- Date: 1949
- Composer: William Schuman
- Period: Modern (1910-1949)
Review
One of Martha Graham's greatest legacies is the body of work she commissioned to support her explorations of the limits of dance. Graham worked with William Schuman twice in the 1940s, the decade in which both attained artistic superstardom. After their collaboration on Night Journey in 1947, Schuman expressed exasperation at the "insufficient tonal resources [modern dance's] limited budgets permit." So when in 1949 the Louisville Philharmonic Society commissioned a solo work from Graham and she asked Schuman to supply the music, he eagerly accepted the opportunity. The score for Judith was completed in August of that year, and the "choreographic poem" was premiered in 1950 by the Louisville Orchestra. Much of Schuman's work deals with American subjects, but each of his ballets with Graham took a story from ancient myth. Night Journey retold Odysseus, while Judith deals with a story from the Apocrypha of the Bible. An Assyrian despot named Holofernes has deprived the Israelites of water, and Judith prays to God for strength to defeat him. She dresses herself up in seductive finery and infiltrates Holofernes' camp, whereupon he becomes infatuated with her. After a particularly wild debauch leaves Holofernes unconscious from drink, Judith beheads him. She then restores water to Israel and proclaims the greatness of the Lord.Judith is divided into five distinct sections, but these all share basic melodic material introduced in the first few moments of the score. An initial Adagio depicts the parlous state of the Israelites with hushed, mournful string music, occasionally brightened somewhat by yearning wind solos and occasionally combated by fierce brass. Judith prepares herself to enter Holofernes' camp in a Moderato section, depicted by a winding capriccio-like theme in winds and strings which becomes frenetic when the brass begin adding polyrhythmic chords. Judith spends three days in the camp before Holofernes meets her, and this time finds expression in a gentle but ominous Tranquillo, full of soft-textured string chords occasionally broken by brash snaps from the brass. A solo violin playing perfect fifths ends the section; a timpani picks up the interval, quickens the music and hurtles the orchestra into a Presto section depicting Holofernes' bacchanal. It begins with quiet pizzicato chords but moves continuously, and soon Schuman increases the tension for a nearly hysterical climax, featuring roaring timpani and stabbing brass chords, which depicts the beheading. After this, Judith returns to Israel bearing Holofernes' head to Andante music. A long melody unwinds itself over a steady pulse, showing her procession; the music sounds resigned, even regretful, over Judith's ordeal. Suddenly, she feels the glory of God around her, and massive brass chords force the music into a triumphant true C major coda. Schuman shows a talent for drama here, and Judith is never less than gripping. ~ Andrew Lindemann Malone, All Music Guide
Albums with Complete Performances of the Work
| Title | Date |
| A Tribute to William Schuman | 1992 |
| William Schuman | 2003 |
| William Schuman: American Masters | 1998 |
| William Schuman: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5 | 2006 |
