Written by Anna Vorhes

Born
April 29, 1899, Washington DC

Died
May 24, 1974, New York, NY

Instrumentation
three flutes (3rd doubling piccolo and alto flute), three oboes (3rd doubling English horn), three clarinets (3rd doubling bass clarinet), three bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon), four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, jazz bass, timpani, percussion, drum set, harp and strings

Duration
18 minutes

Composed
1942-43, though the thought of doing so had been discussed for ten years or more

World Premiere
January 23, 1943, Carnegie Hall

Something interesting to listen for
Ellington was very clear about his intention to show African American history through this composition.  He uses melodies that were part of that history as well as those of his own creation.  If something sounds familiar, it probably is one of those folk tunes, though since this composition has been around for more than eighty years, it might also be one of Ellington's own creations.  Overall, the infusion of Ellington's sophisticated jazz in an orchestral timbre is fascinating and engaging.

Program Notes

Duke Ellington was the first African American to be invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.  He was near the top of his career, with swing music very much a focus in social venues.  In all settings, Ellington was aware of representing his race in a positive light.  One of his mentors as a young man had emphasized to him and his African American classmates that they would always be judged when they were in public as representatives of their race.  Ellington took this admonition seriously, and despite needing to take service elevators to reach the stage, being unable to stay in the nicer hotels where he and his band worked, and the inability to find appropriate places to eat when they were outside African American neighborhoods, he retained his dignity and strove to be a positive role model.

The opportunity to play in the rarified air of Carnegie Hall was one Ellington seized enthusiastically.  He set out to write a history of his people in music that would appeal to the audience.  The program notes for the premiere of this composition by Irving Kolodin describe Black, Brown, and Beige.  (Please recall that the language is that of the 1940s, and Ellington himself often used the term Negro which we designate as obsolete today.)

"Black depicts the period from 1620 to the Revolutionary War, when the Negro was brought from his homelands and sold into slavery.  Here he developed the work songs to assuage his spirit while he toiled; and then the spirituals to foster his belief that there was a reward after death, if not in life.  Brown covers the period from the Revolution to the First World War, and shows the emergence of the Negro heroes who rose to the needs of these critical phases of our national history.  Beige brings us to the contemporary scene and comments on the common misconception of the Negro, which has left a confused impression of his true character and abilities."

Black, Brown and Beige was reworked by the composer in 1944 as the suite we hear tonight.  This is Ellington using all the jazz tools to build something that demonstrates how he thinks and feels about his own culture and background.  The original format of the work was never presented again by the composer but he used parts of it liberally in other settings.  One of the most famous excerpts was Come Sunday.  Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson steadfastly refused to ally herself with the jazz genre, but after some persuasion, Duke Ellington convinced her to sing Come Sunday.  It was a marvelous success.

Other parts of Black, Brown and Beige found places in concerts and in radio.  One jazz station did unusual compositions by jazz composers on Sunday evenings, and Black, Brown and Beige was parceled out over several months.

Beginning with this composition, Ellington became more intrigued by large compositions rather than catch dance tunes.  This was his first attempt and something for listeners rather than the party atmosphere of a jazz club.  While his critics were perplexed in the 1940s, today we enjoy this as part of the orchestra repertoire.