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Web Journal 3


Jacobsen Series: The Legacy of George Walker

Friday, the 21st of February I attended a concert at the University of Puget Sound. This concert was held in honor of the late George Walker. His son, Dr. Gregory Walker, is a violinist and performed along side a small ensemble of multiple pianists, cellist, violinists, and an opera singer. George Walker has a very accomplished and impressive history. He was the first black composer to win a Pulitzer prize. He originally started his musical journey as a pianist and then grew into becoming a composer. His son Gregory chose the violin and now performs his father's pieces and carries on his musical legacy. I really enjoyed the video clip that was able to show us who George was and tell us more of his history.

It was interesting to see how many variations of instrument and voice that George used in his composed pieces. Typically I think of composers always using a full orchestra. However, his pieces had combinations of only pianos, piano with string, and even opera singing. It was cool to see my professor on stage doing what she is passionate about! I also never thought of the importance of having someone to flip your music pages for you, but when you are using both hands while playing the piano.

Walker's pieces seem to be very complex and showcase the wide range of ability that the performers must have in order to perform the pieces. Some of the pieces were more moody and had deeper notes but the upbeat ones sparked my interest most. One interesting piece was performed with strings and an opera singer, I have never seen that before. My favorite performance was the piano with the cello. As a violin player, I have always been bias towards the sounds of violins but this show gave me new appreciation for the cello. The deeper ranger that the cello has accompanies the piano well. This was a completely new experience for me to witness as I have never been to an opera or an orchestra performance with an opera singer. The voice with the strings was quite powerful and the opera singer was able to dominate the song while still in harmony with the strings.


Since this performance took place at a university I was not sure how formal the event would be. However, I did immediately feel the seriousness of those attending. The appreciation for Walker's music could be seen by all attending and those performing. Though there were moments which were more emotional as he is no longer with us, I felt the performers did a great job in honoring his music. I have attended classical music events before so it was not intimidating but I did feel the need to be very aware and respectful. The music kept me captivated and I found myself very able to soak in the music and enjoy. I also enjoyed trying to isolate certain instruments and see if I could pick up on their particular notes and melodies. It was a significantly special concert to attend during Black History Month and learn of Walker's amazing musical career.


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