  “Ann Milliken Pederson.”  LinkedIn website.
31.  Wikipedia.  “Augustana University.”
32.  “Milliken, Doris L.”  Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, Montana, 5 August 2020.
33.  “Kyle Pederson” Augustana University website.
34.  “Story.”  Kyle Pederson’s website.
35.  The Prince of Peace website lists Pederson as its worship arts specialist.
36.  Wikipedia.  “Burnsville, Minnesota.”
37.  “About Us.”  The Singers website.
38.  “Matthew Culloton.”  The Singers website.
39.  “Chris White.”  LinkedIn website.
40.  “Michael Bodnyk, Minister of Music.”  Saint Armands Key Lutheran Church website.

41.  Nat Kaemmerer.  “Undergrads Comprise Church’s Choir.”  Your Observer website, Sarasota, Florida, 8 September 2020.

42.  “About Paul Cena.”  Facebook website.

43.  Mark Scheer.  “Jazz Saxophonist Bobby Militello Talks Music Education, Connecting with a Crowd.  Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, New York, 26 August 2013.

44.  “Resume.”  Bobby Militello website.
45.  “History of Paradise Hills United Methodist Church.”  Its website.
46.  “Rio Rancho High School Concert Choir.”  New Mexico Philharmonic website.

47.  “Frank M Powell.”  Daniels Family Funeral Home website, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2 March 2018.

48.  “Worship Leaders.”  Mayflower Church website.  Saint Olaf’s choir is discussed in the post for 12 August 2018.

49.  Rick Falkowski.  “Holiday Choral and Music Programs.”  Buffalo Space website, 22 November 2019; last updated 30 November 2020.

50.  Lawler Barnes.  “Caryopteris.”  Nature Abhors a Garden website, 23 August 2009.

51.  Hakim Bishara.  “Artists Create a Mural Honoring George Floyd at the Site of His Murder.”  Hyperallergic website, 29 May 2020.

52.  Lianna Matt McLernon.  “This Minneapolis Street Is a Growing List of People Killed by Police.”  Minnesota Monthly, 8 June 2020.