adamsworks.com

Variations on Kumbaya

a composition for organ by Robert Train Adams
masterlist : organ

Duration

3'30"

Description

Our children's choir, supported by the chancel choir, was scheduled to sing an arrangement of Kumbaya by composer Teresa Jennings. It's a nice arrangement, with a gently swinging African-inspired accompaniment. Although the musical material of my piece makes no mention of Ms Jennings piece, it was the inspiration for my variations.

Like Teresa's piece, mine has repetitive elements that pay homage to Africa. The pedal part, which I had intended to be easy, only uses five pitches, and repeats every measure, with slight changes to fit the harmonic flow. The melody unfolds at a slow pace, taking twice as long as one might at first expect. That said, this is a lively piece with a strong buildup. I've played it on both a two- and a four-manual organ: it adapted easily to both, and was exciting to play on both.

The theme is never simply stated, although it is pretty clear, if you know the tune, that it forms the foundation. Each of the three statements varies both the melody on a macro level and also previous accompanying figures on a micro level. While strong pedal technique is not required, a strong rhythmic feel is; some ability for independent movement of the feet is very helpful. Overall difficulty level is medium.

Score Excerpt

insert score link here

Sound File

insert midi or mp3 link here