In this Book
- Harry T. Burleigh: From the Spiritual to the Harlem Renaissance
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: University of Illinois Press
- Series: Music in American Life
summary
Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949) played a leading role in American music and culture in the twentieth century. Celebrated for his arrangements of spirituals, Burleigh was also the first African American composer to create a significant body of art song. An international roster of opera and recital singers performed his works and praised them as among the best of their time. Jean E. Snyder traces Burleigh's life from his Pennsylvania childhood through his fifty-year tenure as soloist at St. George's Episcopal Church in Manhattan. As a composer, Burleigh's pioneering work preserved and transformed the African American spiritual; as a music editor, he facilitated the work of other black composers; as a role model, vocal coach, and mentor, he profoundly influenced American song; and in private life he was friends with AntonÃn Dvořák, Marian Anderson, Will Marion Cook, and other America luminaries. Snyder provides rich historical, social, and political contexts that explore Burleigh's professional and personal life within an era complicated by changes in race relations, class expectations, and musical tastes.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xvii-xx
- Part I. Erie, Pennsylvania: Foundation for a National Career
- Part II. To New York City and Beyond
- Part III. Art Song Composer, Music Editor, and Pioneer Arranger of Spirituals
- Part IV. Burleigh's Legacy
Additional Information
ISBN
9780252098109
Related ISBN(s)
9780252039942, 9780252086328
MARC Record
OCLC
938019405
Pages
432
Launched on MUSE
2016-02-13
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2021