By Carla Charter

Two pews from the area’s past have made their stage debut in A New England Ballet Theatre performance of “The Long Black Veil” in Hartford, Connecticut.

“The pews were featured in the opening scene of the ballet. I wanted to incorporate and pay homage to American folk art, so I decided to open the ballet in a church scene to include sacred harp singing,” said Rachel Gnatowski, artistic and executive director and co-founder of the New England Ballet Theatre. “Sacred harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that originated in New England and was later perpetuated and carried on in the American South. It is a uniquely American tradition that brings communities together to sing four-part hymns and anthems. I also included quilts donated by the Greater Hartford Quilt Guild (as the backdrops of the ballet), and local fiddle player Cat Lines composed and performed two pieces of music throughout the ballet.”

Gnatowski first noticed the pews available on Facebook.

“My boyfriend and I drove to pick up the pews- he borrowed a trailer from his dad,” said Gnatowski. “I decided to purchase the pews because they were the right size and we needed them for the show. I was planning on finding them a new home after the production, but I fell in love with the pews. We are going to hold onto them in case we perform the ballet again.”

The pews, according to Narragansett Historical Society President Brian Tanguay, were originally stored at the Grange Hall, which prior to the restoration was used for storage. The sale of the pews will benefit the Grange Hall Restoration.

“We are saving a dozen of the pews. These are the ones we don’t have room for,” he stated.

“The Long Black Veil” was originally a 1959 country ballad written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilki and recorded by Lefty Frizzell. In 2019, Frizzell’s version of “The Long Black Veil” was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” Gnatowski said.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Athol assistant superintendent among finalists for Easthampton job

Athol, Royalston principals say claims of teacher harassment by students not widespread

UMass Stonewall Center provides info on name changes, gender markings in advance of Trump presidency

Al’s Truck collection open for one more week

Health care worker recovery program takes shape in Massachusetts

Two Gardner residents killed in three-vehicle crash in New Salem

Your Daily Puzzles

Cross|Word

Flipart

Typeshift

SpellTower

Really Bad Chess

“The song tells a story about a man falsely accused of murder and executed. He refuses to provide an alibi, since on the night of the murder he was having an extramarital affair with his best friend’s wife, and would rather die and take their secret to his grave than admit the truth,” she said. “The chorus describes the woman’s mourning visits to his grave site, wearing a long black veil and enduring a wailing wind. Our ballet tells the same story- it opens in a town and there is a mysterious murder at night. The main character is accused of murder and executed – he doesn’t provide an alibi because he’s having an affair with his best friend’s wife. The woman visits his grave wearing a long black veil to mourn his death.”

“The Long Black Veil” has become a music standard and has been covered by a variety of country, folk and rock artists. The highest charting cover was a #26 country hit by Sammi Smith in 1974. Gnatowski said they included a version in their production by The Chieftains & Mick Jagger.

“I first got the idea to turn the song into a ballet when I was a child, probably around age 12,” she added. “My mom played the song and I thought it would make a great ballet.”

Gnatowski choreographed, directed and produced the ballet.

“I thought this would make the perfect ballet, because it does feel similar to a famous ballet called ‘Giselle.’ In ‘Giselle’ a young girl dies of a broken heart and in the second act of the ballet she’s a ghost,” Gnatowski said. “I thought ‘Long Black Veil’ would translate nicely into a ballet and something that all audience members would enjoy. There aren’t many full-length ballets inspired by American stories and I thought this would be the perfect story to blend.”

Gnatowski said they were in rehearsals for about four to five weeks preparing for the premiere.

“I did spend some time choreographing and planning scenes prior to rehearsals, but most of the work is done in the studio with the dancers,” she said. “Things always look different on bodies, and as a choreographer you must be flexible with your ideas and ready to change/problem solve in rehearsals.”

The ballet premiered on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford.

“We invited about 20 people to preview the dress rehearsal the evening prior to the premiere, and had about 115 people in the audience at the premiere,” Gnatowski said. “I would love to perform this ballet again.”

The performance is available to watch online for purchase through

https://www.neballettheatre.com/the-long-black-veil

Those interested in donating to the Grange Hall Restoration Project can do so by sending their donation to Narragansett Historical Society, 1 Boynton Road, Templeton, MA, 01468, noting on the donation “Grange Hall Restoration Project.” To donate online go to https://cfncm.org/donate-now/narragansett-historical-society-fund.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.