Ulysses Simpson Kay
Music List
Publications
Composer Essay
How Stands the Glass Around?
Fantasy Variations
Markings
Jubilee
Born in Tucson, Ariz., January 7, 1917; died in Englewood, N.J., May 20, 1995.
Education: Born into a musical family, father sang in the home, mother sang in church choir and played piano, maternal uncle was jazz cornetist Joseph “King” Oliver; began studying piano with William A. Ferguson, at age six, violin at ten, and saxophone at 12; Tucson, Ariz., public schools, sang in school glee club and played in high school marching band and dance orchestra; came into contact with William Grant Still, who encouraged him, summers of 1936 and 1937; University of Arizona, performed in college ensembles, studied piano with Julia Rebeil, music theory with John Lowell; B.Mus. in music education, 1938; Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, studied with Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson; M.Mus., 1940; Berkshire Festival, Tanglewood, Massachusetts, studied privately with Paul Hindemith, summer 1941; Yale University, New Haven, Conn., continued studies with Hindemith, 1941–42; Columbia University, New York, studied with Otto Luening, 1942–46; American Academy in Rome, Italy, 1949–52.
Military Service: U.S. Navy, played in Navy Band and a dance orchestra, wrote and arranged music, 1942–46.
Composing and Performing Career: Rochester, N.Y., several orchestral pieces performed while at Eastman, 1938–40; Brooklyn Academy of Music, A Short Overture premiered by Leonard Bernstein with the New York City Symphony Orchestra, 1947; New York City, editorial advisor for BMI, 1953–68; maintained association with BMI as a consultant; Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow, Of New Horizons performed by the Moscow State Radio Orchestra, 1958; majority of his career spent fulfilling commissions as well as composing scores for film and television; included in Columbia Records’ “Black Composers Series”; opera Frederick Douglass premiered, 1991.
Teaching Career: Boston University, Boston, Mass., visiting professor of composition and theory, summer 1965; University of California–Los Angeles, visiting professor, 1966–67; Lehman College of the City University of New York, distinguished professor of theory and composition, 1968–88; Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn., Hubert H. Humphrey Lecturer, 1975; Brevard Music Center, Brevard, N.C., Mu Phi Epsilon Endowed Chair of Composition, 1979.
Commissions: Thor Johnson, 1944; Eleanore Goff, 1946; Baylor University Band, 1949; Peter Hollander, 1951, 1962; Leonard De Paur, 1953; Cornell University A Cappella Chorus, 1954; Louisville Philharmonic Society, 1954; Randolph Singers, 1954; Illinois Wesleyan University College Choir, 1955; Koussevitzky Foundation, 1955; Marilyn Mason, 1958; WNET, New York City, 1958; Vinnie Burrows, 1959; International Music Council of New York City, 1959; David Susskind, 1960; American Wind Symphony, 1961; Portland (Maine) Symphony, 1961; the Stanley Quartet of the University of Michigan, 1961; BMI, 1962; Kermit Moore, 1962; New York Society for Ethical Culture, 1962; Daniel Pinkham, 1962; Edward B. Benjamin, 1963; Tercentary Commission of the State of New Jersey, 1963; Burton A. Cleaves, 1964, 1966; Arthur Bennett Lipkin, 1964; Greater Boston Youth Symphony, 1965; West Virginia State College, 1965; Fisk University, 1966; Juilliard School of Music, 1966, 1974; Meadow Brook Music Festival, 1966; Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, 1967; Illinois Sesquicentennial Commission, 1967; John Solum, 1967; Chamber Music Society of Detroit, 1968; Junior League of Atlanta, 1968; Quincy Society of Fine Arts, 1969; Worcester (Mass.) Music Festival, 1969; American Choral Directors Association, 1970; Eastman School of Music, 1971; Mrs. Eric Stein, 1971; McKim Fund of the Library of Congress, 1972; Wilbur P. Cotton, 1973; Harlem School of the Arts, 1973; Opera South, 1974; J. C. Penney Bicentennial Music Project, 1975; Princeton Theological Seminary and the Bryn Mawr and Brick Presbyterian Churches, 1975; Southeastern Regional Metropolitan Orchestra Managers Association, 1975; Jackson State University, 1976; National Symphony Orchestra, 1976; Holland (Mich.) Community Chorale, 1978; Saratoga Performing Arts Center, 1978; Affiliate Artists, Inc., 1986; Missouri Unit of the American String Teachers Association, 1987; New York Philharmonic Orchestra, 1995.
Memberships: American Academy and National Institute of Arts and Letters; Black Music Center at Indiana University; American Symphony Orchestra League; National Black Music Colloquium and Competition, executive board; American Composers Alliance; MacDowell Association, corporate member.
Honors/Awards: Alice M. Ditson Fellowship, 1946; Yaddo Festival resident, summers 1946, 1947; American Broadcasting Company Award, 1946; BMI prize, 1947; George Gershwin Memorial Award, 1947; Rosenwald Fellowship, 1947; American Academy of Arts and Letters grant, 1947; Phoenix Symphony Orchestra Award, 1948; Prix de Rome, 1949, 1951; Fulbright Fellowship, 1950; Moravian Anthem Contest, 1956; U.S. State Department Cultural Exchange Program, among first group of musicians sent to the Soviet Union, 1958; Guggenheim Fellowship, 1964; Lincoln College, Illinois, honorary doctorate, 1963; Ostwald Band Composition Award, semi-finalist, 1965; Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, honorary doctorate, 1966; University of Arizona, honorary doctorate, 1969; Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois, honorary doctorate, 1969; Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, honorary doctorate, 1978; University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, honorary doctorate, 1981; New Jersey Council on the Arts award, 1969; University of Rochester Alumni Award, 1972; National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 1979; elected to American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1979; University of Arizona Alumni Achievement Award, 1980; Bellagio Study and Conference Center, Bellagio, Italy, composer-in-residence, 1982; Lancaster Symphony Society Award, 1989.
Music List
Instrumental Solos
Violin
Five Portraits (violin). 1972. New York: Pembroke Music, 1979. Commissioned by the McKim Fund of the Library of Congress. Premiere, 1974. Recorded: Grenadilla GSC 1056.
“Jazz Suite.” Unpublished manuscript.
Partita in A (violin). 1950. New York: Pembroke Music, 1979. Contents: Prelude; Burlesca; Interlude; Echo. Premiere, 1952.
Violin Sonatina (violin). 1942. Unpublished manuscript. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
Viola
Sonatina for Viola and Piano. 1939. Unpublished manuscript. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
Guitar
Guitarra. 1973; revised 1984. New York: Pembroke Facsimile Edition, 1985. Contents: Prelude: Arioso; Finales. Commissioned by Wilbur P. Cotton.
Prelude. 1943; revised 1975. New York: Pembroke Music, 1976. Recorded: Eastern ERS-513.
Oboe
Suite in B. 1943. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1952. Contents: Prelude; Recitative and Air; Dance. Note: withdrawn by composer. Premiere, 1949.
Clarinet
“Pantomime.” 1986. Unpublished manuscript.
Trumpet
Tromba. 1983. New York: Pembroke Facsimile Edition, 1985. Contents: Prologue; Nocturne; Mobile.
Trombone
“Everett Suite” (bass trombone). 1988. New York: Carl Fischer, 1989.
Piano
Four Inventions. 1946. New York: Duchess Music, 1964. Note: revision of an earlier work entitled “Eight Inventions.” Premiere, 1947. Recorded: Da Camera Magna SM 93144.
Nocturne no. 1. 1973. Melville, N.Y.: MCA Music, 1973. Commissioned by Mrs. Eric Stein. Premiere, 1973.
Nocturne no. 2. 1973. Unpublished manuscript. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
“Ritual.” Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by Affiliate Artists.
Sonata for Piano. 1940. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1941. Note: withdrawn by composer.
Ten Short Essays or Ten Pieces for Children. 1939. New York: Duchess Music Corp. 1965. Contents: So Gay; Tender Though; Sprite’s Dance; Little Tune; Old Lament; Make Believe; Two Voices; Playing, Playing; Slumber Song; March Song.
“Two Impromptus.” 1986. New York: Pembroke Music, 1987. Commissioned by Affiliate Artists Inc. Premiere, 1987.
“Visions.” 1974. In Black Perspective in Music 3, no. 2 (1975): 222–223.
Piano, Four Hands
“Two Short Pieces” (piano, four hands). 1957. New York: Ricordi, 1962.
Organ
“Meditations.” New York: H. W. Gray, 1951.
Organ Suite no. 1. 1958. New York: Pembroke Facsimile Edition, 1986. Contents: Prelude; Pastorale; Finale. Commissioned by Marilyn Mason. Premiere, 1958. Recorded: Orion ORS-76255.
“Two Meditations.” 1950. New York: H. W. Gray, 1951. Premiere, 1952.Small Instrumental Ensemble
Strings
String Quartet no. 1. 1949. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1953. Note: withdrawn by composer.
String Quartet no. 2. 1956. Unpublished manuscript. Premiere, 1956.String Quartet no. 3. 1961. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by the University of Michigan. Premiere, 1962.
Woodwinds
“Duo for Flute and Oboe.” 1943. Unpublished manuscript.
“Facets” (piano, woodwind quintet). 1971. New York: Carl Fischer, 1971. Commissioned by the Eastman School of Music. Premiere, 1971.
“Five Winds” (woodwind quintet). 1984. Unpublished manuscript.
Suite for Flute and Oboe. 1943. New York: Duchess Music, 1964. Contents: Prelude; Air; Minuet; Gigue. Premiere, 1947. Recorded: Composers Recording Inc. CD561.
Brass
Brass Quartet. 1950. New York: Peer International, 1958. Contents: Fantasia; Arioso; Toccata. Premiere, 1952. Recorded: Folkways FM-3651.
Brass Quintet. 1950. Unpublished manuscript.
“Heralds I” (brass octet). 1968. Unpublished manuscript. Premiere, 1968.
“Heralds II” (three trumpets). 1974. Unpublished manuscript.
Serenade no. 2 (four F horns). 1957. New York: Duchess Music, 1964. Contents: Prelude; Arietta; Toccata; Fantasy; Epilogue.
“Three Fanfares for Four Trumpets.” 1942. New York: Duchess Music, 1967. Premiere, 1947. Recorded: Crystal S230.
Combinations
Flute Quintet (flute, two violins, viola, cello). 1943. Unpublished manuscript.
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” (four saxophones, four trumpets, three trombones, violins, piano, basses). ca. 1952. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1952.
Quintet for Piano and Strings. 1949. Unpublished manuscript. Premiere, 1949.
String Orchestra
Six Dances for String Orchestra or American Dances. 1954. New York: Duchess Music, 1965. Contents: Schottische; Waltz; Round Dance; Polka; Promenade; Galop. Recorded: Turnabout 34546; Composers Recording Inc. CRI-119.
String Triptych. 1987. New York: Carl Fischer, n.d. Premiere, 1988.
Suite for Strings. 1947. New York: C. F. Peters, 1961. Premiere, 1949.
Chamber Orchestra
Five Mosaics (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn). 1940. Unpublished manuscript. Note: withdrawn by the composer. Premiere, 1940.
Scherzi Musicali. 1968. New York: Duchess Music Corp. 1971. Commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. Premiere, 1969.
Full Orchestra
Bleeker Street Suite (piano sketch for elementary orchestra with recorders). 1968. Unpublished manuscript. Contents: Entrata; Lullaby; Novellette; Ostinato. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
Chariots: Orchestral Rhapsody. 1978. New York: Pembroke Music, 1983. Premiere, 1979.
Concerto for Orchestra. 1948. New York: Duchess Music, 1948. Contents: Toccata; Arioso; Passacaglia. Premiere, 1953. Recorded: Remington Musirama R199173; Varese Sarabande VC 81047.
Fantasy Variations. 1963. New York: MCA, 1966. Commissioned by the Portland (Maine) Symphony. Premiere, 1963. Recorded: Composers Recording Inc. SD-209.
Harlem Children’s Suite (elementary orchestra). 1973. Unpublished manuscript. Contents: Prelude; Aria; Finale. Commissioned by the Harlem School of the Arts. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
Markings or Symphonic Essay. 1966. New York: MCA, 1968. Commissioned by the Meadow Brook Music Festival, Oakland University. Premiere, 1966. Recorded: Columbia M-32783; CBS P9 19424.
Of New Horizons: Overture. 1944. New York: C. F. Peters, 1961. Commissioned by Thor Johnson. Note: won the American Broadcasting Company Award in 1946. Premiere, 1944. Recorded: Century Records V-14599.
Portrait Suite. 1948. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1948. Contents: Prologue; Asymetric; Reclining Figure; Blossoming; Epilogue. Note: won the 1948 award for the best composition by a native Arizonan. Premiere, 1964.
Presidential Suite. 1965. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by the Greater Boston Youth Symphony. Premiere, 1965.
Reverie and Rondo or Two Pieces for Orchestra. 1964. Unpublished manuscript. Premiere, 1968.
Serenade for Orchestra. 1954. New York: Associated Music, 1955. Commissioned by the Louisville Philharmonic Society. Premiere, 1954. Recorded: First Edition Records LOU-545-8.
A Short Overture. 1946. New York: MCA, Duchess Music, 1973. Note: won the Third Annual George Gershwin Memorial Contest, 1947. Premiere, 1947. Recorded: Desto DC-7107.
Sinfonia in E. 1950. New York: Pembroke Music, 1975. Premiere, 1951. Recorded: Composers Recording Inc. CRI-139.
Sinfonietta for Orchestra. 1939. Unpublished manuscript. Note: withdrawn by composer. Premiere, 1939.
Southern Harmony: Four Aspects for Orchestra. 1975. New York: Pembroke Music, 1976. Contents: Prelude: The Land of Beginnings; Fifes and Drums; Variants: Elysium. Commissioned by the Southeastern Regional Metropolitan Orchestra Managers Association. Premiere, 1976.
Suite for Orchestra. 1945. New York: Broadcast Music, 1948. Contents: Fanfare; Three-four; Scherzo; Olden Tune; Finale. Note: received BMI prize, 1947. Premiere, 1950.
Symphony. 1967. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by the Illinois Sesquicentennial Commission. Premiere, 1968.
Theater Set. 1968. New York: Duchess Music, 1971. Contents: Overture; Ballad-Chase Music; Finale. Commissioned by the Junior League of Atlanta for Robert Shaw and the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. Premiere, 1968.
Umbrian Scene. 1963. New York: Leeds Music, 1965. Commissioned by Edward B. Benjamin. Premiere, 1964. Recorded: First Edition Records LOU-651.
Orchestra (Chamber or Full) with Soloists
Ancient Saga (piano, string orchestra). 1947. Unpublished manuscript. Note: revision of an earlier work entitled The Rope (solo dancer, piano).
Aulos (solo flute, two horns, percussion, string orchestra). 1967. New York: Pembroke Music, 1980. Commissioned by John Solum. Also a version for flute and piano. Premiere, 1971.
Brief Elegy (oboe, string orchestra). 1946. New York: Leeds Music, 1964. Also a version for oboe and piano. Premiere, 1948. Recorded: Innova MN501.
Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra. 1940. Unpublished manuscript. Note: withdrawn by composer. Premiere, 1940.
Pietà (English horn, string orchestra). 1950. New York: Pembroke Music, 1980. Premiere, 1958.
Quintet Concerto (brass quintet, orchestra). 1974. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music. Premiere, 1974.
Three Pieces After Blake (high voice, orchestra). 1952. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1952. Contents: To the Evening Star; Mad Song; Contemplation. Premiere, 1955. Arranged for soprano, violin, cello, and piano as “Triptych on Texts of Blake.”
Orchestra (Chamber or Full) with Chorus
A Covenant for Our Time or Once There Was a Man (SATB, narrator, orchestra). 1969. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by the 1969 Worcester (Mass.) Music Festival. Premiere, 1969.
Inscriptions from Whitman (SATB, orchestra). 1963. New York: Carl Fischer, 1963. Commissioned by the Tercentary Commission of the State of New Jersey and the New Jersey Symphony. Premiere, 1964.
Parables (SATB, chamber orchestra). 1970. New York: Duchess Music, 1970. Contents: The Old Armchair; The Hell-Bound Train. Commissioned by the American Choral Directors Association. Premiere, 1971.
Song of Jeremiah (baritone, SATB, orchestra). 1945. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1948. Premiere, 1954.
Stephen Crane Set (SATB, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, two F horns, two trumpets, tenor trombone, bass trombone, percussion). 1967. New York: Duchess Music, 1972. Contents: Black Riders; Mystic Shadow; A Spirit; War Is Kind. Commissioned by the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. Premiere, 1968.
Concert Band
Concert Sketches. 1965. Unpublished manuscript. Contents: Prologue; Parade; Promenade; Carnival; Holiday; Epilogue. Note: written for the Ostwald Band Composition Award (semi-finalist).
Evocation. 1944. Unpublished manuscript. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
Forever Free: A Lincoln Chronicle. 1962. New York: Associated Music, 1975. Contents: Prelude; Toccata; Proclamation. Commissioned by Broadcast Music Inc. Premiere, 1962. Recorded: Northern Arizona University NAUWS001.
Four Silhouettes. 1972. New York: Duchess Music, 1973. Premiere, 1973.
Prologue and Parade. 1977. New York: Pembroke Music, 1978.
Short Suite. 1950. New York: Associated Music, 1957. Contents: Fanfare; March; Interlude; Lyric; Finale. Premiere, 1951.
Solemn Prelude. 1949. New York: Associated Music, n.d. Commissioned by the Baylor University Band. Premiere, 1950.
Trigon (wind orchestra). 1961. New York: C. F. Peters, 1961. Contents: Prelude; Canticle; Toccata. Commissioned by the American Wind Symphony. Premiere, 1961.
Solo Voic
Fugitive Songs (medium voice). 1950. Unpublished manuscript. Contents: Song Is Old; That Day You Came; When the Wind Is Low; Even Song; The Fugitives; The Mystic; Sentence; When I Am Dead. Premiere, 1958.
“Two Songs for Children.” 1966. Cincinnati, Ohio: Canyon Press, 1970 (“Where the Boats Go”); New York: Duchess Music, n.d. (“The Little Elf-Man”). Contents: Where the Boats Go; The Little Elf-Man. Commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music.
Voice with Instrumental Ensemble
“Jersey Hours” (medium voice, violin, three harps, piano). 1978. New York: Pembroke Music, 1981.
“As Joseph Was a-Walking” (SATB). 1943. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1955.
The Birds (SA). 1966. New York: Duchess Music, 1969. Contents: The Great Black Cow; The Skylark: The Peacock (SSA); The Throstle; Answer to a Child’s Question. Commissioned by Burton A. Cleaves. Premiere, 1967.
Choral Triptych (SATB). 1962. New York: Associated Music, 1967. Contents: Give Ear to My Words; How Long Wilt Thou Forgive Me, O Lord?; Alleluia. Commissioned by Daniel Pinkham. Premiere, 1963. Recorded: Cambridge Records CRM-1416.
“Christmas Carol” (SSA). 1943. New York: Peer International, 1957.
“Come Away, Come Away Death” (TTB). 1943. New York: Peer International, 1954.
“Dedication” (SATB). 1946. New York: Composers Facsimile Edition, 1953. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
Emily Dickinson Set (SSA). 1964. New York: Duchess Music, 1965. Contents: Ample Make This Bed; Elysium Is as Far; Indian Summer. Commissioned by Burton A. Cleaves. Premiere, 1965.
“Epigrams and Hymn” (SATB, organ). 1975. New York: Pembroke Music, 1975. Commissioned by Princeton Theological Seminary. Premiere, 1976.
“Festival Psalms” (SATB, baritone, piano). 1983. Unpublished manuscript.
“Flowers in the Valley” (SATB). 1961. New York: C. F. Peters, 1962. Premiere, 1962.
Four Hymn-Anthems (SATB, organ). 1965. New York: Duchess Music, 1965. Contents: God, the Lord; Lo, the Earth; Love Divine; O Come Emmanuel.
Four Pieces for Male Chorus. 1941. Unpublished manuscript. Contents: Between Two Hills; Song; With Rue My Heart Is Laden; Spanish Johnny. Premiere, 1948.
“Grace to You, and Peace” (SATB, organ). 1955. New York: H. W. Gray, 1957. Note: won the Moravian Anthem Contest, 1956. Premiere, 1956.
“How Stands the Glass Around?” (SSATB). 1954. New York: Associated Music, 1956. Note: originally part of a work entitled “Two Madrigals.” Commissioned by the Randolph Singers. Recorded: Composers Recording Inc. CAS-102.
“Hymn-Anthem on the Tune ‘Hanover’” or “O Worship the King” (SATB, organ/piano). 1959. New York: C. F. Peters, 1960.
“Like as a Father” (unaccompanied SATB). New York: C. F. Peters, 1961.
“A Lincoln Letter” (SATB, bass soloist). 1953. New York: C. F. Peters, 1958. Premiere, 1953.
A New Song or Three Psalms for Chorus (SATB). 1955. New York: C. F. Peters, 1961. Contents: Sing unto the Lord; Like as a Father; O Praise the Lord. Commissioned by the Illinois Wesleyan University College Choir. Premiere, 1956. Recorded: Gothic Records G 78932.
Pentagraph (SSA). 1972. New York: Pembroke Music, 1978. Contents: The Miller’s Song; King Arthur (SA); To Be or Not to Be; The Flamingo (SA); The Monkey’s Glue (SSSAAA).
“To Light That Shines” (SAB). 1962. Unpublished manuscript.
Triple Set (TTBB). 1971. New York: Duchess Music, 1972. Contents: Ode: To the Cuckoo; Had I a Heart; A Toast.
“Triumvirate” (TTBB). 1953. New York: Peer International, 1954. Contents: Music; Children’s Hour; Night March. Commissioned by Leonard De Paur for the De Paur Infantry Chorus. Premiere, 1954.
Two Dunbar Lyrics (SATB). 1965. New York: Duchess Music, 1966. Contents: A Starry Night; Madrigal. Commissioned for the 75th anniversary of West Virginia State College. Premiere, 1965.
“Two Folksong Settings” (SATB). 1975. Unpublished manuscript.
“What’s in a Name?” (SSATB). 1954. New York: Leeds Music, 1956. Note: originally part of a work entitled “Two Madrigals.” Recorded: Composers Recordings Inc. CRI-102; Grosset and Dunlap CSM 628.
“A Wreath for Waits” (SATB). 1954. New York: Associated Music, 1956. Contents: Noel; Lully Lullay; Welcome Yule. Commissioned by the Cornell University A Cappella Chorus. Premiere, 1954.
Dramatic Music
The Boor (one act opera for soprano, tenor, bass). 1955. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation of the Library of Congress. Premiere, 1968.
The Capitoline Venus (one-act opera). 1969. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by the Quincy Society of Fine Arts. Premiere, 1971.
Danse Calinda (ballet in two scenes). Unpublished manuscript. Premiere, 1941. Note: orchestral suite arranged, won the Anna Bobbit Gardner award.
Frederick Douglass (opera). 1979–85. Unpublished manuscript. Premiere, 1991.
Jubilee (opera). 1974–76. New York: Carl Fischer, 1976. Commissioned by Opera South. Premiere, 1976.
The Juggler of Our Lady (opera). 1956. Unpublished manuscript. Premiere, 1962.
Phoebus Arise! (cantata). 1959. New York: Duchess Music, 1959. Contents: Prelude; No!; Tears, Flow No More; Phoebus, Arise; Song; The Epicure. Commissioned by the International Music Council of New York City, “The Epicure” arranged for SATB as “Epicure”; “Tears, Flow No More” arranged for SSA.
Song of Ahab (cantata). 1950. New York: Independent Music, 1953. Note: withdrawn by the composer.
The Western Paradise (narrator, orchestra). 1976. New York: Carl Fischer, 1975. Commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra. Premiere, 1976.
Incidental and Commercial Music
“Admiral Byrd.” 1960. Television soundtrack. Note: score for the episode “Admiral Byrd” from the television series The Twentieth Century.
“Essay on Death.” 1964. Television soundtrack.
“The Fall of China.” 1959. Television soundtrack. Note: score for the episode “The Fall of China” from the television series The Twentieth Century.
“F.D.R.: From Third Term to Pearl Harbor.” 1958. Television soundtrack. Note: score for the episode “F.D.R.: From Third Term to Pearl Harbor” from the television series The Twentieth Century.
Going Home. 1962. Film soundtrack. Commissioned by Peter Hollander.
“The Land.” 1962. Television soundtrack.
The Lion, the Griffin, and the Kangaroo. 1951. Film soundtrack. Commissioned by Peter Hollander.
New York: City of Magic. 1958. Film soundtrack. Commissioned by WNET, New York City. Premiere, 1961.
Nosotros. 1962. Film soundtrack.
The Quiet One. 1948. Film soundtrack. Note: orchestral suite arranged, including Joys and Fears; Street Wanderings; Interlude; Crisis.
“Scene and Sung” (clarinet, horn, violin, percussion, piano). 1959. Unpublished manuscript. Commissioned by Vinnie Burrows.
“The Shape of Things.” 1960. Television soundtrack.
“Submarine!” 1959. Television soundtrack. Note: score for the episode “Submarine!” from the television series The Twentieth Century.
A Thing of Beauty. 1966. Film soundtrack. Commissioned by Fisk University.
“The Three Musketeers.” 1960. Television soundtrack. Commissioned by David Susskind.
Publications
About Kay
Books and Monographs
Hobson, Constance Tibbs, and Deborra A. Richardson. Ulysses Kay: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994.
Dissertations
Caldwell, Hansonia LaVerne. “Black Idioms in Opera as Reflected in the Works of Six Afro-American Composers.” Ph.D. diss., University of Southern California, 1974.
Cody, Carlos B. “A Study of Selected Band Compositions of Three Twentieth Century Composers: William Grant Still, Ulysses Simpson Kay, and Hale Smith.” Ph.D. diss., University of Southern Mississippi, 1990.
Gardner, Effie Tyler. “An Analysis of the Technique and Style of Selected Black-American Composers of Contemporary Choral Music.” Ph.D. diss., Michigan State University, 1979.
Hadley, Richard Thomas. “The Published Choral Music of Ulysses Kay, 1943–68.” Ph.D. diss., University of Iowa, 1972.
Harris, Carl Gordon, Jr. “A Study of Characteristic Stylistic Trends Found in the Choral Works of a Selected Group of Afro-American Composers and Arrangers.” D.M.A. thesis, University of Missouri–Kansas City, 1972.
Hayes, Laurence Melton. “The Music of Ulysses Kay: 1939–1963.” Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin, 1971.
James, Shaylor Lorenza. “Contributions of Four Selected Twentieth-Century Afro-American Classical Composers: William Grant Still, Howard Swanson, Ulysses Simpson Kay, and Olly Wilson.” Ph.D. diss., Florida State University, 1988.
Wyatt, Lucius Reynolds. “The Mid-Twentieth-Century Orchestral Variation, 1953–1963: An Analysis and Comparison of Selected Works by Major Composers.” Ph.D. diss., University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, 1974.
Articles
Bailey, Ben E. “Opera/South: A Brief History.” Black Perspective in Music 13, no. 1 (1985): 48–78.
Baker, David N., Lida M. Belt and Herman C. Hudson, eds. “Ulysses Simpson Kay.” In The Black Composer Speaks, 139–171. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1978.
Everett, Thomas Gregory. “A Selected List of Concert Band Music by Black American Composers.” Black Perspective in Music 6, no. 2 (1978): 143–150.
Wyatt, Lucius Reynolds. “Ulysses Kay’s Fantasy Variations: An Analysis.” Black Perspective in Music 5, no. 1 (1977): 75–89.
By Kay
“Ah, Roma!" American Composers Alliance Bulletin 3, no. 3 (1953): 16–17.
“An American Composer Reports on Russian Musical Life.” National Music Council Bulletin 19 (Winter 1959): 13–14.
“I Hear Ya Talkin’.” American Composers Alliance Bulletin 5, no. 2 (1955): 9.
“Impressions of the Soviet Musical Scene.” American Composers Alliance Bulletin 8, no. 3 (1959): 17–18.
“The Roman Season.” American Composers Alliance Bulletin 2, no. 3 (1952): 21–22.
“Stimulus for Talent.” American Composers Alliance Bulletin 3, no. 1 (1953): 13, 16, 17.
Ulysses Kay composed approximately 140 musical compositions for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles, piano, voice, organ, and band, and he wrote five operas as well as scores for film and television. Kay’s works appear in numerous published editions and on approximately 21 recordings. Avoiding obvious musical references to his ethnicity, Kay preferred to immerse himself in compositional procedures that were a natural outgrowth of his educational and international experiences. According to Robert D. Herrema, “Kay believes that a composer is the product of his extraction and environment as well as his political and ethnic interests, but should not be limited by them.” In spite of these reservations, however, Kay incorporated the use of black spirituals in the opera Jubilee (1974–76) and in his last opera, Frederick Douglass (1979–85), treated the life of the legendary abolitionist.
Kay grew up in Tucson, Arizona, at a time when the city’s population was approximately 30,000. Because his neighborhood was multiracial, his circle of friends included Asians, Mexicans, and whites. The early musical influences in his home included a stepsister, who often played piano pieces by Chopin and Rachmaninoff, and a stepbrother, who played the violin and saxophone. According to Oliver Daniel, when his famous uncle, Joe “King” Oliver, visited the Kay family, he was asked by Kay’s mother whether or not he could teach young Ulysses to play the trumpet. Oliver replied, “No Lizzie, give him piano lessons so he can learn the rudiments.” Accordingly, he began his study of the piano at age six, with William A. Ferguson. During his youth, Kay often listened to and admired the bands of Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman as they were broadcast over the radio. He attended summer band concerts in Tucson that featured Joseph De Luca (the band director at the University of Arizona, who played solos on the euphonium), the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (with Marian Anderson as soloist on an occasion), and a Mexican orchestra that performed Latin típica music. At the University of Arizona, Kay was introduced by his piano teacher, Julia Rebeil, to the works of Béla Bartók.
After Arizona, Kay studied composition at the Eastman School of Music, where he produced four musical works: the Sinfonietta for Orchestra (1939), Sonatina for Viola and Piano (1939), Ten Pieces for Children for solo piano (1939), and Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (1940). These compositions, however, were later withdrawn by the composer because of a self-imposed appraisal of his music. Of this action by Kay, Nicholas Slonimsky wrote, “Some of the materials he rejects is of excellent quality and it would be a pity if he would physically destroy the manuscripts. He has not been driven to that yet but he keeps such compositions unpublished and does not offer them for publication.”
The important features of Ulysses Kay’s musical style may be described as consisting of a tonally based, chromatically oriented, and lyrical melodic line with the potential for great tension; chromatically generated harmony with dissonant elements; a clearly delineated bass line; a robust handling of orchestration indicative of the influence of Bernard Rogers and Paul Hindemith; and vigorous rhythms and a distinct dramatic quality (in the music of his later orchestral works, e.g., Markings).
Kay held a fascination for Hindemith’s treatise The Craft of Musical Composition (1937, translation 1942) even before he met the composer. At Eastman he learned about Hindemith and The Craft through a fellow student, John R. Halliday, who was writing a dissertation on Hindemith. Robert Herrema has expressed the view that Hindemith’s influence can be observed in Kay’s “intervallic tension in melodies, the frequent use of pedal point, or bass ostinato, or the carefully planned vertical sonorities which are often dissonant, sometimes mild and sometimes harsh.” Herrema further believes that Hindemith “cultivated Kay’s heretofore underdeveloped gift of melody and literary sensitivity into the fertile soil of choral singing.” The influence of Hindemith is also apparent in Kay’s fondness for polyphonic textures and contrapuntal procedures.
In an interview published in The Black Composer Speaks, Kay acknowledged Bernard Rogers as an important influence in his study of composition. Rogers was not only an imaginative professor of composition but also a gifted teacher of orchestration at Eastman. His book, The Art of Orchestration (1951), was a main staple among Eastman composition students for many years. Perhaps it was Bernard Rogers who taught Kay to write for the orchestra and who introduced him to the concept of coloristic scoring.
Kay’s worldwide travels assisted in developing an international perspective on music composition. He was well-traveled in Europe, having spent several years in Rome (1949–53). While in Italy, he visited several cities, including Perugia, Naples, Genoa, Torino, Florence, and Arezzo. He went to Moscow in 1958 as part of a delegation of American composers under the auspices of the State Department. His trip to Russia afforded him opportunities to visit Leningrad, Tbilisi, and Kiev. On these occasions, Kay not only attended concerts and performances of music, but he also observed music performed in the churches. Constance T. Hobson and Deborra A. Richardson report that Ulysses Kay has “lectured, conducted, adjudicated competitions, and served as composer-in-residence throughout the United States and in Yugoslavia, Italy, France, and England.”
Kay’s compositions may be divided into three periods that are representative of his development and maturity as a composer. His early period encompasses the years 1939–46 and includes such works as the ballet Danse Calinda (1941) and the Four Pieces for Male Chorus (1941). As a young composer, Kay experienced his first major success in Of New Horizons: Overture (1944), a piece premiered by the New York Philharmonic and awarded an American Broadcasting Company prize. Suite for Orchestra (1945), winner of the BMI prize, was premiered by Dean Dixon and the American Youth Orchestra. Other works from this period include the Brief Elegy for oboe and string orchestra (1946), the Four Inventions for piano (1946) and A Short Overture (1946), which received the George Gershwin Memorial Award. The compositions in the composer’s early period are very lyrical and, in the use of harmony and form, decidedly conservative.
Kay’s middle period, 1947–65, begins with the Suite for Strings (1947), which was premiered by the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. The works of this period are generally chromatic and adventuresome, melodically and harmonically, as compared to his earlier compositions. Among the most important of his orchestral works from this period are the Concerto for Orchestra (1948); Sinfonia in E (1950); Serenade for Orchestra (1954), commissioned by the Louisville Philharmonic Society; and Six Dances for String Orchestra (1954), which was broadcast nationally on CBS Radio. During this period, the composer exhibited increased interest in writing for voices, composing Three Pieces After Blake for dramatic soprano and orchestra (1952); “A Lincoln Letter” for mixed chorus and bass soloist (1953); “How Stands the Glass Around?” (1954); and “What’s in a Name?” (1954). Two operas, The Boor (1955) and The Juggler of Our Lady (1956), were composed, as well as String Quartet no. 2 (1956) and String Quartet no. 3 (1961); the string pieces were premiered at the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan, respectively. The composer’s middle period culminates with two orchestral pieces—the Fantasy Variations (1963) and Umbrian Scene (1963)—and Two Dunbar Lyrics for mixed chorus (1965).
The composer’s late period (1966–95) begins with Markings, for orchestra, and The Birds, for women’s chorus, both in 1966. The works of this period are more expansive and, although tonal, more chromatic. The orchestrations are cleverly conceived, including such techniques as Klangfarbenmelodie (e.g., Markings) and random articulations on single notes (e.g., Theater Set for orchestra, 1968). Other important orchestral pieces of the late period are Scherzi Musicali (1968), The Western Paradise (1976), and Chariots (1978). The composer’s continuing interest in chamber music resulted in two important works, “Facets,” for piano and woodwind quintet (1971), and “Five Winds” for woodwind quintet (1984). Three operas were composed during this period: The Capitoline Venus (1969), Jubilee (1974–76), and Frederick Douglass (1979–85).
At the time of his death in May 1995, Kay was at work on a commission for the New York Philharmonic.
How Stands the Glass Around? (1954)
“How Stands the Glass Around?” is a madrigal for five-part a cappella chorus (SSATB) based on a poem written by Major-General James Wolfe in 1759 just before the battle of Quebec, a battle that brought the French and Indian War (1754–63) to a close and prepared for the subsequent conquest of Montreal by the British forces.
Comprising five sections, the piece begins in an imitative polyphonic texture with the tenor, bass, soprano I, soprano II, and alto entering consecutively with the words “How stands the glass around?” The tonality is F Dorian mode. A brief tonicization of C major ensues with the words “mirth and wine abound,“ which leads to a cadence of a chord (in open fifths) on e.
The second section, continuing in imitative polyphonic texture, is based on the Aeolian mode on a. It concludes with an instance of word painting on the words “on the cold, cold ground,” effected through the use of a dissonant trichord (c, d-flat, f).
The third section contains both homophonic and polyphonic textures. The bass voice enters alone with the words “Why, soldiers, why” in F-sharp minor and in homophonic texture. Eventually there is a temporary shift in tonality to D minor as the tenor enters with the same words in an imitative polyphonic texture. Subsequently, another textural shift to homophonic texture and a change to A major occur. All voices move to the same eighth-note rhythm on the word “fie.” This section cadences on a C-major triad with the words “I don’t fear!”
The fourth section, mirroring the first section in its imitative polyphonic texture and the Dorian mode on f, begins with the bass, tenor, soprano I, alto, and soprano II entering with a melodic subject derived from the first section. In this section, the composer injects an interesting use of a quartal chord (built of intervals of a fourth) as a special harmonic effect on the word “scorn.”
The final section, composed in both homophonic and imitative polyphonic textures, explores the tonalities of B minor, G minor, A-flat minor, and F Dorian mode. Motivic material associated with the subjects of the first, second, and fourth sections is found in this section. The fifth section bears a relationship to the third section through the rhythmic content of its subject. Before the piece concludes on C major, a modified version of the first subject appears with the words “But if we remain.”
In general, unity is achieved through the motivic associations of the five sections. Although imitative polyphonic texture predominates in the piece, the instances of homophonic texture contribute to a balance in the overall composition.
“How Stands the Glass Around?” was composed in 1954 and was commissioned, premiered, and recorded by the Randolph Singers.
Fantasy Variations (1963)
The Fantasy Variations for orchestra was commissioned and premiered in 1963 by Arthur Bennett Lipkin conducting the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra. It differs from the traditional theme and variation pieces in that the variations are based on motives found in the introduction rather than a theme presented at the beginning. Prominent among these is a four-note motive played by the French horn, which serves as a unifying element throughout the piece. Since the composer withholds the theme until the end, he organizes each variation around its own principal subject. The published score provides the following information about the piece: “Motivic ideas are stated in the Introduction and fused in the development of succeeding variations. Specific elements from this material are then unified to form the theme. The interplay of these musical ideas is what led the composer to call the work Fantasy Variations.”
The Introduction begins with a straightforward announcement of the main motive by the horn. The strings, woodwinds, and brass instruments accompany the horn solo in an antiphonal musical setting. Thereafter, a transition filled with dissonant harmonies invoking an aura of tension and restlessness leads to the first variation.
In Variation 1, a rhythmic and playful subject derived from the horn motive is announced by the oboe, flute, bassoon, and clarinet in an imitative polyphonic texture. Later, a stretto effect is produced utilizing the first four notes of the subject in the woodwinds. The variation concludes with figures of 16th notes in the woodwinds.
The principal subject of Variation 2, containing the horn motive, is played by the muted brass in notes of long duration. Accompanying the brass melody is a countermelody of quarter notes that is played pizzicato (plucked) by the strings and is derived from the horn motive. The principal subject and the countermelody undergo extensive development.
The principal subject of Variation 3, based on the horn motive, appears successively in the horns, strings, bassoons, and the first trumpet. The woodwinds and strings play a distinctly contrasting melody of agitated triplet figures as accompaniment. Variation 4, a brief variation, comprises two statements of the principal subject, which incorporates elements of the horn motive. As the principal subject appears in the strings, the woodwinds articulate a florid melody containing triplet and quintuplet figures as a countermelody. Variation 5 is characterized by a dance-like melody first played by the cellos, double basses, and bassoons; it embodies elements from the horn motive and is soon played by other instruments of the orchestra, contributing to the polyphonic texture of the variation.
The principal subject of Variation 6 is a transposed retrograde inversion (upside down, backwards, and set in a new key) of the horn motive; it is played initially by the flute, oboe, and viola. Subsequently, the subject is played in diminution (shorter note values) by the clarinets and later in transposed versions by the bassoons, cellos, and the double basses. The interesting timbres of the percussion family are given prominence in Variation 7, which begins with a chord of ten tones played by the strings. It is followed by a chord of eight tones in the brass instruments. The principal subject, played by the first clarinet, returns in transposed inversion in the strings.
Variation 8 contains pronounced use of the horn motive as its principal subject. The motive is played initially by the trombones and subsequently played in transposed retrograde versions by the first clarinet, first oboe, bassoons, cellos, and double basses. Variation 9 is characterized by a highly expressive and lyrical principal subject in the violins that contains the interval of the minor third extracted from the horn motive. This melody is accompanied by a contrasting countermelody in the viola. Transposed retrograde versions of the horn motive appear in the violas and the double basses.
The composer organizes the principal subject in a texture of two-voice counterpoint in Variation 10. The augmented triad and the interval of the tritone are structurally important in this variation. The horn motive appears in the first violin, while the brass instruments and the high woodwinds articulate motives derived from the principal subject.
The principal subject of Variation 11 consists of a lively melody which is based on the whole-tone scale and incorporates the interval of the tritone. Short motives associated with the horn motive appear in the first trumpet and the violins. A countermelody, serving as an accompaniment, is taken up by the woodwinds and later played by the strings.
The first trombone and the first trumpet introduce the principal subject of Variation 12, which has an affinity with the horn motive through the interval of the minor third. Motives derived from the principal subject undergo development in this variation. The horn motive appears inconspicuously in the first violin and first flute. The principal subject of Variation 13, initially introduced by the cellos, is later played by the strings and woodwinds. The variation abounds with thematic references to the horn motive in the horns, trombones, violins, cellos, and the double basses.
The theme, in C major and resembling a chorale melody, is an outgrowth of the thematic materials from the Introduction and the variations. It is accompanied by a countermelody played in the strings and woodwinds and made up of quarter-note triplets. As the horns sound the final iteration of the main motive, the piece concludes with a brief recall of the antiphonal figures from the Introduction in the woodwinds, brass instruments, and strings.
The work has been performed by such orchestras as the Cleveland Orchestra, New Orleans Philharmonic, Oakland Symphony, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. In his review of its premiere by the Portland Symphony, Marshall F. Bryant states, “Fantasy Variations is an important contribution to American music and should find its way into the general orchestral repertoire and be widely used.”
Markings (1966)
Markings for orchestra, one of Kay’s finest orchestral pieces, was completed in 1966 as a tribute to the memory of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The title was taken from a book of poetry, prayers, and prose sayings written by Hammarskjöld. The composition was commissioned by the Meadow Brook Music Festival and premiered in 1966 by Sixten Ehrling and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The work has had numerous performances, including presentations by the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Symphony of the New World, Danish State Radio Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Birmingham Symphony, Columbus (Ohio) Symphony, and the Grant Park (Chicago) Symphony.
Highly organized, Markings is in three-part (compound ternary) form. Several motives introduced in the first part, including the germinal “horn melody,” are subjected to thematic transformation, appearing in various modified versions throughout the course of the work. A rhythmic scherzo serves as the middle section.
Compared to his previous orchestral works, Markings is much more adventuresome in its use of musical materials. Percussion instruments are treated as distinct voices in the overall texture and are occasionally assigned thematic roles. The concept of Klangfarbenmelodie (tone-color melody) is exploited, with successive chords being played by different combinations of instruments. Kay comments, “There is something new in the scherzo section which I never did before. There is the use of percussion—the whole percussion choir—and what I call klangfarben melodie. It’s sort of like the Schoenberg except it really doesn’t stay on those two or three chords the way he has it in Five Pieces for Orchestra. Instead, the chord sort of radiates all around the orchestra.”
Howard Klein of the New York Times expressed the view that Markings is “a masterpiece of conservative modern orchestral writing.” Hubert Saal, in his commentary in Newsweek concerning the Columbia Records’ Black Composers Series, mentions that Markings is “a powerful and expressive tone poem.”
Jubilee (1974–76)
Jubilee, an opera in three acts, is based on a novel by Margaret Walker. The libretto is by Donald Dorr, who served as designer-director in the 1976 premiere performance by Opera South in Jackson, Mississippi. The story depicts black life in Georgia and Alabama during the Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras. Jubilee was the composer’s first full-length opera.
Act I opens on Christmas Eve, 1859, with the guests at the John Dutton plantation near Dawson, Georgia, singing the four-part choral piece, “Where Run Siloa’s Waters Cool.” The guests are informed that Lillian Dutton is engaged to Kevin MacDougall, a schoolteacher. In the slave quarters the singing of the spiritual, “There Is a Star in the East on Christmas Morn’” is heard. The slaves are disappointed that John Dutton has forbidden his slave daughter, Vyry, to marry Randall Ware, a free person of color with whom she has a son, Jim. Randall encourages Vyry to run away from the plantation with him to the North. However, Vyry feels strongly that she will not leave unless her son Jim is with her. Therefore, she concludes that her freedom is inextricably bound to her son’s.
In July 1860, Vyry consents to a plan of escape with Randall. At a church meeting in the woods Randall not only waits for Vyry, but he encourages a revolt among the slaves. A patrol of planters finds out about the meeting and it intervenes bloodily. Randall escapes but believes Vyry has failed on her promise to flee, not knowing she has been captured.
The third scene of Act I is in the town square of Dawson, Georgia, on the Fourth of July where a public hanging of a slave cook accused of poisoning her master takes place. Vyry is whipped because of her attempt to run away.
Act II centers on the war raging across the South in the spring of 1865. Word has been received that Kevin MacDougall has been killed in battle. Lillian and Vyry, daughters of the late John Dutton, are the lone occupants on the plantation. A contingent of Union soldiers led by a black officer approaches them and brings news of the Emancipation of all slaves. Thus, freedom is proclaimed in the year of Jubilee. Gradually, Lillian develops a mental condition. Since she has not heard from Randall Ware, Vyry agrees to become the wife of Innis Brown, a newly freed slave. Buckra (white bosses) loot the belongings in the Dutton mansion.
Act III opens with Vyry, Innis, and Jim residing as a family in a cabin on a homestead near Greenville, Alabama. Randall Ware reappears and demands custody of his son. Vyry makes a passionate appeal for understanding and displays scars on her body resulting from the public whipping. An amelioration of feelings takes place. Subsequently, Randall leaves with Jim who will enroll in school in Selma. Vyry and Innis embrace and are left to face an uncertain life together.
In this opera, Kay brings together several distinct musical elements. The orchestral writing, typical of the composer, is overwhelmingly tonal and fused with bold dissonances. Choruses of three disparate groups are heard throughout the opera: the planters (landowners); the slaves; and the buckra. These choruses sing separately and together, as in Act I, Scene III. The black chorus sings spirituals such as “Rise in Glory,” “Great Day,” and “Jehovah, Look upon Thy People,” and the individual solo parts are set strongly in the contemporary idiom.
The composer uses characteristic motives and themes to heighten the dramatic action. In many instances, the rather dissonant interval of the tritone is used to invoke tension. In Act II, improvisation is required of the flutes, oboes, clarinets, and marimba. In general, Jubilee is an opera cleverly conceived and of grandiose proportions. It was performed a second time by Opera South in 1977. Margaret Walker called Kay’s music “an exciting score with religious and folk motifs in a melodic frame balanced by a dissonant theme of racial strife.” Nancy Tipton of the Jackson Daily News commented that the opera, “If not great, it is exceedingly good.” She wrote that “It was an exceedingly well-produced inaugural production worthy of the national attention it received.” The Jackson, Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger reported that “The performances Saturday were uniformly excellent. Opera South assembled an array of extremely talented singing actors and actresses.”
References
Baker, David N., Lida M. Belt, and Herman C. Hudson, eds. The Black Composer Speaks, Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1978.
Bryant, Marshall F. Review of Fantasy Variations. Portland [Maine] Press Herald (November 29, 1963). (Reprinted in “Concert Hall” American Composer Alliance Bulletin 12, no. 1 [1964]: 20.)
Daniel, Oliver. Ulysses Kay. New York: Broadcast Music, Inc., 1976.
Dorr, Donald. Jubilee. A libretto from the premiere performance by Opera South, Jackson, Miss., 1976.
Herrema, Robert D. “The Choral Works of Ulysses Kay.” Choral Journal, 11 (December 1970): 5–9.
Hindemith, Paul. The Craft of Musical Composition. Translation by Arthur Mendel. New York: Associated Music, 1942.
Hobson, Constance Tibbs, and Deborra A. Richardson. Ulysses Kay: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994.
[Jackson, Mississippi] Clarion-Ledger, November 22, 1976.
Kay, Ulysses. Conversation with the author, Rochester, New York, 1971.
—. Fantasy Variations. New York: MCA, 1966.
Klein, Howard. “Overdoing ‘Benign Neglect.’” New York Times (March 7, 1971): 1, 9.
New York Times, November 24, 1976.
Rogers, Bernard. The Art of Orchestration. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1951.
Saal, Hubert. “Music—Black Composers.” Newsweek (April 15, 1974): 82.
Slonimsky, Nicholas. “Ulysses Kay.” American Composers Alliance Bulletin 5, no. 1 (1957): 3–11.
Tipton, Nancy. Review of Jubilee. Jackson [Mississippi] Daily News (November 17, 1976).