By Constance Garcia-Barrio
A galaxy of superb singers took part in the 68th annual performance of “Messiah” at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church on December 7. This popular oratorio — an opera-like musical composition for choirs, soloists, orchestras or other musical ensembles — was composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. “Messiah,” which tells the story of the life of Jesus Christ, premiered in Dublin in 1742 to what was a lukewarm reception at the time. Subsequently, its popularity has grown over the centuries.
A mainstay of Philadelphia’s holiday season, for decades, this year’s Messiah Festival has special significance. Proceeds will support the creation of the Charles A. Tindley Legacy Preservation Center, an archival and educational space designed to protect the church’s original hymnals, community records, and other artifacts. The center will also celebrate the life of Rev. Tindley, who led the church now known as Tindley Temple from 1902 until his death in 1933.
The center will offer exhibitions, research, and public programming, according to church archivist Jillian Pirtle.
“We want to ensure that the documents and artifacts are available for future generations,” Pirtle, an opera singer and historian who lives nearby, said.
Rev. Charles A. Tindley
Photo courtesy of Tindley Temple
Pirtle is also the executive director of the National Marian Anderson Museum, just minutes away.
“There’s so much music and history within a few square blocks [of the church],” she said.
Visitors experience history just looking at the church at 750 S. Broad Street.
Built between 1923 and 1928, it reflects both Beaux Art Romanesque and Art Deco styles and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tindley Temple United Methodist Church
circa 1930s
Photo courtesy: Tindley Temple
Under Tindley’s leadership, the church would become a fount of music. Born in Berlin, Maryland, to a free mother and an enslaved father, Tindley grew up among Black people who were in bondage. Though born free himself because his mother was free, Tindley seemed to absorb the pain, longing, and grit of the bondsmen he knew in childhood, and later poured those feelings into his music. After the Civil War, Tindley moved to Philadelphia. A prolific songwriter and composer, he was eventually dubbed as “a father of gospel music.”
In 1957, Tindley Temple’s then-music director, Dr. J. Edward Hoy, launched the Messiah Festival, now one of the country’s longest-standing sacred music celebrations.
Dr. Marcus Simmons, a lifelong member of Tindley, served as this year’s emcee. Simmons has sung for former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
Singers performing during the 68th annual “Messiah” concert at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church. Photo courtesy: Constance Garcia-Barrio
In fact, Simmons attended his first Messiah Festival before he was even born.
“I heard my first ‘Messiah’ in utero,” Simmons said. “My mother came to church that Sunday to make sure she heard the ‘Messiah’,” Simmons, lead pastor at St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Trevose, Pa., said. “It was a beloved tradition for her. She sat up in the balcony, nine months pregnant. I was born on [the following] Friday.”
The church helped nurture Simmons’ talent.
“I sung in Tindley’s children’s choir,” he said.
Simmons also began taking piano lessons at the Settlement Music School at age 5.
“Now I play 11 different instruments,” said Simmons, who is also featured in the Emmy-winning documentary “Amen! Music of the Black Church” on PBS.
Simmons’ career has taken him around the world, but it has also presented challenges beyond the rigorous practice required of elite musicians.
“I wanted to have a career and a family,” he said, noting that caring for both involves a delicate balance.
Artists may also face the vagaries of the economy, Simmons said.
“After the recession of 2008, lots of programs got canceled,” he said. COVID-19 also brought disruptions. “Organizations that you had contracts with closed. Entire seasons got cancelled. Contracts had to be renegotiated because now you needed immunizations.”
World politics can also spring surprises.
“When you’re on tour, political shifts may mean that travel to certain countries is no longer safe,” Simmons said.
Regardless, performing in venues like the Saigon Opera House and Australia’s Queensland Performing Arts Center can lead to remarkable experiences, Simmons said.
“One of my most cherished musical memories is singing “Amazing Grace” in Vietnam,” Simmons, who has had artist residencies and led master classes in the U.S. and abroad, said. “Several groups of us were singing it at the same time, each of us in our native language. We were singing …[the hymn] in English, German, Thai, and Italian, all at once. It was cool to hear how the inflection and meaning of the words still came through.”
A peak musical experience may have been had by the audience at the Messiah Festival last Sunday. Award-winning organist Dylan Shaw opened the event with a recital. Shaw served as assistant organist for Wanamaker’s Grand Court organ for 11 years.
The organ itself has a pedigree. Built by Mathias P. Moller, it has more than 6,000 pipes and 6 divisions and is considered one of Philadelphia’s great historic organs.
Native Philadelphian Dr. Jay Fluellen, a well-known composer, conductor, and educator, led a 100-voice choir. His works have been commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and the Bucks County Choral Society. Fluellen currently serves as music director at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.
The organ, singers, and music together gave a stirring event.
“Handel does a good job of capturing the emotion of the story of Jesus,” Simmons said. “I hope [they] came away with the wonder and awe and joy of the Christmas season.”
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