A Conversation with William Warfield
by Roger Cooper
In 1993, WILL's Roger Cooper produced a special on
his friend William Warfield. This article was originally
printed in the February 1993 edition of Patterns, WILL's
monthly programming guide.
A conversation with William Warfield is very
much like a concert with William Warfield. There is the
same rich warmth of voice, the same vibrancy of
personality infusing all that he says with excitement and
musical inflection, and, of course, an amusing anecdote or
colorful turn of phrase is never very far from the tongue
of the master storyteller.
One becomes immediately aware of the shrewd
intelligence behind the smiling eyes that are almost as
expressive as the voice, and an ingenuousness of spirit,
almost childlike in its sense of wonder. The listener can
be caught up in that wonder, marveling at simple everyday
things that up until now have been taken for granted.
From his rich storehouse of knowledge comes advice on a
vast array of subjects ranging from the best ornaments to
use in a Bach aria to the best apples to use for an
old-time cobbler. There is wisdom to be had on starting a
career in music, getting along with a roommate or just
getting along in life. And, of course, the seemingly
inexhaustible stream of jokes that he collects in his many
travels: "Did you hear the one about ... ?"
When Warfield talks about starting and conducting his
career, it's like a personal tour of the history of Black
music. He has interacted with and been inspired by many of
the great African-American artists such as Marian
Anderson, Paul Robeson, Roland Hayes, William Grant Still,
R. Nathaniel Dett, and he himself inspired others such as
Simon Estes, Jessye Norman and, of course, Leontyne Price.
He has also vivid recollections of some of the giants of
music such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copeland, Herbert
von Karajan, Samuel Barber and Eugene Ormandy. He freely
dishes up large servings from his memories to all and
liberally seasons them with love and affection.
A conversation with William Warfield is a concert of
wit, warmth and wisdom accompanied by charm and
graciousness and a zest for life and living that is easily
transferred to his audience.
William Warfield on
Classically Black
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