Originally, the work was intended to be staged and lighted, much as we would now do to a current pop or jazz tune. The curtain should open to find a bare and dimly lit stage as the basses slowly begin the chantlike figure “Elijah Rock”. Only as the other parts enter do the singers then appear on stage. As the song approaches the tutti section (bottom of page 5 in Schumann Music Co. score #S1017),(1) only then do we have a full choir assembled and a fully lit stage. As the piece begins to diminuendo (starting at the bottom of page 9) the sections of the singers begin to
leave the stage, and ultimately we find only the basses singing as they began in a very dim light. As the piece is finished the stage should be blacked out.
Some interpretive tips I received from Jester are these:
1. Do not let the tempo get away, keep it in a slow and methodical 2 beatsper bar.
2. Don’t break between the word “shout” and its syncopated repeat. The figure: “shout, shout” should be sung like the figure: “Charles-ton” in the hit song “Charleston” from a 1920’s musical.
3. The ladies should always “lean” toward the first beat of the bar when singing the beckoning call “Elijah” throughout the piece. Mr. Hairston indicated that the tone and inflection here
should not sound seductive.
4. The people represented by the singers are not Blacks, but are Hebrews. The colors of the phrases should not indicate Blacks, but Hebrews.
5. The last interpretive item deals with the 3/4 section on page nine. Mr. Hairston indicated that the section should not be conducted or accented in three beats per measure, but the section should be entirely done in hemiolas.
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