“Sprinkle Coal Dust on My Grave” composer and Shepherd University alumnus Walker Williams speaks to the Masterworks Chorale, during a recent rehearsal. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music composition from Shepherd University a couple years ago, Walker Williams decided to learn more about the subject, by earning a master’s degree and doctorate in music composition from The University of British Columbia.

Walker’s doctoral thesis composition, “Sprinkle Coal Dust on My Grave,” was written in the form of an oratorio.

“My thesis composition is an oratorio about the Mine Wars, a period of labor struggles and conflict in early 20th century West Virginia,” Walker said of the wars, which took place from 1912-1921. “Despite the scale of these conflicts, they tend to be glossed over in discussions of coal mining, and U.S. history in general. I hope to be able to bring additional awareness to this moment in labor history.”

Walker noted that many West Virginians grow up with little knowledge of the Mine Wars, because the school system was legally prevented from teaching about them for over 50 years after-the-fact. The oratorio digs deep into that forgotten history, featuring dialogue from the witness stand and tunes sung by the mineworkers in protest of unfair labor and living conditions.

“Musically, the form is inspired by baroque oratorio and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passions in particular, with musical styles drawn from a range of sources, including traditional Appalachian music,” Williams said, noting familiar tunes such as “Lily of the Valley” and “I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger” have been woven into the work.

The oratorio was commissioned by the Shepherd University School of Music, with funding from a West Virginia Humanities Council grant. It will be premiered by the university’s largest choral ensemble, the Masterworks Chorale.

“I loved discovering this work,” said Shepherd University Director of Choral and Vocal Activities Jason Strunk. “So much of this is cinematic — you can see it happening as you hear the music! You hear the call of Mother Jones. You hear the strikes of the anvil in the percussion, as if you were in the mines. You hear the story of what these miners and their families went through. It is phenomenal — you can’t hear this piece without crying.”

For Strunk, the oratorio is particularly poignant today, with the widening income gap in the United States. Only 50 percent of American adults can consider themselves a member of the middle class today — a fall of four percent since 2001 and 11 percent since 1971, according to a 2023 report by the Pew Research Center.

“Some may say this piece is prophetic,” Strunk said. “It’s a historical story, but also a cautionary tale. It talks about what happens when people do whatever they want to get rich, no matter if it forces many others into poverty.”

“Sprinkle Coal Dust on My Grave” will be performed in the Frank Arts Center Theater on April 26 at 7:30 p.m., alongside another choral masterpiece, Randal Thompson’s “Frostiana: Seven Country Songs” — a choral setting of some of Robert Frost’s most popular poetry.

Tickets may be purchased at the concert or in-advance, at https://shepherdrams.universitytickets.com/w/default.aspx?cid=192.