Review

Traditional
Were You There: African American Spiritual

Arranged by Jerald R Juhnke

2 b-flat trumpets, horn in F, trombone, tuba

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2023
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 5 brass

The well-known spiritual Were You There When They Crucified My Lord was first published in 1899 in a collection of plantation songs. Its origins are impossible to trace, but it seems to have sprung from the experience of slaves much earlier in the 19th century. The song, by way of rhetorical question, asks the singers to remember the sufferings of Christ—sufferings that seemed vividly relevant to the slaves in their own misery.

Jerald Juhnke has delivered a beautiful arrangement of this moving song. After a straightforward, four-measure introduction, the first verse proceeds quietly and simply. The trombone has the melody above intermittent sustained harmonies. The second verse continues with more intensity. The accompanying parts have constant motion underneath the trumpet melody. The ensuing interlude quotes another well-known spiritual, I’m Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger. The final verse closes with strength and drama. The melody remains in the first trumpet part. The accompanying parts again display persistent motion made more dramatic by the fortissimo dynamic. Each phrase is punctuated by a fermata, adding emphasis to the implied text, “Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?”

Juhnke targets a moderately advanced ensemble. Certainly an advanced high school group could find success with this arrangement. The first trumpet part rises to a G at the top of the staff and the other parts remain within the staff. A bass trombone or large bore tenor could substitute for the tuba if necessary. This arrangement deserves performance, whether in a recital hall or church sanctuary.