Wade in the Water

Stephen Bulla

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Subtitle: Traditional Spiritual

General Info

Year: 2001
Duration: c. 3:15
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Spiritual
Publisher: Curnow Music Press, through Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $59.00 | Score Only (print) - $12.00

Instrumentation

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Wade in the Water (Roud 5439) is an African American jubilee song, a spiritual, in reference to a genre of music "created and first sung by African Americans in slavery". The lyrics to Wade in the Water were first co-published in 1901 by Frederick J. Work and his brother, John Wesley Work Jr.

Wade in the Waters is associated with songs of the Underground Railroad. According to a 2002 article written by Dave Watermulder, J. Amber Hudlin, and Ellie Kaufman at George Washington University, the song reflect the Israelites' escape out of Egypt as found in Exodus. According to a 2007 anthology by California State University in Fresno, the singer "warns of the coming signs of the end" but says the "victory of Heaven over Hell" is assured, and "looks forward to future freedom".

- Program Note adapted from Wikipedia

This arrangement by Stephen Bulla is in the big band jazz style.

- Program Note adapted from publisher

Commercial Discography

Audio CD: Western Illinois University and Eastern Wind Symphony

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

North Oakland (Mich.) Concert Band (Annette Kline, conductor) - 29 October 2020 (Virtual)
Hopkins High School (Minnetonka, Minn.) Wind Symphony (William Bell, conductor) – 25 April 2013

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adirondack Festival Overture (2014)
Andante con Moto (as arranger) (1816/2003)
Bells of Christmas (1999)
Blue Mountain Saga (1995)
Bond, James Bond (as arranger)
Cartoon Capers (as arranger) (2000)
Celestial Suite (1989)
Christmas Calypso (1997)
Cole Porter Songbook (as arranger)
Declaration for Trumpet
Ellington! (as arranger) (2019)
Escapades (as transcriber) (2002/2012)
Euphonium Fantasia
Excerpts from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (as arranger) (1978/2009)
Fascinating Rhythm (as arranger) (1924)
Firestorm (1992)
Heather Ridge Sketches (2000)
The Imperial March (as arranger) (1980/2008)
Irish Lullaby, An
Irish Songs, Set No 1 (as arranger)
Irish Songs, Set No 2 (as arranger) (2004)
Legend of Knife River (1997)
Legends of Jazz (as arranger) (2012)
Library of Congress March, The (as arranger)
Mambo Greats (as arranger) (2013)
Mancini! (as arranger) (2000?)
March Creole (1995)
North Bridge Portrait (2001)
Of Ancient Dances (2015)
Pride of a People (as arranger)
Rhapsody for Flute (1996)
Rhapsody for Hanukkah (1994)
Russian Carol Variations (1999)
The Schumann Suite (as arranger) (1997)
Selections from "Into the Woods" (as arranger)
Selections from "The Great Race" (as arranger)
Selections from ''Sweeney Todd'' (as arranger) (1979/2009)
Shipston Prelude (2000)
Sinatra! (as arranger) (2011)
Slavonic Fantasy (as arranger)
Sondheim! (as arranger) (2021)
Stephen Foster Songbook (as arranger) (1999)
Symphonette (2003)
Symphonic Highlights from "Frozen" (as arranger) (2013)
Tiger Rag (as adapter)
Tribute to Louis Armstrong (as arranger)
Trilogy Americana (2002)
Uncommon Valor (1995)
Wade in the Water (as arranger) (2001)
Winterfest (as arranger) (2002)
Yankee Doodle (as arranger) (1845/)

Resources

Bulla, S. (2001). Wade in the Water: Traditional Spiritual [score]. Curnow Music Press: Wilmore, Ky.
Wade in the Water, Wikipedia Accessed 28 May 2021