Evelyn La Rue Pittman (January 6, 1910 – December 1992) was an author, composer, choral director, producer, and music educator.

Biography

Pittman was born in 1910 in McAlester, Oklahoma. Her interest in music began at a young age, and she began composing songs in the first grade. Her musical interest continued into high school, where she participated in school musicals and sang in their "well-known choir", of which she was the first Black member.

Education

Pittman attended public school in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, and later attended Spelman College and

Oklahoma University , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

, where she received her master's degree. While in school, Pittman studied violin, trombone, and harmony. She also received a life certificate from Langston University to teach music and social studies in the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. In

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Pittman received a permanent certificate from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

to teach public school music on any level in the New York Education Department, and ended up teaching in the Greenburgh School District. Pittman then studied composition at the

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

and was likely the first black Oklahoman to study at the school. She then collaborated with Zelia Breaux on

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

s and other community programs. Pittman has also studied under famed composer

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, upon the recommendation of her composition teacher, Harrison Kerr of the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

, and Robert Ward at the

Works

"Rich Heritage", written by Pittman, was published in 1944 and updated in 1968. It is a book for children filled with biographical sketches and songs about famous Americans. She was known for her choral arrangements of spirituals, and her major works were musical dramas. Her folk opera, Cousin Esther was performed in Paris in 1957. Pittman has also done many arrangements of spirituals and choral works that show the influence of black church music in particular. Some of her published works are “Any How,” “Rock-a-mah Soul,” “Sit Down Servant,” "Joshua,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I See,” and “Tramping”.

"Freedom Child"

Frustrated by the 1968

assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7 ...

, Pittman began to write. Two years later, Pittman, a music teacher at Woodlands High School in Hartsdale, New York, produced and directed "Freedom Child," a musical drama about King, performed by her Woodlands students. After Pittman and her students received rave reviews in New York, they took the musical on the road. The group traveled throughout the state of New York and eventually took "Freedom Child" to 11 different countries. Pittman made a videotape of "Freedom Child" for school children and her Oklahoma friends. "It's something I've always wanted to do. Now children and other Oklahomans who didn't have the opportunity to see Martin Luther King will be able to learn about him," she said. "I wrote the musical because I had a genuine interest in King. When he marched on Washington, D.C., I decided to fly down to join the 250,000 people who gathered. I knew I couldn't face my students if I didn't go." Pittman, who wrote the story, the music and the lyrics for "Freedom Child," said it took her two years to write the initial production. A perfectionist who continues to work on the musical drama, Pittman said, "If I don't stop writing soon, it will never be finished. Since the first performance in 1971, Pittman has deleted three songs and added three new songs to the musical. She said the songs represent all types of music because King's mother, Alberta, said her son liked all kinds of music. Pittman said King's mother invited her to bring her students to Atlanta to perform the musical at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. She said King's father, the Rev.

Martin Luther King Sr. Martin Luther King (born Michael King; December 19, 1899November 11, 1984) was an African-American Baptist pastor, missionary, and an early figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was the father and namesake of the civil rights leader Martin Lut ...

, originally was anxious about watching the musical but later said it was the most authentic work he had seen on the subject.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittman, Evelyn 1910 births 1992 deaths African-American classical composers African-American women classical composers People from McAlester, Oklahoma Spelman College alumni University of Oklahoma alumni Juilliard School alumni Musicians from Oklahoma 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century women composers