“Paths to Freedom: Sanctuary Road”

Thursday, August 18 • 8:15 p.m.
Amphitheater

Text

Ihr wandelt droben im Licht,
Auf weichem Boden, selige Genien!
Glänzende Götterlüfte
Rühren euch leicht,
Wie die Finger der Künstlerin
Heilige Saiten.

Schicksallos, wie der schlafende
Säugling, atmen die Himmlischen;
Keusch bewahrt
In bescheidener Knospe
Blühet ewig
Ihnen der Geist,
Und die seligen Augen
Blicken in stiller,
Ewiger Klarheit.

Doch uns ist gegeben
Auf keiner Stätte zu ruhn;
Es schwinden, es fallen
Die leidenden Menschen
Blindlings von einer
Stunde zur andern,
Wie Wasser von Klippe
zu Klippe geworfen,
Jahrlang ins Ungewisse hinab.

Translation

Ye move up yonder in light,
On airy ground, o blessed spirits!
Radiant winds ethereal
O'er you play light,
As the fingers inspired that wake
Heavenly lyre-chords.

Free from Fate, like the slumbering
Suckling, breathe the immortals.
Pure, unsullied,
In bud that enfolds
It blooms for aye,
The flower of their spirit.
And the eyes of the blessed
Gaze in tranquil
Brightness eternal.

But to us is it given
In no abiding place to dwell;
We vanish, we stumble,
We suffering, sorrowing mortals
Blindly from one
Brief hour to another,
Like water from boulder
To boulder flung downward,
Year by year to the dark Unknown below.

An oratorio based on the writings of William Still, a conductor for the Underground Railroad

Music by Paul Moravec

Text by Mark Campbell

Commissioned and premiered by the Oratorio Society of New York through the generous support of Joanne Spellun.

1. WRITE

William Still, Ensemble, Chorus

SOPRANO
Sarah Grace…
A slave all her days…
Separated from her family…
Ellen Craft…
Sold three times.

MEZZO-SOPRANO

Clarissa Davis…
Born in Martinsburg…

A slave all of her life…
A slave all of her days.

TENOR
Wesley Harris…
Talbot Johnson…
Fled from Richmond…
On horseback all night.

BARITONE
WILLIAM STILL         Barnaby Grigby…
“The Underground Railroad.Isaac Jackson…
A record of facts,       Fled from Charleston…
Authentic narrative,    Samuel Green.
Letters, et cetera,
Narrating the hardships,
Hairbreadth escapes,
And death-struggles,
Of the slaves in their efforts of freedom,
As related by themselves and others,
Or witnessed by the author;
Together with sketches of some of the largest stock-holders
And most liberal aiders and advisors of the road,
By William Still.”

MEZZO-SOPRANO
Escaped on the roof of a train…
Cordelia Loney…
Emiline Chapman…
Charlotte Giles.                     

TENOR
Wesley Harris…
On horseback all night…
On foot…
On a steamer…
Talbot Johnson…
A slave all of his life…
John Henry Pettifoot,      

SOPRANO
Separated from her family…
Henry Brown…
Owner had five-hundred slaves…          
Edmundson Turner.                 

BARITONE
Isaac Jackson…
Fled from Charleston…
Fled from Atlanta…
Hid in a cave for one year.

WILLIAM STILL
Write it down.
Write it.
Write.
Record.
Recount.
Chronicle.
Write.
Write it down
Every word.
Every word they say.
Every detail.
Every sentence
Every phrase
Every syllable.
Write it down.
Write it.
Write.
Set it to paper.
Preserve every story, every fact, every event.
Preserve, collect, compile every testimony.

SOPRANO
Clarissa Davis…
Harriet Eglan…
Ellen Craft…
Mary Epps…
Our struggles,

MEZZO-SOPRANO
Cordelia Loney…
Sarah Grace…
Our struggles,

TENOR
Isaac Jackson…
Sam Green…
Robert Carr…
Our stories,

BARITONE
Emiline Chapman…
Charlotte Giles…
Our testimony…
Our testimony…

ENSEMBLE
Our sacrifices.

WILLIAM STILL
From cities and plantations,
Rice swamps and cotton fields,
Kitchens and mechanic shops,
From cruel masters, and kind masters,
They arrived.
By steamer, by skiff,
By train, on foot,
Shipped in a crate,
They arrived.

SAT CHORUS AND SAT ENSEMBLE
Our testimony,
Our stories cannot be forgotten.
Our testimony,
Our stories will be repeated,
Over and over.
Our testimony will never be forgotten.
Our struggles,
Our triumphs,
Our sacrifices,
Will be remembered,
Remembered.

BARITONE SOLO AND BARITONE CHORUS 
Our testimony,
Our stories cannot be forgotten.
Our testimony,
Our stories will be repeated,
Over and over.
Our testimony will never be forgotten.
Write it down.
Every word they say
Every word, every detail will be remembered.
Remembered.

WILLIAM STILL
Their testimony will never be forgotten.
Write it,
Write,
Write,
Write it down.
Every word they say
Every word, every detail.
Dip the quill in the well.
Draw, draw from it deeply,
Deeply, and write.
Write it down.
Write it,
Write.
Record.
Recount.
Chronicle.
Write,
Write it,
Write,
Write.

2. QUIETLY

Ensemble

BARITONE
Spoken in a whisper, 
Spoken in a whisper, 
Spoken in a whisper, 
Quietly, 
Quietly, 
Just a rumor,
Too good to be true, 
Free. 

TENOR
Spoken, spoken in a whisper
Spoken in a whisper, 
Spoken in a whisper, 
Never too loud,
Just a rumor, 
Too good to be true,
Too good to be true,
Free.

MEZZO-SOPRANO
Spoken, spoken,
Spoken in a whisper,
Too good to be true,
Free. 

BARITONE AND TENOR
Hard to believe,
Not a hope in Heaven,
But there it is,
Even just a chance,
They must never know.

MEZZO-SOPRANO AND SOPRANO
Quietly, 
Quietly.
They must never hear.

ENSEMBLE
One little word,
One sweet little word,
Free. 

MEZZO-SOPRANO AND SOPRANO
Free,
To be your own person,
To have your own life, 

TENOR AND BARITONE
To raise your own family,
Free to have your own life,

ENSEMBLE
Your own soul.
May not be tomorrow, 
May take us a while.
Imagine it,
Pray for it,
Find a way, 
Find a way, 
Make it come to be,
Quietly,
Quietly,
Free.

3. REWARD!

Chorus, Ensemble

CHORUS
Reward will be paid!
Runaway slave!
Age…
Appearance…
Countenance…
Demeanor…
Last seen…
Reward will be paid!
Reward will be paid!
Reward will be paid!
Runaway, runaway slave!

BARITONE AND TENOR CHORUS
Reward.

CHORUS (Overlapping voices)
One hundred dollars.
Two thousand dollars.
Four hundred dollars.
One thousand, six hundred dollars.

SOPRANO AND ALTO CHORUS
Will be paid. 

BASS AND TENOR CHORUS
For the apprehension. 

BARITONE CHORUS
For the safe return.

CHORUS
For the arrest and confinement of a runaway slave.

[Splits into 2 parts in TAB voices:]

BARITONE
B2:
Talbot Johnson…Edward Morgan…Mary Epps…
B1:
Josiah Jackson…Robert Carr…Wesley Harris…Sam Green…

TENOR
T2:
Emiline Chapman…Sarah Grace…Clarissa Davis…
T1:
John Henry Proudfoot…Saj Tracey…

ALTO
A2:
Sarah Grace…Clarissa Davis.
A1:
Cordelia Loney…Barnaby Grigby…

CHORUS (Unison)
Age.  

CHORUS (Overlapping)
Twenty-nine…
Forty years of age…
Thirty-four years old…
Thirty-six…
Fifty-nine years old…
Between nineteen and twenty-two…
Older than he looks…
Sixty-four…
They both are twenty-five…
Forty-seven years old…
Younger than her years…
On the verge of womanhood…
Lies about his age.

CHORUS (Unison)
Appearance…

CHORUS (Overlapping)
Five feet seven inches…
A little over five feet…
High cheekbones…
A little bow legged…
Broad across the shoulders…
Round featured…
Stoops while walking…
Face rough…A scar above his eye…
Small mustache and beard…
Thickset and stout made.

CHORUS (Unison)
Demeanor…

BARITONE AND TENOR CHORUS
Arrogant eyes…

SOPRANO AND ALTO CHORUS
A happy countenance…

CHORUS (Overlapping)
Can read and write well…
Plays on the violin…
A confident manner…
Quick spoken…
Laughs a good deal…
Of awkward manners…
Stammers, stammers, some.

CHORUS (Unison)
Reward will be paid!
Last seen…
On their way up north…

ENSEMBLE
New York…Boston…A free state…Philadelphia…

CHORUS (Unison)
Philadelphia.

4. THE SAME TRAIN—ELLEN CRAFT

Mezzo-Soprano Solo

He doesn’t know.
He doesn’t know.
He shuffles into the train,
Huffs a “hello”,
And sits across from me,
Right across from me.
My master’s brother.
I’m done for.
I’m finished. 
He sees through my disguise!
Knows I’m a slave.
Throws me in jail,
Has me whipped, 
Shot,
Worse.
But...but he doesn’t know.
He does not know. 
Last night I served him leg of mutton,
Sweet potatoes,
Blueberry pie.
Poured his wine,
Cleared his plates, 
Twice folded his napkin,
Everything but chew his food for him.
Last night I was a slave,
Young, female, black.
Today I’m a gentleman.
Old, feeble, and white,
At death’s door,
          [Coughs theatrically.]
On my way to see my “doctor” in Philadelphia,
Dressed up in a fine suit.
Tinted glasses,
A little powder to lighten my skin,
My head bandaged up,
I pretend not to hear if someone speaks to me.
But no one does.
No one knows.
Not a soul. 

They see me as a sick, white gentleman,
A sick white gentleman,
Who has his own valet,
A black man who sits with the other slaves,
In the other car.
But he’s not my valet. 
That man is not my valet.
He’s the man I will marry,
The man I will marry in Philadelphia.
He’s in a different car.
But we’re on the same train,
Humming along like a hymn,
All the way to Philadelphia,
To Philadelphia.

5. INTERVIEW I

William Still, Baritone Solo

WILLIAM STILL
How old are you?

BARITONE
Thirty-two years old, first day of June.

WILLIAM STILL
Were you born a slave?

BARITONE
Yes.

WILLIAM STILL
How have you been treated?

BARITONE
Badly all the time.

6. RUN (PART I) — WESLEY HARRIS

Tenor Solo

TENOR
Run, run,
Run through the woods,
Along the creek, 
Past the marsh,
Up the ridge,
Down the hill.
Avoid the trail,
Avoid the road, 
Avoid the port,
Anywhere they wait,
Anywhere they wait,
To stop you.
Run, run, run...

7. THIS SIDE UP — HENRY "BOX" BROWN

Baritone Solo

BARITONE
They can’t seem to read. 
They don’t seem to know. 
The crate I’m in.
It says: “THIS SIDE UP WITH CARE”
This side up with care.
In big, big letters.
To clarify: This side up is above me,
Not below.

Been on a cart,
On a train,
On a steamer,
And on a train again. 
It’ll be twenty-six hours since I had myself 
nailed in a shipping crate.
It’ll be twenty-six hours of being thrown this way and that,
Of not seeing the light of day,
Of not moving a muscle,
Of not saying a word,
Twenty-six hours of breathing through a hole in this box
No bigger than a button.

My brain may burst from being upside down.
And my eyeballs may explode. 
But it’s worth every second,
Every second of those twenty-six hours,
Even if I’m caught,
Even if I’m beaten,
Even if they hang me from a tree,
For just a chance,
For the slightest chance,
The dimmest hope,
For just a chance,
The slightest chance,
The dimmest hope that this crate,
This crate I mailed myself in arrives safe and sound in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia.
Now if only these fools could READ.

8. I WAITED

Chorus

ENSEMBLE
I waited, 
I waited patiently for the Lord,
And He inclined unto me,
And heard my calling.

9. RUN (PART II) — WESLEY HARRIS

Tenor Solo

TENOR
Run,
Go,
Run,
Quicker than the wind,
Quicker than their horses,
Quicker than their whips,
Quicker than their bullets.

Run,
Go,
Run,
Hide under a house,
Hide in a cave,
In a hollow,
Up a tree,
In a barn,
Hide,
Then run,
Run again...

10. INTERVIEW II

William Still, Soprano

WILLIAM STILL
What do you mean by being treated badly?

SOPRANO
Have been whipped and sold three times. 

WILLIAM STILL
What was the name of your master?

SOPRANO
Fleming Bibbs.

WILLIAM STILL
Where did he live?

SOPRANO
Caroline County.

11. AUNT ABIGAIL — HARRIET EGLAN, CHARLOTTE GILES

Mezzo-Soprano Solo and Soprano Solo

BOTH
Oh, oh, oh,
Poor, poor Aunt Abigail.
Summoned to Heaven 
Too, too, too early 

SOPRANO
By gout. 

MEZZO-SOPRANO
By scarlet fever.

BOTH
So sudden,
So, so, so sudden,
Too soon, too soon,

SOPRANO
Plucked from our arms.

MEZZO-SOPRANO
By the clutches of death.

BOTH
Oh, oh, oh, 
Poor Aunt Abigail.
Will our suffering ever,
Ever cease?
So far, so good,
On this train.

SOPRANO
No one wants to question,

MEZZO-SOPRANO
No one wants to trouble,

BOTH
The black women in black,
Their faces covered in veils.
But we’re not in mourning,
We’re not in mourning,
And poor Aunt Abigail,
She doesn’t exist.

MEZZO-SOPRANO
And if someone looks askance,

SOPRANO
If someone suspects,

BOTH
(Like that man,
Walking right toward us...)
Then it’s...
Oh, oh, 
Poor, poor Aunt Abigail.
Will our suffering ever cease?
Oh, oh, oh...

SOPRANO
How many tears?

MEZZO-SOPRANO
How many sobs,

SOPRANO
How many whimpers,

BOTH
How many whimpers,
How many “ohs”,
And how many nose-blows,
To Philadelphia,
To Philadelphia?

12. RUN (PART III) — WESLEY HARRIS

Tenor Solo, Chorus

TENOR
Run, run,
Run through the woods,
Along the creek, 
Past the marsh,
Up the ridge,
Down the hill.
Avoid the trail,
Avoid the road, 
Avoid the port,
Anywhere they wait,
Anywhere they wait,
To stop you.

Run,
Go,
Run,
Quicker than the wind,
Quicker than their horses,
Quicker than their whips,
Quicker than their bullets.
Run all day, all night.

CHORUS 
All day, all night.

TENOR
Was that a voice…

CHORUS
You don’t hear it.

TENOR
Was that a face?

CHORUS
You don’t see it.

TENOR
Was that a shadow?

TENOR AND BARITONE CHORUS
Don’t look back.
Don’t look around.

CHORUS
Not there.

TENOR
Was that a shot?

CHORUS
You don’t hear it?

TENOR
Was that another shot?

CHORUS
You don’t hear it.
You don’t feel it. 

TENOR
There was no shot.
And it’s so close,
So close,
So close,
You can wrap your arms around it.

CHORUS
You can taste it.
You’re nearly there.

TENOR
So close, nearly there.

13. INTERVIEW III

William Still, Ensemble

WILLIAM STILL
We’re giving you some new clothing.
A good meal.
Money, and a ticket away from here.
To New York and then Boston and then further north.
Talk to no-one. 
Don’t look around.
Do not look back.
Keep on moving.
Keep on going until you’re over the border.

ENSEMBLE (ECHOING WILLIAM STILL)
New clothing.
A good meal.
And a ticket away from here.
Talk to no-one.
Don’t look around.
Do not look back.
Keep on moving.
Keep on going.

14. RAIN — CLARISSA DAVIS

Soprano Solo, Ensemble

SOPRANO
Come down, rain. 
Come down hard.
Come down fast.
Come down Noah’s Ark heavy.

Empty the streets,
Empty the squares of those
Who might want to catch me.
Empty the streets of those
Who might want to stop me,
Who might want to hurt me,
Who might want to kill me.
Double the darkness of this night.
That I might slip away,
Like a shadow,
And get to the boat 
That will take me up North 
To liberty,
To my own life.
Come down, rain. 
Come down hard.
Come down fast.
Come down Noah’s Ark heavy.
And when I’m free,
When I’m free 
I’ll dance in that rain that hid me,
That saved me,
That delivered me to freedom.

ENSEMBLE
Come down, rain. 
Come down hard.
Come down fast.
Come down Noah’s Ark heavy.
And when I’m free,
When I’m free
I’ll dance in that rain.
I’ll dance in that rain,
I’ll dance. 

SOPRANO
I’ll dance.

15. INTERLUDE: 1861–1865

©2017 by Mark Campbell

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