ABSTRACT
Amram's neoromantic, six-part work spoke an eloquent language from the very poetic pen of Langston Hughes. The universal message set to music from the traditional Yiskor is a work of moving profundity, of nobility, of compassion, and of sincerity, all in a direct style somewhere in the general neighborhoods of Honegger and Bernstein. In 1999 I found a carbon copy of the letter that the author sent to Jack in 1968. The Houston Symphony was a full-time ensemble, where each player in their respective sections of the orchestra played together year in and year out. Since the Cantata was structured to feature each section of the orchestra in the four principal movements, the difference in the playing was like the difference of the infield, the outfield, the pitcher, and the catcher of a major league baseball team, all having a great built-in rapport, as opposed to a pickup game where a team was thrown together.
