Traditional Spiritual / Dan Davison

Mixed.
Written for SAB/opt Tenor, with tremendous rhythmic variety, vitality, and even counterpoint, Davison creates a frenetic energy in this beloved spiritual that comes out of the slave culture of the American south. Ranges are perfect for emerging choirs at any level,  it is A MUST SING! Also available for SATB Voices (BL1155), SSA Voices (BL1171), SA Voices (BL1241) and TB Voices (BL1265).
Hold On comes out of the African American spiritual tradition. Most spirituals are considered to be “traditional,” meaning that the composer is not known. Rather, the song was passed from one generation to the next through oral tradition. While most spirituals refer to the topic of religious faith, some others include coded meanings that would help enslaved people who were escaping to freedom in the North.The piece calls for a brake drum. This instrument is actually a heavy metal disk brake from a car that is hit with a hammer. Some school bands have this instrument in their percussion cabinet. If an actual disk brake cannot be found, you might try using a large, cast-iron fry pan and hammer. Whatever instrument is chosen, the outcome should be a metallic sound that sounds like a railroad tie being driven into the ground. The idea to be conveyed is that keeping your faith requires hard, consistent work.There are plenty of places in the piece where singers are asked to hold notes for two whole notes. In all these cases, do not make the mistake of holding a single dynamic for the entire note. Instead, all long notes should have a dynamic arch added to them.Rehearsal letter E is all about the counterpoint. The idea in counterpoint is to bring out your part when your part is moving, but then to soften on the held notes, providing an opportunity for the other part to be spotlighted.In general, articulations in this piece are to be exaggerated. Staccatos are to be very short, and more importantly, accents are to be sung so as to “pop.” Likewise, dynamics should be exaggerated, especially the dynamic change at Rehearsal letter G.This particular edition, although labeled “SAB”, and scored “SATB”, is actually written in a voicing that is very uncommon:  SATB (Two-Part).  In this voicing, the tenors sing in octaves with the sopranos for the entire song.  Likewise, the basses sing in octaves with the altos.  Essentially, the song has a “high part” and a “low part.”  This writing makes it possible for this piece to be performed by any size choir, even choirs with limited basses and tenors.  In addition, the higher part has been written so as to suit the ranges of most tenors, and the lower part has been written to suit the needs of most basses.

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