There is an original song for Tecumseh’s 200th anniversary
TECUMSEH – This weekend offers new opportunities to hear a song written for the 200th anniversary of Tecumseh.
“Through All These Years,” written by Phil Devaney, premiered May 5 with the Tecumseh Pops Orchestra and Community Chorus. The choir will perform it again on Sunday, July 21, on the “WTCA Radio Show.” There are two performances, at 3 and 7 p.m., at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, 400 N. Maumee St. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance online at thetca.org, by phone at 517-423-6617 or at the box office, which is open Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and one hour before showtime.
The text is about the pioneers from the eastern United States who came to the area in 1824 and those who escorted people fleeing slavery in the South on the Underground Railroad, as well as hopes for the future.
“It turned out remarkably well,” said Bill Abbott, director of the Community Chorus.
The idea for a bicentennial song came from the orchestra and the choir’s board of directors, Abbott said. Then he asked Devaney, who is a member of the choir and pastor of Britton Bethel Baptist Church, if he wanted to participate. Devaney had written a song 10 years ago for his church’s 75th anniversary and thought he might be able to recreate the tune.
“I already had the melody and played it to Bill and he liked it,” Devaney said. “And from there I had to completely change the lyrics and adapt the melody to the new lyrics.”
He also had to write down the notes and rhythm, since he had only written the melody and chords for the church anniversary.
Devaney researched Tecumseh’s history to find ideas for the lyrics.
“I was very intrigued by the fact that they were involved in the Underground Railroad,” Devaney said. “The Civil War has always been an interesting subject because my ancestors lived in Springfield, Illinois, during the Civil War. So that’s Lincolnland, right? And so my great-grandfather and his two sons joined the military, and he died in the Civil War at the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, or at Stones River.”
Last year around Christmas, the ensembles asked him to arrange the music so that the pops could be involved.
“This was a labor of love,” Abbott said.
“It was a labor of love that remained unfinished,” Devaney said.
“He just had to orchestrate based on the instruments he had and then figure out how we fit in,” Abbott said.
This was Devaney’s first time orchestrating a piece since college. He holds a degree in sacred music from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, a bachelor’s degree in music composition from Toccoa Falls College in Georgia in 1991, and graduate degrees in music composition and music education.
“The orchestration became its own arrangements, incorporating other motifs,” said Devaney.
During rehearsals there was some discussion about possible changes to the piece.
“The discussion was more about the text,” said Devaney. “I had left out the word, the name Tecumseh. It was nowhere in there. And we found a place that fits perfectly.”
Devaney did not hear the piece live, as if he were in the audience, because he sang along to the chorus at the premiere in May. He said his wife recorded it.
“It’s nice to hear the piece,” he said. “I’m probably very critical when I hear my stuff performed.”
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Aside from some graduation pieces he had written while teaching at the Garden City schools, this was the first time Abbott had been able to rehearse a new piece of music.
“It was exciting for me to be able to look up to him and see him sing his song,” Abbott said. “It gave me a wonderful feeling to recognize his achievements.”
Switching from composer mode to singing the song in the chorus gave Devaney a different perspective on the piece.
“There’s this feeling of ‘OK, now I’m singing the bass line. Why didn’t I give the basses low notes? I like low notes,'” he says, laughing.
Being able to hear the song performed allowed Devaney to tweak some vocal parts after noticing some things that didn’t sound quite right.
“It was probably something that wouldn’t bother anyone but me,” he said.
“There was one chord that I kept questioning. I just thought, well, you wanted that exact sound,” Abbott said, laughing.
“You probably should have said something, Bill,” Devaney said, laughing along.
“That’s what I love about original pieces like this: you start with nothing, and then suddenly there’s this huge, blossoming tree, like you started with a seed that develops from lyrics to orchestration to performance,” Abbott said.
They look forward to sharing the piece with the community again.
“It was a lot of fun putting it together. I really did,” Devaney said. “And I learned a lot about Tecumseh that I didn’t know while researching it, which is always fun.”
– Contact reporter David Panian at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.
“In all these years”
Lyrics by Phil Devaney:
They traveled together in 1824,
Their journey was dangerous, but it was worth fighting for.
They shared their joys and sorrows, their hopes and their fears
to build a place that would last for many years.
Only a few years later, many stood up for their faith
That everyone is created equal, regardless of race.
You were a catalyst in Michigan in the Underground Railroad,
They hid slaves from their captors and helped them lighten their burdens.
In all these years and it has only just begun,
Look at what they have won in all these years.
In faith they embarked on their journey through dangers near and far
They lived here together for many years.
As we gather now, we remember days gone by,
The founding of Tecumseh and the values it upheld;
May we share our joys and sorrows, our hopes and fears
While we stay here together all these years!
In all these years, and it has only just begun,
Look at what we have done all these years.
In faith we undertake our journey through dangers near and far,
We have lived here together for all these years.
The future is unknown to us, what will happen in this place,
But we try to preserve it as we continue our race.
The way we live together will make the crucial difference.
Will we treat others the way we want to be treated?
In all these years, and it has only just begun
Just think of everything that will happen in all these years.
In faith we will embark on our journey through dangers near and far,
We will live here together all these years.
Two hundred years, and it has only just begun
Two hundred years, just think of what is being done
Through all these years!
When you go
WHAT: WTCA Radio Show
WHEN: 3pm and 7pm Sunday, July 21
WHERE: Tecumseh Center for the Arts, 400 N. Maumee St.
TICKETS: Free general admission; reservations must be made online at thetca.org, by phone at 517-423-6617, or at the box office, open Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m.
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