Discovering A Voice Within: Librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton on the process of creating a world-premiere song song cycle with composer Joel Thompson

Join us on June 17th at 7pm to celebrate Juneteenth with the world premiere of A Voice Within, a new song cycle by HGO Composer-in-Residence Joel Thompson and librettist and Houston poet laureate emeritus Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, presented in partnership with the Emancipation Park Conservancy and the African American History Research Center at the Gregory School. Tickets are on sale now at the link here.

As the librettist for A Voice Within, it was my honor to serve as the steward of so many local stories alongside composer Joel Thompson. Much of my work centered on finding a way to translate oral histories into poetic texts that could capture the resilient spirit and the passionate hearts of the Black community of Houston, Texas.

My process began with combing through the archives at the African American Research Center at the Gregory School. I was provided digital access to materials on a rich array of iconic Houstonians to sift through. There were some recognizable names that seemed impossible to leave out, such as Dr. Thomas F. Freeman, the championship speech and debate coach at Texas Southern University. However, the first story I translated belonged to a lesser-known citizen, Jackie Bostic. 

I had the pleasure of sitting down and conducting my own interview with Ms. Bostic about a year ago. We sat across the table from each other in a room at the Emancipation Park Conservancy with a tape recorder between us. Over the course of about an hour, she recounted her fondest memories of the Third Ward and the Juneteenth celebrations that took place at that very park. It was a delight to see her pull stories out of the recesses of her mind, pulling out fantastical tales of homecoming queens descending from helicopters and yearly parades to celebrate the freedom of the formerly enslaved. I knew that I wanted to find a way to blend all of her stories together, but in a way that wasn't distracting or confusing. I settled on creating a poem in her voice that spoke more to the soil she was grown from, and all of the parts that made it special. This poem was the first seed of the song that became "Inheritance."

The piece was originally created as a spoken word poem that was performed at a Juneteenth celebration by a local poet. I knew the text would need some trimming and reshaping to feel cohesive when sung. I provided a song text version and a poetic version with my final drafts to Joel. When he read the poetic version, he said it held an internal rhythm and pace that he preferred. I trusted that his vision for the text would be great, as long as he could hear it in his head. Much of this work is like this. It relies on both collaborators to work toward a shared vision, often giving over to the creative genius of the other. Working with Joel made this process very easy, because I trusted that the goal of his approach was in tune with mine.

 As the song cycle continued to develop, I returned to the archives, pulling not only interesting stories, but considering the voice types Joel was already beginning to hear in his head. We discussed offering some pieces for a strong male voice, some for a big female voice, and moments when the two could blend into beautiful duets. Those combined moments turned out to be some of the hardest things to draft. Since all the oral histories were of individuals, I had to find an approach that made sense for two voices. In one instance, a woman spoke of her parents and the lessons they taught her so highly that an obvious solution presented itself. In another, one of the interviewees spoke about their first love. It served as the perfect opportunity to create a love duet for our brilliant singers to live in.

There was a beautiful intimacy to sharing a community space with someone I knew I had to capture. I took on the first-person voices of each of our muses in hopes of building something like a fluid conversation for the audience to experience. I wanted each piece to feel like the audience had stumbled onto the singer in the monotony or joy of the everyday; maybe it was a day they felt like sharing a story, or why they are who they are. This approach removed all sense of braggadociousness or selling one's own importance. Instead, it stripped singer and audience down to their human connection, anchoring both in the pride of place.

These texts were then submitted to Joel. One of the things I love about him is his ability to look at words and immediately hear melodies. The magic of a good composer is finding, not only the earworm or the ballad, but constructing an arc through the music that makes you feel as though you have been on a journey, something Joel does easily. I was given access to early digital files of his first drafts and given time to offer any feedback. Then he let his magic and craft lead him through the edits to create the final 12 songs.

In its completed state, A Voice Within serves as a love letter to Black Houston. It's a celebration of our differences, but even more so, a spotlight on our human connections. Whether you were born in Acres Homes or River Oaks, there is a beautiful synergy to living by this bayou-linked city that transcends race. The themes of resilience, strength, love, and above all pride of place make A Voice Within a patchwork of individual stories that leave the audience wrapped in the quilt of Houston's thriving Black community.