Open Collections

Williams, Walker Raymond

University of British Columbia

Sprinkle Coal Dust on my Grave is a musical composition for choir, vocal soloists, string orchestra, piano, percussion, fiddle, banjo, string bass, and narrator. Approximately 45 minutes in duration, it recounts the story of the Mine Wars, a period of early 20th century West Virginia labor history. The musical style of the composition draws inspiration from traditional Appalachian music as well as contemporary orchestral repertoire. The first chapter contains background on the composition, including a personal statement by the artist and a historical overview of the Mine Wars. The second chapter discusses the compositional materials used, including sections detailing the formal, harmonic, melodic, and textual aspects of the composition. The third chapter contains a detailed, movement-by-movement commentary on Sprinkle Coal Dust on my Grave. The fourth chapter concludes with a brief aesthetic statement. The full score is included as chapter five. The complete libretto is also included as appendix I.

Text; Still Image

2023-08-21

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/85547

Music - Composition

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/