|
THE HALL JOHNSON COLLECTION AT ROWAN UNIVERSITY
The
Hall Johnson Collection grew out of an eleven year friendship of Hall Johnson and Eugene Thamon Simpson from 1959 until his
death in 1970. Simpson visited with Johnson frequently, attended concerts with him, played for singers Johnson was coaching,
and in 1962, gave the first all-Hall Johnson concerts, save for those of the Hall Johnson Choir, in New York City, with his
Voices of Friendship Chorale. In 1969, Simpson recorded The Hall Johnson Song Book, an album which contained 13 of Johnson's
best know spiritual arrangements. So strong was the bond of friendship and mutual respect that Johnson, at the age of 82,
attended the New York Concert of Simpson's Virginia State College Choir, on April 9, 1970. It would be their last meeting
as Johnson died of smoke inhalation in an apartment fire only 21 days later.
It was a single propitious meeting of
Simpson with Hall Johnson's sisters, Alice Foster and Susan Jordan, which prompted them to seek his assistance in settling
Johnson's estate, and to present the 104 cartons of music, records, books and other memorabilia to Rowan University on permanent
loan in 1984. Between 1984 and 1988, Dr. Simpson worked alone at the tremendous task of unpacking, and organizing the materials,
and with the help of 25 leading musicians from around the nation, of which Jessye Norman was the major contributor, he amassed
enough money to produce The Hall Johnson Centennial Festival, in October of that year, marking the 100th anniversary of Johnson's
birth. The three-day festival offered a series of five solo recitals and three choral concerts of Johnson's music. It attracted
national attention by National Public Radio, and featured scholarly presentations by prominent muicioans, including William
Warfield, Jester Hairston, Leonard De Paur, D. Antoinette Handy, Eugene Thamon Simpson, Ingres Hill Simpson, Dr. J. Weldon
Norris, and Dr. James Kinchen. The recitalists were Metropolitan Opera National Auditions Finalist, Robin Wilson, Barbara
Dever, later of the Metropolitan Opera Roster, Dr. Blanche Fooreman, Gregory Hopkins, the "Black Pavarotti," and John Morrison,
then tenor soloist at New York's Riverside Church. The three choral groups were the Winston-Salem State University Choir,
the Howard University Choir, and the Rowan University Chamber Choir. A 4-CD album, "The Best of the Hall Johnson Centennial
Festival," has recently been issued to document this event.
In 1991, Bessie Johnson, the sister-in-law of Hall Johnson,
bequeathed to the Collection a considerable sum which has become a permanent endowment to generate a modest operating budget.
This has allowed the work of the Curator and a single part-time assistant to continue to organize, catalog and inventory
the materials until 2004, when this task was substantially completed. It is expected that the Collection will be opened for
research on an appointment basis in the fall of 2006.
In 2004, Dr. Simpson, who has served as Curator of the Collection
since 1984, completed a definitive biography of Hall Joohnson, "Hall Johnson: His Life, His Spirit, and His Music." Currently,
publication of the book is scheduled for late 2006. Meanwhile, the Collection provides an important resource for scholars
and performers interested in performing Hall Johnson's music. The Collection has provided scores on loan to Howard University,
The Detroit Symphony, and for the Kathleen Battle - Jessye Norman Sprituals Concert Gala at Carnegie Hall. It has petitioned
the U.S. Postal Service Committee on Cemmorative Stamps to include Hall Johnson in the Series of Black Heritage issues. Persons
who would be interested in writing letters of support for this nomination may contact Dr. Simpson for further information
at: thamspx1@aol.com.
|
