Alvin Ailey Finds Inspiration in American Spirituals
Alvin Ailey (1931–1989), who studied with both Sophie Maslow and Lester Horton, set his Revelations (1960) to spirituals. He stated: “Revelations began with the music. As early as I can remember I was enthralled by the music played and sung in the small black churches in every small Texas town my mother and I lived in. There we would absorb some of the most glorious singing to be heard anywhere in the world.”
Alvin Ailey (1931–1989), who studied with both Sophie Maslow and Lester Horton, set his <em>Revelations</em> (1960) to spirituals. He stated: “<em>Revelations</em> began with the music. As early as I can remember I was enthralled by the music played and sung in the small black churches in every small Texas town my mother and I lived in. There we would absorb some of the most glorious singing to be heard anywhere in the world.”