The end of the Civil War and the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment freeing the slaves meant, at least in theory, that these newly freed individuals could begin to make the transition toward integration into American society as full citizens. White citizens opposed to the abolition of slavery were determined to assert their dominance and control and did so through a series of violent measures and discriminatory laws. Lynching was a primary way to demonstrate power and incite fear in Black communities. Anti-lynching campaigns supported by both Black and White citizens took root in response to the violence. While literary and visual protest art that protested lynching seemed to flourish, there were surprisingly few musical counterparts. Despite years of what seemed like no hope for the resolution of racial turmoil and no models on which to base such a piece, William Grant Still and Catharine Garrison Chapin broke new ground by creating And They Lynched Him On A Tree, the first piece of concert music that protests lynching. This dramatic choral work for orchestra and racially divided choirs was well-received at its premiere, but the provocative title, intense subject matter, and atypical vocal forces have rendered it a less than desirable piece for performance. Its message is evermore resonant in today’s sensitive climate of race relations, social injustice, and perceived police brutality. And They Lynched Him On A Tree deserves to be performed not as a “token” work by an African American, but as a well-crafted American masterpiece and a plea for justice and peace. This study will present the historical and social context in which the work was composed; explore prominent artistic contributions to the anti-lynching campaign of the 1920s and 1930s; discuss the creative forces that merged to create this groundbreaking work; give a structural overview of the text and musical ideas; and provide suggestions that address some inherent performance and programming challenges.
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