Well my goodness! So far I’ve written about the Music in our concert from Anne Kilstofte, Dan Forrest, and Daniel Elder. All three are young and American, actively engaged in composing, arranging, teaching, conducting . . . you name it. To that list I now add Victor C. Johnson, the composer of our lovely opening piece, “Music in the Night.” I had looked up the author of the lyrics, Harriet Prescott Spofford, and found her life story to be quite interesting. She’s a good example of what was called a “lady writer” back in the late 1800’s-early 1900’s, turning out short stories, poems and novels to make money when her father’s business failed.

I guess I figured that the music was from the same time period, but au contraire, mes amis. Victor C. Johnson is very much with us, and totally with it. He had his first composition published when he was a sophomore in high school, in 1994. And he hasn’t stopped since. The copyright date for our piece is 2015, making it the most recent composition on our program.

Johnson took Spofford’s poem and trimmed it down considerably. I’m not sure I quite follow the original poem, to be honest. You’ll note that our music says “music and additional lyrics by Vincent C. Johnson.” He changed her wording quite a bit, too, concentrating on the central idea of music and darkness.

So what is this mysterious “music in the night”? One answer, a perfectly legitimate one, is “anything you think it is, “ or “anything you want it to be.” I don’t think there’s just one idea that fits. For our other musical night piece, from The Phantom of the Opera, we know what that music is—the actual, literal music that the Phantom writes, specifically for Christine, that he hopes will win her heart. (Alas, no, as we also know.) But for this piece the meaning is much more vague. I’ve been thinking of it as being visited by the strains of a beautiful memory, and I love the line “such rich and noble strains make the very soul of silence ache.” Here I will bring in the original wording that follows that line, as in this once instance it helps clarify the meaning: “with longing for the melody.” When dawn comes, the memory takes flight. I like the line, “when darkness bows her head to breaking light.” A vivid image of night giving way to day.

Johnson has written music that beautifully fits the rather old-fashioned words. He apparently felt no need to sound particularly modern, which is why I was somewhat surprised to find out how young he is. This piece is listed on his website under “School Titles.” He teaches at a fine arts charter school in Forth Worth and directs the Texas Children’s Choir, but those activities are just a small slice of what he does. I would encourage you to visit his website. Be sure you’ve had your coffee before you do so, though, because just reading about his various endeavors is pretty exhausting. He must be one of those people who makes the most of every minute.

I’m sure we’re going to end up singing more by Mr. Johnson. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to see him and Mrs. Spofford side by side. Quite a pair!

Oh, and here’s another piece by Johnson–I was intrigued by the title and thought I’d listen to it. The blurb specifically says that it’s written for “developing choirs,” so it’s pretty easy, but I thought it nicely showed another side of Johnson’s style. He has over 200 published compositions, so there’s a lot to browse.

http://www.victorjohnsonmusic.com/water-come-a-me-eye/

The post What? Yet Another Up-and-Coming Young America Composer in Our Concert? appeared first on Behind the Music.