Episode 202. William Parker [Pride 2023]
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Today’s episode celebrates the life and legacy of lyric baritone William Parker (05 August 1943 – 29 March 1993), the finest American recitalist of the late twentieth century and one of the most beautiful baritone voices I have ever heard. His mastery of the German, American (and, especially for me, French) song repertoire sends one scrambling back to the earlier days of recorded sound to find suitable parallels. Though we had many friends and colleagues in common, I never met him personally. But this week, at my request as I was preparing this episode, many who loved him have been in touch with me: colleagues, friends, family, lovers, and they have provided me with a wealth of beautiful reminiscences and memories of their beloved Will. I have also compiled a setlist for the episode which displays the full breadth and depth of his artistry. At the end of his life, Will, dying of AIDS, created an initiative called the AIDS Quilt Songbook, to which some of the greatest composers and poets of the day provided songs and texts. Like the AIDS Quilt itself, this is a living legacy which continues to expand and grow. There are numerous works from the Songbook in its various iterations, performed not just by Will, but also by Kurt Ollmann and Anthony Dean Griffey, which serve not only as a painful reminder of an entire generation lost to AIDS, but also as a moving reminder of the LGBTQ+ community’s ability to face down ignorance, hatred, prejudice, even death, and in the end not only to triumph, but to provide an example for present and future generations of our resilience. Particular thanks to Karen Smith Emerson, Drew Minter, Benton Hess, Kamal Khan,
RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
Stephen Foster: Beautiful Dreamer. William Parker, Gérard van Blerk. [radio broadcast, 1975]
Ned Rorem, Witter Bynner: Opus 101 (The Santa Fe Songs, No. 2). William Parker, Ned Rorem, Ani Kavafian, Heichiro Ohyama, Timothy Eddy [live broadcast of New York premiere, 1980]
Donald Wheelock, Susan Snively: Fury. William Parker, Alan Marks [1992]
Johann Sebastian Bach: Aria. Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, Cantata BWV 56). William Parker, Nicholas McGegan, The Arcadian Academy [Elizabeth Blumenstock, David Bowles, David Tayler, Lisa Weiss, Anthony Martin, Steven Lehning, Marc Shachman, Gonzalo Ruiz, Sarah Davol, Bruce Lamott] [1992]
Francis Poulenc, Guillaume Apollinaire: Rosemonde, FP 158. William Parker, Dalton Baldwin [1978]
Henri Duparc, Robert de Bonnières: Le manoir de Rosemonde. William Parker, Rudolf Jansen. [radio recording Amsterdam 15.I.79]
Charles Ives, Helmine von Chézy [translated Pierre Jean de Bélanger]: Rosamunde. William Parker, Dalton Baldwin [1979]
Claude Debussy, Charles d’Orléans: Le temps a laissié son manteau [Rondel I] (Trois Chansons de France, L 115/1). William Parker, Rudolf Jansen [radio recording 15.I.79]
Gerald Finzi, Thomas Hardy: Before and After Summer (Before and After Summer, Op. 16/2). William Parker, Gérard van Blerk [radio recording 1975]
Charles Tomlinson Griffes, John B. Tabb: The First Snowfall. William Parker, William Huckaby [1980]
John Jacob Niles, Thomas Merton: Love Winter When the Plant Says Nothing. William Parker, William Huckaby [1980]
Johannes Brahms, Ludwig Hölty An die Nachtigall, Op. 464. William Parker, William Huckaby [1987]
Lee Hoiby, Lanford Wilson [after Tennessee Williams]: Anatomy Lesson (Summer and Smoke). William Parker, William Huckaby [1980]
Dominick Argento, Salomon August Andrée: Hallucinations (The Andrée Expedition, No. 10). William Parker, William Huckaby [1988]
Ned Rorem, David Bergman: A Dream of Nightingales. Kurt Ollmann, Ned Rorem [1994]
John Musto, Melvin Dixon: Heartbeats. William Parker, William Huckaby [1992]
Drew Hemenger, Rafael Campo: Her Final Show. Anthony Dean Griffey, Thomas Bagwell [2017]
Gabriel Fauré, Jean de La Ville de Mirmont: Vaisseaux, nous vous aurons aimés (L’horizon chimérique, Op. 118/4). William Parker, Rudolf Jansen [radio recording, 1979]
Francis Poulenc, Guillaume Apollinaire: Voyage (Calligrammes, FP 140/7). William Parker, Dalton Baldwin [1975]
Traditional Shaker, arr. Aaron Copland: Simple Gifts (Old American Songs, Set I, No. 4). William Parker, William Huckaby [1987]
Thank you so very much for this episode which brought back such wonderful memories of Will when he was teaching at Smith College in 1988. He was my voice teacher (when Karen Smith, another great teacher of mine, was on sabbatical). Listening to this podcast, I was reminded what an amazing singer he was with such beautiful expressive voice and perfect diction. He was so devoted to teaching always very proud of his students. When I invited him to dinner at the Smith house (dorm) everybody wanted to sit at our table to listen to his stories, mostly of his love of France, French songs and cuisine. He was truly a great singer, teacher and humanitarian. Thank you so much for this episode which gave me so much joy and positive energy.
Thank you for writing Mitsuru! I am so glad you enjoyed the episode and was very moved to read of your reminiscences of Will. Incidentally, Karen has been a good friend of mine for decades. In fact, I remember when she took her sabbatical from Smith. All best wishes to you, and thank you for taking the time to write. Best wishes, Daniel