Weather: Stand the Storm Program Notes 

May 25th of 2020 was a Memorial Day that took on new meaning for not just for those who were citizens of the United States of America, but also for citizens around the world who witnessed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The institutional marginalization of Black people in the US has been a part of the nation’s history since the first enslaved Africans arrived on its shores in 1619. While Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have experienced some levels of educational, economic, and social advancement in this country, George Floyd’s murder was “wake up” call to many—confirming that much work still needs to be done if America is to live up to its creed that proclaims, “all are created equal,” and its promise of “liberty and justice for all.” 

The death of George Floyd soon became a defining moment in the discourse on systemic racism and social injustice. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, people from all walks of life have sought both personal and public ways to respond to this traumatic and tragic event. Individuals and institutions around the world have been inspired to take a closer look at themselves, to seek a deeper understanding of the dynamics of racism and bias and their effect on the present, and to take purposeful actions that promote a more just society. 

Historically, the arts have always fulfilled the dual roles of responding to change while at the same time creating change. Weather is a poem that gives voice to the voiceless, especially those who have been and continue to be marginalized because of difference. It responds to and reflects realities that are both culturally specific and humanly universal. Professor Claudia Rankine challenges all of us (no matter your background or lived experience) to know better, to do better, to take action, and to become agents of social justice and social change. 

When I was presented the opportunity to set Professor Claudia Rankine’s poem Weather to music, I immediately found resonance with the words. “Weather” is a contranym (a word with contradictory meanings). It could mean “to withstand,” and it can also mean “to wear away.” After spending many hours studying the poem, I had to think very carefully about how I could employ tonal, rhythmic, stylistic, and expressive elements that would amplify (and not detract from) such a powerful and multi-dimensional sequencing of words. I sincerely hope the resulting composition, bearing the same title as the poem, will serve as a meaningful, musical manifestation of Rankine’s important and timely message to the world. 

Creating this work has truly been a transformative experience for me. I hope that the music challenges the performers to become better artists; the text will certainly challenge all who hear it to become better citizens in their communities. May Weather inspire us all to “disorder the disorder,” and to do our part in shaping a society that is fair and just for not just a few, but for everyone. 

The “Stand the Storm” theme: 

Weather has a lot in common with the African American spiritual. Both the poem and the spirituals speak of remembrance, resistance, and resilience in the pursuit of social justice and social change. It seemed quite fitting to use melodic content from the refrain of the spiritual “Stand the Storm” as a recurring and unifying theme throughout the work: 

O stand the storm, it won’t be long,
We'll anchor bye and bye, O brethren!
Stand the storm, it won’t be long,
We'll anchor bye and bye.

In this song, enslaved Africans were able to covertly communicate the despair of their earthly bondage while simultaneously signaling the freedom that was to come after a successful escape or at the time of their death where a heavenly home awaited. The “storm” refers to the trials and tribulations of life such as slavery, racism, and poverty. To “anchor” means to reach one’s destination or to be at rest. Through these songs of sorrow and hope, the enslaved were encouraged to exhibit patience, perseverance, and resilience; they knew their freedom would come “bye and bye” (sometime in the future, or in life after death). 

The “George Floyd” Motives 

A motive/motif is a repeated pattern—an image, sound, word, or symbol that comes back again and again within a particular composition. In this work, the pitches G and F are used to make references to the late George Floyd throughout the score, serving as the “George Floyd” motives which appear in the following ways: 

• Alternations between the notes G and F; 
• The notes G and F played in combination; 
• As a major 2nd downward step (G to F) 
• As a minor 7th upward leap (G to F). 

Numerical References in the Score:

Structure: 

The piece is organized into six sections: meditation, marginalization, memorial, meltdown, march, and mobilization: 

The Meditation 

Within the 27-measure instrumental introduction is found the first appearance of the “Stand the Storm” theme. Following that introduction, the lower voices articulate the opening line of the poem. It is a haunting and introspective vocal line that gradually increases in dynamics and intensity. As the “I have forgotten my umbrella” text unfolds, the unaccompanied voices reflect a sense of vulnerability and a feeling of being unprotected. Our shared humanity comes into focus as we realize that a pandemic does not discriminate. 

The Marginalization 

The social, economic, health, and educational disparities that already existed within our communities are now exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic. People of color and those with underlying conditions were found to be more vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic and therefore more likely to die. Issues of social injustice—particularly acts of police brutality—dominated the news headlines and social media platforms as much of the world’s population remained confined to their homes. 

This section begins with 12-bar blues, a descendant of the spiritual that developed in the rural South as freed African Americans faced poverty, discrimination, and an overall diminished quality of life. It seemed appropriate to set this portion of the poem in a blues style, for the words reflect elements of a dark past that continue to linger in the present. 

The words “eight minutes and forty-six seconds” are set in a layered fashion, with symbolic metric shifts. As the voices sing “in extremis,” the metric pattern shifts from 9/8 to 2/4 and back to 9/8, marking the actual number of minutes and seconds (9:29) in which George Floyd lay suffering under “the full weight of a man in blue.” 

In the next section, the words “I can’t breathe” are sung 27 times—the same number of times George Floyd uttered these words as he struggled for air. Each time the expression “huh” is found in the score, singers and instrumentalists will exhale with the mouth open in the manner of a pant or a gasp. 

The Memorial 

The “Stand the Storm" theme returns. We take time to remember the lives of people of color who were unjustifiably killed by law enforcement or by vigilantism. “Say their names” originated as a hashtag (#sayhername) and is a call that inspires respondents to speak the names of one or more individuals being remembered. In this section, a single voice will deliver the “call.” The members of the audience can deliver the “response.” Measures 193-200 can be repeated as necessary. All participants are encouraged to learn more about these individuals and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. 

The Meltdown 

In this part of the poem, Rankine describes the consequences of complicity and the potential societal outcomes when frustrations run high, and confidence levels for systemic change run low. This section is accompanied by a persistent pounding of open D-flat chords in the bass range. The purpose here is to create a turbulent, dark and unsettling mood. This is the most jarring and dissonant section of the piece, mirroring the “civil unrest taking it, burning it down” in the poem, culminating in a soprano wail. 

The March 

This text is a “call to action” and is set in a fugue (in which individual parts/voices present a single theme in succession, one after the other). There is a “march” feel to the music accompanied by foot taps (you are welcome to participate!). By staggering the entrances of the voices and instruments into the musical texture, I hope to symbolize the idea of people from different backgrounds and perspectives coming together to unite around a common purpose. The fugal structure also makes it possible to amplify Rankine’s concept of “disordering the disorder.” 

The Mobilization 

We all have a role to play if we want to improve the quality of life for all citizens. To me, these final lines of the poem signal a spirit of unity and resolve. The one-word sentence “Peace” shifts the mood from themes of despair, discrimination, and disorder to those of optimism and hope. I chose to set this concluding section of the poem in a lilting 6/4 gospel style. This section features the only moment in a piece where all voices are singing in unison. In the final bars, there is a climactic build on “We are here for the storm/that’s storming because what’s taken matters,” which ends powerfully but unresolved: the F where an E should be in the final C Major chord gives us hope, but not yet resolution. 

—Rollo Dilworth, August 2021 

Weather Companion Resource! 

Interested in learning more? There’s an entire companion resource available for this piece that we highly recommend. It includes conductor notes, musical content information, suggested questions for discussion, learning activities, and a list of recommended reading, watching, or listening for each section of the music. It is an opportunity for everyone to engage with Weather and understand its critically important social and historical context. Click here to access it!