Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jean E Snyder
Publisher:   University of Illinois Press
Imprint:   University of Illinois Press
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 5.30cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9780252039942

ISBN 10:   0252039947
Pages:   448
Publication Date:   19 February 2016
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

CoverTitleCopyrightContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChronology of Major Events in the Life of Harry T. BurleighPART I. ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA: FOUNDATION FOR A NATIONAL CAREER1. Hamilton Waters and the Struggle for Freedom and Education2. The Family and Community That Shaped Burleigh’s Youth3. Burleigh’s Music Experience and Training in EriePART II. TO NEW YORK CITY AND BEYOND4. Burleigh at the National Conservatory of Music5. Introducing Antonín Dvořák to African American Music6. The Columbian Exposition--The Chicago World’s Fair7. The Symphony “From the New World”8. Foremost Musician and Engaged Citizen9. Burleigh’s Singing Career10. Music Mentor and Colleague11. Family Matters: Fame and Its Discontents12. Wife and Family of the “Eminent Baritone”13. St. George’s Becomes Mr. Burleigh’s ChurchPART III. ART SONG COMPOSER, MUSIC EDITOR, AND PIONEER ARRANGER OF SPIRITUALS14. A Singer-Composer Learns His Craft15. “Composer by Divine Right”16. Bringing Spirituals to the Concert Stage17. Burleigh Spirituals and the Harlem RenaissancePART IV. BURLEIGH'S LEGACY18. The Impact of a LifeNotesIndex

Reviews

The definitive biography of Burleigh, unlikely to be superseded in the near future.--Thomas Riis, author of Just before Jazz: Black Musical Theater in New York, 1890 -1915

Author Information

Ethnomusicologist Jean E. Snyder has taught in Kenya and Zambia, and at several colleges and universities in western Pennsylvania.

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