Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
by Steve Rouse
Concert Band - Sheet Music

Concert band - Grade 3

SKU: MH.0-931329-61-2

Composed by Steve Rouse. Suitable for advanced middle school, high school, community and college bands. Conductor score and set of parts. Duration 4:30. Published by Manhattan Beach Music (MH.0-931329-61-2).

ISBN 9780931329616.

Composer Steve Rouse is Winner of The Rome Prize, and this work amply demonstrates his skill. Rouse's goal was to "capture the fervent, devotional character of the spiritual" and to "create a rich harmonic web." Exemplary program notes trace the history of the secret meaning of the song. Program Notes: When I was a child my grandmother often sang to me, usually hymns and popular songs from her own childhood. I remember first hearing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot sung to me by her. In the early 1870's my great grandfather emigrated from Germany to the Gulf Coast of Alabama, and later to Mississippi, where in 1887 his daughter, Sophie, was born. My grandmother grew up listening to hymns, spirituals, and popular songs performed by local musicians on the front porch of their home in the small town of Escatawpa, Mississippi. Many songs that she heard were performed by a singing group of African-American friends of her father. These were men who worked at the local sawmill, which he managed. Her older brother's brass band also was a source of the music she heard. This was a time when recorded music was uncommon, and live performances were how most people experienced music. She had become a natural musician, playing the piano by ear. My witness to her abilities at harmonizing and playing music came much later in her life, when she was between 70 and 90. While her accompaniments were frequently similar in style (a modified stride piano), she was able to harmonize most any melody. Because I assumed as a child that her ability was natural and common, it came as no surprise to me that I was gifted in a similar way. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot was popular in the hymnbooks of the Southern Baptist churches of the Deep South, the religious tradition in which I was raised. Like many other spirituals, it was still in the air during the 1950's and 1960's of my youth. I grew up playing and singing music in ensembles as diverse as barbershop quartets and rhythm-and-blues groups, and I came to understand through personal experience the influence of spirituals on American popular music at the midpoint of the 20th Century, and well beyond. Ensemble instrumentation: 2 Piccolo, 4 Flute 1, 4 Flute 2, 3 Oboe 1 and 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet, 1 Eb Contralto Clarinet, 1 Bb Contrabass Clarinet, 3 Bassoon, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 2 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 F Horn 1, 3 F Horn 2, 2 Trombone 1, 2 Trombone 2, 2 Trombone 3, 3 Euphonium (Bass Clef), 2 Baritone (Treble Clef), 4 Tuba, 2 Timpani, 3 Percussion 1 (Glockenspeil, Chimes, Crash Cymbal), 2 Percussion 2 (HighTriangle, Mid. Susp. Cymbal), 2 Percussion 3 (Vibraphone, Bass Drum).