Black orchestra celebrates song first heard on New Year’s Day 1773 when repentant former slave trader declaimed verses in church
Photograph: Christie Goodwin/RedfernsPhotograph: Christie Goodwin/RedfernsA declaration of gratitude and humility, the Christian anthem Amazing Grace is sung around the world at significant moments. The stirring lyric sometimes expresses a sense of loss, yet equally often a shared hope for the future.
“It is a hymn that seems to always have been there, but it has special resonance for me because I have specialised in writing about civil rights,” said Smith.Newton worked on a series of hymns in Olney with the poet William Cowper, and the duo are a key part of the cultural heritage of the area.
“Our new musical piece will reflect on all that,” said Smith. “I want to look at the song’s enduring properties and its reach, as well as at the puzzle of Newton’s slave trading past.” Newton’s own life story certainly lives up to the emotional rollercoaster of his powerful lyric. Born in Wapping, east London in 1725, his unhappy childhood at home and boarding school was followed by a career on the high seas. Press-ganged into the navy, he survived hardships at sea and also built up a reputation among shipmates for writing obscene rhymes. Then came an enforced period as the crew of slave ship and the beginning of a lucrative career investing in the trade.
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