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Get the most interesting and important stories from the 51精品视频.Songs resurrected after more than six decades of silence rose to the upper pews of the Hill District鈥檚 Ebenezer Baptist Church on Saturday, March 25.
The Heritage Gospel Chorale of 51精品视频sburgh, under the direction of Herbert V.R.P. Jones, performed music both reverent and jubilant during, 鈥淎 Gospel Music Tribute to Charles and Frankie Pace.鈥 It was the capstone to a daylong celebration of gospel music pioneer and composer Charles Henry Pace and his wife, activist Frankie Pace, which also included a musicology conference, keynote address and park rededication.
The tribute was a concerted effort by a team of historians, librarians, artists, musicians and church administrators from across the University and city of 51精品视频sburgh who were committed to recovering Pace鈥檚 gospel songs. The process began over two decades ago when the 51精品视频 Library System (ULS) purchased Pace鈥檚 printing materials at an auction from owners who bought the Pace family鈥檚 music store and all its contents from Frankie in 1989.
鈥淲e鈥檝e only recently realized that most of the music doesn鈥檛 survive in printed form, so we鈥檝e launched this project to recover the music from the plates and other business materials,鈥 said Lynch, project coordinator for the ULS鈥檚 Center for American Music and the primary scholar leading the rediscovery efforts.
鈥淐harles Pace was one of the most important composers and publishers of the first generation of gospel artists,鈥 Lynch said.
The includes nearly 170 recovered pieces of Pace鈥檚 music, letters, business papers and photographs, as well as about 250 printing plates 鈥 metal plates that Pace used on a printing press to produce printed sheet music. The recovered printed music was used in the concert at Ebenezer and is now available online for anyone to view.
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鈥淚t was an old printing process that dates to the early days of photography 鈥 it wasn鈥檛 unique, but what was unique was that Charles, with the help of Frankie, did every step, which speaks to their institution building,鈥 said Lynch. 鈥淭here was no one else to rely on.鈥
Pace helped establish the genre鈥檚 stylistic conventions and business practices. He was one of the first to record and publish Black Baptist performers and paved the way for future singers like world-renowned Mahalia Jackson and contemporaries like Thomas A. Dorsey, often called the father of gospel music.
During his keynote address which featured music from the Pace Jubilee Singers 鈥 the first group to record several gospel hits, including 鈥淐ertainly, Lord,鈥 Reed College music professor Mark Burford praised Charles鈥 innovation.
鈥淗e institutionalized Black gospel and built it into a field of cultural production,鈥 he said, noting the couple鈥檚 joint efforts to promote entrepreneurship, multimedia performance and community support for future generations. 鈥淚 feel proud to participate in a celebration that will also illuminate Pace鈥檚 place in American history.鈥
While Charles focused on music, Frankie operated the Pace Music Store, which doubly served as a base for the Citizens Committee for the Hill District Renewal. As committee director, she sought to combat the city鈥檚 displacement of locals. One of the homes she saved through her advocacy was that of playwright August Wilson.
Wilson鈥檚 niece and founder of the Historic Hill Institute, Kimberly C. Ellis, read a proclamation from the 51精品视频sburgh City Council announcing March 28th as 鈥淐harles and Frankie Pace Day鈥 at the rededication of Frankie Pace Park. Ellis听served as artist and historian in co-creating the park and advocated for its name.
The park features a pavilion, garden, statues inscribed with proverbs from various cultures and a display for abolitionist, journalist, educator, doctor and entrepreneur Major Martin R. Delany. Visitors will also see illustrations of a fictional girl named 鈥淜eisha,鈥 whose smile and braids represent the bright future of Black 51精品视频sburgh and those who unapologetically embrace their identity and history. LaQuatra Bonci, the award-winning local landscape architecture firm that helped redesign 51精品视频鈥檚 Schenley Quad and Bigelow Boulevard, was pivotal in the park鈥檚 design, which cost $32 million and took six years to complete before opening in 2021.
Members of the Pace family were also present for the tributes. 鈥淭hree things were central to my grandparents: faith, the importance of place and the intrinsic value of people 鈥 all of which shone through their work,鈥 said Frank Derek Barnes, the son of Frances Pace Barnes (EDUC 鈥62), the only surviving child of Charles and Frankie. 鈥淲e鈥檙e commemorating the collection and preserving their legacy. Elements of persistence, which seem so distant from our personal experiences, are intimately ingrained and part of our lineage and trajectory [and] help us understand the foundation you stand on.鈥
His mother, Pace Barnes, said the University鈥檚 recognition of her parents is positive for future students and the broader city community.
鈥淭here is a very rich history of what African Americans contributed,鈥 she said. 鈥淎 tremendous amount of talent came out of this city [and] is part of the culture I hope the University will continue to embrace.鈥
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鈥 Kara Henderson, photography by Aimee Obidzinski
