Ruby Lomax wrote about their interactions with Margie Maltox (or Mattox?) in the 1939 Southern Recording Trip Fieldnotes:
Mr. Lomax offered a quarter to any pupil who would sing a lullaby that he would record. Finally a tall awkward girl whispered that she knew a lullaby. She wouldn't sing before the crowd, but consented to go into the coat-closet where she sang the following: Lullaby, lullaby, sweet babe of mine Hushaby, hushaby, eat ways be thine She must have need the quarter badly, for she was covered with confusion. She could not explain what "eat ways be thine" means...
The recording and the Lomaxes' account fill the listener's mind with so many questions. In the absence of definite answers, students can use their knowledge of history, their personal experiences, and their creativity to explore such questions.
What does the description of Margie reveal about her? What does it reveal about the writers of the notes?
What is the meaning of "eat ways be thine?"
What prevented Margie from initially sharing her song?
Was it really the quarter that changed her mind?
Is this an entire song? Is it just a fragment, perhaps the incomplete recollection of a flustered singer?
Many teens can empathize with Margie's emotions, recognize the strength and confidence it took for her to share her song, and the enduring mark that choice has made upon the world. In what contexts have students wrestled with similar feelings? How do they choose to speak up and change the world?
I have created a choral arrangement of Margie's song for a capella mixed voices and body percussion. It begins with a solo, sung by Margie's recorded voie as the choir begins to harmonize with the recording. This gesture is meant to symbolize the intention to join Margie's song, not co-opt it. Short melodic motifs lyrics created by students as they reflect on Margie's experience, working up the courage to share her song. An aleatoric section allows for over 20 voices to sing independently, offering the sensation of being "covered with confusion" as singers must choose to sing out alone. I'm excited to collaborate with my students to perform Margie's song as the analysis of a primary source leads them to explore composition, context, and social-emotional learning. I would love to share this score with your choir upon personal request; reach out via email at carolynbennettmusic@gmail.com.