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Overview

A conversation on the subject of Black and brown composers, musicians, and conductors in classical music doesn't usually spark a lively exchange about the latest concerts, published books, or recorded works. More often than not, the reaction is silence or a brief reply, which is not to say that conductors and artists around the world are not performing orchestral commissions and compositions. If the topic of Black and brown musicians comes up, some people will probably think of Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, or maybe James Brown or Public Enemy. But few will think of Francis (Frank) Johnson or William Grant Still or a host of other Black American classical composers. However, several semesters would not be enough to cover the wealth of material produced by classical musicians of the African diaspora. So, what happened to these African American composers, musicians, and conductors who contributed to the classical music traditions of America?

Be ready to:

Identify the lives of notable Black classical composers, conductors, and musical performers.
Demonstrate the concept of the linkage between the music of the “old guard”—musicians of yesteryear—and their impact on the contemporary Black classical musicians and compositions.
Describe the importance of Slave Songs of the United States and Music and Some Highly Musical People to the development of the survey of American music history.
List a few important African American classical singers who were strategic to the early development of establishing the bar for singers of the twentieth century.
Identify classical singers who were influential upon concert life in Black America during the first half of the twentieth century.

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References

Spiritual Art Songs: Harry Thacker Burleigh

Harry Thacker Burleigh (1866–1949), signed in 1917, New York

The end of the Civil War brought about the establishment of many educational institutions where the African American could go to be educated, including in music. The education they obtained did not cause them to forget their past rich oral musical tradition. Many understood that for their music to be preserved so that other generations would be fully aware of their beauty, these songs would have to be notated. The musical notations of African American spirituals lead to many forms of arrangements, such as choral arrangements in four- and eight-part harmony and arrangements for solo voice and piano accompaniment—spiritual art songs—which is the legacy of Harry Thacker Burleigh.

The African American classical composer, arranger, and singer, Harry Thacker Burleigh (1866–1949) is considered the first to arrange spirituals as an art songA song of serious artistic purpose designed for the concert hall as opposed to traditional songs or folk songs. An art song is usually sung by a solo voice with accompaniment. In German, it is called lieder, in French, chanson. An art song is a complete composition in itself and is not part of a larger work such as an opera or an oratorio. . During the early twentieth century, more than three hundred of Burleigh's art songs were performed by famous White concert singers such as John McCormack, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, and Lucrezia Bori (Wright 2015, 145).

These songs that were once sung on the plantation were now moved from an oral tradition onto the concert stage, where Burleigh began the practice of closing out his concerts singing groups of spirituals. This new life that was breathed into these works allowed concert singers to have access to these works for the very first time. As these songs, now arranged in the art song tradition began to be more widely circulated, they began to attract noted composers and singers.

Old Plantation Play Song, from Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation, by Joel Chandler Harris, p. 164a

Listen to a group of concertized spirituals that were arranged by Burleigh and sung by baritone Justin Austin. The spirituals that you will hear are grouped as follows in this program:

"My Lord, What a Morning"
"I Don't Feel No-ways Tired"; (Music Score to “I Don’t Feel No-Ways Tired")
"Oh, Didn't It Rain"
"O Rocks, Don't Fall on Me"

HARRY T. BURLEIGH Songs & Spirituals with Justin Austin [ 00:00-00:00 ]

William C. Banfield

We got some Black Beethovens living up in here, and what's most sad is, y'all don't even know it!

William C. Banfield

Can you imagine American music without the work of Black composers or without Black music in general? Still, there is a refusal, a denial, of that reality.