Margaret Bonds: Lord I Just Can't Keep from Cryin'

Soprano Marti Newland performs Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) arrangement of the Afro-American Spiritual, "Lord, I Just Can't Keep from Cryin'" live in a concert given by the chamber group, MELODEON on 6/9/13 at Church of the Epiphany, NYC At the piano is Artis Wodehouse. "Lord, I Just Can't Keep from Cryin'" is set in 16-bar blues form, and shows the influence of popular music in her compositional style. Bonds graduated from Juilliard and Northwestern University. A frequent collaborator with her teacher Florence Price and poet Langston Hughes, Bonds composed over 200 songs, over a dozen choral works, and composed for film, including Gone With the Wind. She was an active pianist throughout her lifetime, performing solo recitals (Town Hall) and with the Chicago and New York City Symphony Orchestras.