See/Hear

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was 42. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. I knew someone had to take the first step and I made up my mind not to move. Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it.” — Rosa Parks

Daniel Bernard Roumain’s (DBR) String Quartet No. 5, ‘Rosa Parks,’ is dedicated to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. The first movement, “I made up my mind not to move,” suggests Parks’ act of defiance not with ponderous dignity but with a strong ostinato that denotes grit, strength and confrontation. The second movement, “Isorhythmiclationistic” (isorhythm refers to the use of repetitive rhythmic cells), evokes solitude, questioning and despair with the use of long, dissonant phrases that lack resolution. “Klap Ur Handz” asks the players to actually clap, a feature DBR says was inspired by hip‐hop rhythms but dates back to the music of Cro‐Magnon man. "There's something really communal about that," he says. He also gives the following insight into this Quartet: “As a Haitian-American composer, I was raised by immigrant parents from Haiti, who experienced American life both before, and after, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Their views were informed by life on a free Island nation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; life in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois; and life in the complex diversity of Pompano Beach, Florida. They identified with Malcolm and Martin, Maya and Rosa, and the great Haitian warriors, Makandal and Toussaint. Civil rights, for our household, was global, local, and part of the very fabric of our lives and culture. I created Rosa Parks Quartet as a musical portrait of Rosa Parks’ struggle, survival, and legacy. The music is a direct reflection of a dignified resistance. It’s telling that this work may, in fact, be performed on stages that didn’t allow the presence of so many, so often. I often refer to the stage as the last bastion of democracy, where all voices can and should be heard, where we are all equal, important, and necessary.“

Daniel Bernard Roumain combines his classical music roots with a wide spectrum of contemporary black popular music. This musical eclecticism places him in a small circle of composers whose collaborations span the varying worlds of prestigious orchestra halls, jazz-singer Cassandra Wilson, choreographer Bill T. Jones, multimedia artist DJ Spooky, and pop-singer Lady Gaga. DBR’s unique blend of classical music, funk, rock, hip-hop, and his compelling energy have helped broaden and redefine concert music, giving it a fresh appeal to young audiences.