Acclaimed music historian and performing artist Bobby Horton will join the Chattanooga Boys Choir in presenting a program of music of the Civil War.
On the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration, Friday, March 4, the choir and Mr. Horton will join together in the Baylor School Alumni Chapel to provide an interesting and entertaining look at the fascinating music of this time period.
There will be a pre-concert discussion with Bobby Horton at 6:45 p.m., with the concert following at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Widely recognized as one of the country’s leading authorities on music of the Civil War, Bobby Horton’s performances and research led to the notable opportunity to provide much of the music for Ken Burns’ famed The Civil War documentary, which first aired on PBS stations throughout the country in 1990 to widespread acclaim.
In addition to the Civil War film, Mr. Horton has collaborated with Mr. Burns on other widely viewed documentaries including Mark Twain, Lewis & Clark, Baseball, and the recent The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (2009).
Some well-known and familiar songs included in the program will be “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” “Bonnie Blue Flag” “Waitin’ for the Dawn of Peace” and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Other songs with significant local appeal due to their focus on local battles and famous battlegrounds include “Battle Above the Clouds” “Battle of Shiloh Hill” and “Cumberland Gap.”
A versatile performer, Mr. Horton will accompany the choir on banjo, guitar, and fiddle, including some original period instruments dating from the 19th century. He will also perform several songs on his own while providing historical context and stories of the battles and conditions that inspired this music.
The concert will begin after an interactive pre-concert discussion with Mr. Horton at 6:45 p.m. in Baylor’s Old Chapel.
This program is sponsored by the Baylor School and supported by an Arts Builds Communities grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission that is administered by Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Boys Choir is a supported organization of both the TAC and Allied Arts.