Video
Historical Narrative
Composed in 1973, I’m Troubled in Mind (JP 105) represents Betty Jackson King’s enduring commitment to transforming the spiritual into refined concert literature while honoring those who carried its tradition forward. The dedication to Dr. Kenneth Billups and The Legend Singers of St. Louis acknowledges one of the most important figures in mid-twentieth-century African American choral performance. Founded by Dr. Billups in 1940, The Legend Singers were among the first ensembles devoted to preserving and performing Negro spirituals and African American folk music at a professional artistic level. Their concerts throughout the Midwest brought national recognition to St. Louis as a center for Black choral artistry.
Betty Jackson King and Dr. Billups shared similar missions within the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM, Inc.), where both were active members and respected leaders. Through NANM conventions, performances, and publications, they worked to ensure that the legacy of the Negro spiritual remained central to American choral tradition. King’s dedication of I’m Troubled in Mind to Billups and his choir was both personal and symbolic—a gesture of gratitude to a fellow champion of African American music who, like her, balanced artistry, faith, and education.
The year 1973 marked a creative period for King, following the establishment of Jacksonian Press and several successful sacred choral premieres. By dedicating I’m Troubled in Mind to Billups, she paid tribute to his lifelong advocacy for authentic spiritual performance while asserting her own compositional voice as a bridge between traditional folk material and contemporary choral writing. This arrangement continues to embody that shared vision: preserving the emotional truth of the spiritual while elevating it through disciplined artistry.
Musical Description
Set for S.A.T.B. with Solo, I’m Troubled in Mind begins Lento in the key of B , immediately establishing a tone of introspection and lament. The soloist’s line, “I’m troubled, I’m troubled in mind,” unfolds over sustained choral phrases marked pianissimo, creating a haunting dialogue between individual confession and collective response. King’s writing employs layered entrances and delicate dynamic shading, allowing tension to build organically within a slow, steady pulse.
The harmonic language is rooted in modal minor inflections and subtle blues-tinged cadences, reflecting both classical restraint and emotional depth. The middle section introduces a poignant solo plea—“If Jesus don’t help me, I surely will die”—against gently pulsing chords in the lower voices. This call-and-response texture evokes the spiritual’s origins in oral tradition while maintaining refined choral discipline. As the work progresses, the choir’s sustained “troubled” motifs provide a foundation of shared grief that resolves into hope through the closing affirmation, “Savior, on Thee I depend.”
King’s sensitive scoring demonstrates her mastery of expressive pacing and choral balance. The piece is ideal for ensembles seeking repertoire that bridges concert sophistication and heartfelt spirituality. Through its emotional sincerity and elegant structure, I’m Troubled in Mind stands as a tribute to Dr. Kenneth Billups and The Legend Singers—an enduring reflection of their shared mission to preserve the spiritual as a living art form.