Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'

Subject: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: LadyHawke54
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 07:19 PM

I am VERY interested in the music 'My Spirituals' by Eva Jessye.
I understand this is a rare book. I called her home State of Kansas and the librarian informed me that there were only three left in the country, one of which is in micro film at the North Carolina Central University. I have also investigated The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture,and the Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College. Needless to say, nothing looks promising at this time.
I love Negro Spirituals but I have a special love for the rarely performed spirituals. Please, I'd appreciate help from any informed person or persons.
Warm Regards, Jennifer Bynum Green

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: LadyHawke54
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 07:25 PM

http://www.homestead.com/artsoul/JenniferBynumInternationalSoloistInformation.html

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: Alba
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 07:30 PM

Here is a clicky to: Jennifer's website.
Good luck with your request Jennifer.
Jude

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 07:34 PM

Welcome to Mudcat, Jennifer! I wish I had that item, too.

Are you looking for any particular songs?

I hope you'll find our African-American Spirituals Permathread of interest, too.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 09:27 PM

Welcome to the Mudcat, Jennifer. They are very pricey from $200-750, but there are fifteen copies listed at www.addall which is a website which searches a bunch of different booksellers online. Here's a link to the search page where I found them listed: CLICK HERE.

Hope that helps and you have a BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL voice! Thanks for joining us!

kat

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 10:36 AM

I left Jennifer a note in her website's guestbook with this thread's URL and let her know information was starting to come in so she can easily come back and see.

And yes, that is a GORGEOUS voice!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 12:10 PM

Jennifer,

I loved your rendition of "Is there anybody here who loves my Jesus." What a joyfully expressive approach!

Could you help me with some of the text, which I posted HERE?

(Other Mudcat ears welcome as well.)

~Susan

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 03:41 PM

{and she DID help me with that!]

I'm sorry, ladies, you will just have to let me take first place as Mudcat's Chief Jennifer Bynum Fan.

(Jennifer, we post like this sometimes as a way of getting a thread back to the top of the list so others will see it.)

~Susan

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 04:18 PM

Book details-
Jessye, Eva, 1927, "My Spirituals," 8 plus 81pp., quarto. Edited by Gordon H. Whyte and Hugo Frey. Contains 17 spirituals, in dialect, from Kansas. Robbins-Engel, New York.

She was the chorus trainer for George Gershwin's opera, "Porgy and Bess."

The Library of Congress has a copy; haven't checked but I'm pretty sure that the NY Public Library has a copy.
Katlaughing's prices, $200 up, is correct. Because of the association with Gershwin and "Porgy and Bess," not many copies are on offer.

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Bookfinder

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 09:12 PM

Further notes:
Judith Weisenfeld, Prof. of Religion at Vassar College, is preparing a 'critical edition' of "My Spirituals" by Eva Jessye.

A copy of the original is held by Pittsburg State Univ. (KS).
Two of the spirituals in her book are the baptismal songs, "On Jerdon's Stormy Bank I Stand," and "March Down to Jerdon." No complete listing found.
Her arrangements of "An' I Cry," "Who Is That Yondah," and "The Spirit o' the Lord Done Fell On Me" have been published separately.
Jessye is composer of the folk oratorio, "Paradise Lost and Regained," the music based on spirituals, and other works.

Jessye formed the Dixie Jubilee Singers, later the Eva Jessye Singers, who toured the United States. She taught at the University of Maryland after retiring from the stage.
d. 1992.

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 09:31 PM

Thanks, Q.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 10:32 PM

BTW folks, keep looking-- I know Jennifer is looking in when she can.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jul 07 - 01:17 AM

http://openvault.wgbh.org/saybrother/MLA001072/index.html/

Here is a short interview with Ms. Jessye

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: Azizi
Date: 15 Jul 07 - 10:35 PM

Here's the link to that website:

http://openvault.wgbh.org/saybrother/MLA001072/index.html/

Subject: RE: Looking for Eva Jessye, 'My Spirituals'
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 12 - 11:09 AM

I have this book for sale. Please contact me at [e-mail] if still interested.

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[message forwarded by e-mail -Joe Offer-]