Sometimes I Feel
Like a Motherless Child
Two Parts
Three
Parts
Sometimes I Feel Like a
Motherless Child, one of the most pensive spirituals ever written, is
delicately set by Dr. Driggers in a way that greatly enhances and adds
aesthetic depth to the spiritual's pensive nature. This is a great piece
for early adolescents who are inclined to want to sing only up-tempo pieces,
because it will deepen their understanding and appreciation for a piece with
great emotional breadth. Living and working with this piece, if only for
a brief time, will help the young singers to understand how the American
slaves suffered and expressed that suffering through their music.
In the three-part setting, Parts I
and II (written in the treble clef) are limited to
the comfortable singing area of A-A (around middle C) which makes it
appropriate for male and female trebles and/or cambiatas (boys in the first
phase of change). Part II is best suited for cambiatas. Part III
is written in the bass clef and is limited to the comfortable singing area of
the adolescent baritone (the second phase of change) of D-D (above and
below middle C). In the two-part setting, Part I is written for
male and female trebles and cambiatas, and Part II is for adolescent baritones.
All-boys choirs are
not the only voicings for which it is suitable. Check the
two-part
or the three-part variable voicing charts to see the other voicings with which it may be used.
Words and Music: American Spiritual
Arranged by Samuel Driggers
Both Two- and Three-part
arrangements are written for Variable
Voicing with Piano
CP Catalog numbers:
Two-part T1008214; Three-part S97690
from J.W. Pepper