A Samantics Tribute to the
100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic
April 13, 2012
by Dick Frantzreb
I attended a remarkable musical event this past weekend, performed by the
Sacramento-area Samantics, ordinarily a 30-voice mixed chorus. It was billed
as a cabaret-style tribute to the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the
Titanic, and described as "eight singers, music heard aboard the Titanic,
accounts of survivors in their own words, and songs written in honor of
those lost at sea."
Beginning with a reflective piano tribute to the “Titanic’s heroes” that was
published in 1913, this program gave insights into the experience of the
Titanic – before, during, and after its sinking. The selection of songs
conveyed the spirit of the era and public reactions to the tragedy. And
between most songs were the personal perspectives of passengers – brief
excerpts from their reminiscences that were not just read, but acted by the
individual performers.
The song selection was inspired. Artistic Director Sam Schieber writes in
his introduction: “Gleaning titles from books, library catalogs, other
collectors and auction websites, I have compiled an unofficial (and no doubt
incomplete) tally of 151 songs written about the Titanic – almost all of
which were published in 1912! From that list I have been able to collect 42
songs, of which you will hear 20 (or parts thereof) at this performance.”
Apart from songs memorializing the Titanic, there are songs that were
popular on board, both in First Class and in Third Class – some wonderfully
funny. And of course there were hymns: “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” and
“Nearer, My God, To Thee” in an intriguing setting unfamiliar to modern
ears. This music was presented most often as solos, but there were a number
of choral settings, and – most wonderfully – several audience sing-alongs,
with music printed in the program.
In telling the story of normal shipboard life and then reactions to the
emergency, the program eventually focused, through contemporary music, on
those who have since been recognized as the heroes of the incident in one
way or another: the Astors, Benjamin Guggenheim, the crew, and the band. A
piece honoring Isidor and Ida Strauss was, appropriately, sung in Hebrew.
Not all of this was somber. For example, the work of the band was
illustrated with a rendition of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” and the program
ended with the rousing “Be British!” The sense one got in the audience was
that the Titanic’s final hours were characterized by a sense of duty, honor,
and loyalty – to one’s spouse, to one’s comrades, and to the ship one had
built or maintained. And an audience member could see that, for most of the
passengers, staff, and crew, this was indeed their finest hour.
More than a musical performance, this event was living history. Without
being maudlin, it conveyed a respect for those affected by this tragedy and
gave a unique perspective of the event that goes beyond those offered by
movies, books or TV specials. The printed, 20-page program, was itself a
collector’s item, with numerous images of people and the decorative covers
of this music, some of which probably hasn’t been performed publicly for 100
years. (Click
here to view the entire program.)
For anyone with a heart and with the ability to empathize, this program was
an emotional experience. It was the fruit of an extraordinary research
project on the part of Sam Schieber, who arranged, selected, and knit these
elements into an artistic whole. All of Sam’s programs are entertaining
products of a dedicated musicologist, who is able time and again to discover
wonderful gems from the past and weave them into a unique musical
experience. This program, especially, is one that deserves the attention of
a much wider audience, and I hope that it will somehow be offered again
before the interest in the Titanic fades. It is simultaneously a memorial to
a great tragedy and a celebration of the human spirit that deserves to be
told and retold.