Music: Classical
The MUSIC section is subdivided by category; I cross list resources where
categories overlap:
- General Music Resources
- Music: Sacred (spirituals, gospel, hymns, etc)
- Music: Secular Folk (blues, jazz,
work songs, protest songs, games, pop, rap, etc)
- Music : Classical (composed music: concert works, choral works,
musical theater, etc)
1. Lesson Plans and Teacher's Guides
2. Web Sites: General Grants, databases, online
exhibits, sources for recorded and printed music.
Web Sites: Individuals Classical composers and
performers
3. Books: Surveys and books on specific topics in
music.
4. CDs & Tapes: Anthologies to provide historical
perspective, resources for singing with students.
6. Videos
7. Sheet Music: 8. GIA Publications African American Church Series: Books, CDs, Sheet Music and More
Lesson Plans & Teacher's Guides
African-American
Artists in 'The World of Tomorrow'
http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/resources/lessonplans/hs_lp_worldfair_art.htm
Middle-High School, 3 lessons
Discover the role that the music of William Grant Still, the art of
Augusta Savage, and others played in the arts at the 1939 New York World's
Fair and the historic context of those art forms.
Websites: General
African-American
Sheet Music at the Library of Congress (1850-1920)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/rpbhtml/aasmhome.html
Special
Presentation: The Development of an African-American Musical Theatre 1865-1910
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/rpbhtml/aasmsprs1.html
Over 1,305 pieces of African-American sheet music, digitized for viewing
and printing. Includes: songs of antebellum black face minstrelsy, abolitionist
movement, songs associated with "Uncle Tom's Cabin," African-American
soldiers and the newly emancipated slave, Reconstruction and the Great
Migration.
"African-American popular composers include James Bland,
Ernest Hogan, Bob Cole, James Reese Europe, and Will
Marion Cook. Twentieth century titles feature many photographs of African-American
musical performers, often in costume."
Myrtle Hart Society
This content rich site chronicles the heritage and ongoing actitivities of the classical community of color. You'll find their eNewsletter, reviews, events plus links to information about composers and artists, and many useful sites for the procurement of sheet music, scholarships, etc.
Black
Composers http://creativefolk.com/blackhistory/blackcomposers.html
Annotated list of CDs featuring music by Harry T. Burleigh, William
Grant Still, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and many more. Includes links
to purchasing information.
Archives of African American
Music http://www.indiana.edu/~aaamc/
"Established in 1991, the Archives of African American Music and
Culture (AAAMC) is a repository of materials covering musical idioms and
cultural expressions from the post-World War II era. The AAAMC supports
the research of scholars, students, and the general public from around
the world by providing access to oral histories, photographs, musical and
print manuscripts, audio and video recordings, and educational broadcast
programs, among other holdings."
Center for Black Music Research http://www.colum.edu/cbmr/
"The CBMR is devoted to research, preservation, and dissemination
of information about the history of black music on a global scale."
It includes a musician's database and information about research fellowships,
events and more.
Afrocentric Voices in "Classical"
Music http://www.afrovoices.com/
Bibliographies, a small but growing collection of biographies,
chronology and a list of libraries and research centers that house
collections of resources by and about African American musicians.
African
American Art Song Alliance http://www.darryltaylor.com/alliance.html
Founded in 1997, this is the home of interchange between performers
and scholars interested in art song by African-American composers. Includes
links, recordings, information on composers and more.
Africlassical.com Composers
and Musicians of African Descent
Recordings, classroom resources and more.
Classical Music
Recordings of Black Composers: A Reference Guide http://astro.temple.edu/~rgreene/BlackComp
Compiled by Dr. Richard Greene of Temple University, this comprehensive
discography of CD recordings identifies the recorded works of almost 100
black composers. It is available both online and as a print version. The
web site includes music references, recent recordings and suggested listening.
Association for the Advancement
of Creative Musicians http://www.aacmchicago.org/
Formed in 1965 as a musicians cooperative, the AACM promotes "Great
Black Music." The AACM has continuously achieved international recognition
for its contributions in modern music, and the site provides images and
sound files for many members of the group.
National Association
of Negro Musicians http://facstaff.morehouse.edu/~cgrimes/
Founded in Chicago in 1919, the NAMN is "the oldest organization
dedicated to the preservation, encouragement and advocacy of all genres
of the music of African-Americans in the world." Marian Anderson was
their first scholarship recipient. Membership information, plus some biographical
information, can be found here.
Opera Ebony http://www.operaebony.org
"Opera Ebony is considered one of the world's great cultural treasures.
Benjamin Matthews, Sister Mary Elise S.B.S. and Wayne Sanders founded Opera
Ebony in 1973. Since then, the company has served as a professional platform
for thousands of American artists, administrators and technical staff helping
them to refine their talent and perfect their craft. "
Websites: Individuals
An
Interview with Grace Bumbry http://www.culturekiosque.com/opera/intervie/rhebumb.htm
Transcript of the interview reflecting on her career, conducted in 1997
after her final performance in Lyons, France.
Grace
Bumbry at Amazon (CDs, books and more.)
Barbara Hendricks
http://www.barbarahendricks.com/home.htm
Home of the Barbara Hendricks International Fan Club, this site keeps
tabs on her many activities and recordings.
Barbara
Hendricks at Amazon.com
Jessye
Norman http://kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3781&source_type=A
Jessye Norman was a 1997 Kennedy Center Honoree, "recognizing the
lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our Nations most
prestigious artists." This link provides her biography.
Jessye
Norman at Amazon.com
Leontyne Price http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_price_leontyne.htm
This biographical web site was prepared by The Mississippi Writers
And Musicians Project of Starkville High School
Leontyne
Price at Amazon.com
Marian
Anderson: A Life in Song http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/rbm/anderson/index.html
This outstanding online exhibition includes biographical information,
historical background, photos, sound clips, a discography and more.
Marian
Anderson music and books at Amazon.com (Since this is a common name,
you'll find some unrelated material, but it's mostly OUR Marian Anderson!)
Paul Robeson
Centennial Celebration http://www.cpsr.cs.uchicago.edu/robeson/links/
An extensive collection of resources for studying the life and music
of Paul Robeson.
Robeson
CDs, books, posters, videos and more at Amazon.com
Shirley Verrett Homepage http://www.shirleyverrett.com/
Biography, timeline, discography and some wonderful photos.
Shirley
Verrett books and music at Amazon.com
Simon Estes Educational Foundation
http://www.seef.org/
Biographical information about the renowned bass-baritone, and news
of his foundation which supports higher educational opportunities in Oklahoma.
Simon
Estes at Amazon.com
William Grant Still -
Still Going On http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sgo/
Still (1895 - 1978) is considered the "Dean of Afro-American Composers."
This site provides historical information and discography, plus links to
related collections at the Duke archives. You can listen to music by Still
and others at Amazon.com, which carries the CD collection Piano Music by Still and other Black Composers.
William Grant Still Music
& The Master Player Library http://www.williamgrantstill.com/
Dedicated to preserving and promoting the achievments of Afro-American
composer and conductor, William Grant Still as well as those of minority
and women composers. An extensive selection of books, recordings, and other
educational materials, including a large catalog of sheet music by William
Grant Still and other minority composers.
Books
Southern, Eileen. The Music of Black Americans: A History, 3rd edition.
New York: W.W. North, 1997. Read
More at Amazon.com (High School - Adult)
First written in 1971 and now in it's 3rd edition, this is a wonderful,
readable textbook on all aspects of African American music.
Hine, Darlene Clark and Kathleen Thompson. Facts on File Encyclopedia
of Black Women in America, Volume V: Music. New York: Facts on File,
1997. (Middle School - Adult.) Read
more at Amazon.com
CDs & Tapes
You'll find an extensive listing of recordings
of works by classical composers on a separate page. However, I feel
every library must have at least this introductory series:
African Heritage Symphonic Series - Volume 1. Cedille Records, 2000.
Program notes enclosed. Chicago Sinfonietta with Paul Freeman, Conductor.
Available at Amazon.com
Works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), Fela Sowande (1905-1987)
and William Grant Still (1895-1978). Best known for his serious choral
masterpiece, Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, Afro-British composer Coleridge-Taylor
is represented by two works in a lighter vein, "Danse Negre"
from African Suite (1898) and the balletic Petite Suite de Concert,
Op 77 (1910). Nigerian Fela Sowande's African Suite from 1930 incorporates
traditional Nigerian melodies and the influence of Ghanian composer Ephiraim
Amu. William Grant Still's Symphony No. 1, "Afro-American," (1930)
evolved from blues-based sketches he wrote during the Harlem Renaissance
while arranging for jazz ensembles. Conducter Paul Freeman, who worked
directly with Still on performances of this and other works, provides a
sultry, swinging interpretation several minutes faster than competing CD
versions. The program notes, written in an engaging style by Dominique-Rene
de Lerma, provide a thorough introduction to the work of all three composers.
African Heritage Symphonic Series - Volume II. Cedille Records, 2001.
Program notes enclosed. Chicago Sinfonietta with Paul Freeman, Conductor.
Read more or listen at Amazon.com
Devoted to twentieth-century composers of African descent. Ulysses Kay's
(1917-1995) orchestral suite"Theater Set" incorporates march-like
rhythms and starts things off with a bang. "Lyric for Strings"
by George Walker (b. 1922) is a tender work, a fitting memorial to his
grandmother. With "Eight Miniatures for Small Orchestra" Roque
Cordero (b. 1917) synthesizes the 12-tone technique with the folk music
of his native Panama. Hale Smith's (b. 1925) symphonic poem "Ritual
and Incantations" uses idealized African drumming to create a stunning
piece full of mystery and sinister undercurrents. Adolphus Hailstork (b.
1941) contributes two pieces: the exhuberant, jazz influenced "An
American Port of Call " and the moving, transcendent "Epitaph
for a Man Who Dreamed," a memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. The
program notes, written in an engaging style by Dominique-Rene de Lerma,
provide a thorough introduction to the work of all five composers.
African Heritage Symphonic Series - Volume III. Cedille Records, 2002.
Program notes enclosed. Chicago Sinfonietta with Paul Freeman, Conductor.
Read more or listen at Amazon.com
Four works by living composers working in the mainstream of contemporary
music. Michael Abels (b.1962) wrote "Global Warming" in 1990,
not long after the Berlin Wall fell. It reflects both environmental and
international warming, incorporating folk music from various cultures.
David Baker's (b. 1931) "Cello Concerto" is lyrical and jazz
influenced. (Also found on PAUL FREEMAN INTRODUCES CONCERTOS, Albany.) "Essay for
Orchestra" by William Banfield (b. 1961) is from a larger work for
percussion and orchestra, a blend of jazz influences and 19th Century Romanticism.
The structure of "Generations: Sinfonietta No. 2 for Strings"
by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (b. 1932) is "somewhat autobiograhpical"
representing the composer's family relationships. It combines folk melodies,
dances, and the B-A-C-H idea in what David Hurwitz called "a Bartókian
synthesis." The program notes, written in an engaging style by Dominique-Rene
de Lerma, provide a thorough introduction to the work of all four composers.
Videos
I'll Make Me A World. Executive Producer Henry Hampton. 6 Videocassettes,
60 minutes each. PBS Video, 1999.
Profiles African American musicians, artists and authors
throughout twentieth century America. Each segment is 60 minutes.Out
of print, but widely available in library collections.
- Segments 1 & 2: Lift Every Voice (1900-1920); Without Fear or Shame
(1920-1937)
- Segments 3 & 4: Bright Like the Sun (1935-1954); The Dream Keepers
(1940- 1965)
- Segments 5 & 6 : Not a Rhyme Time (1963-1986); The Freedom You
Will Take (1985 - Present)
Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory. Producer/Director, Liewellyn
Smith. Videocassette. PBS Home Video, 2000. 60 minutes. Amazon
.com
Program Information
at PBS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/singers/index.html
Teacher's
Guide at PBS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/singers/tguide/index.html
"In the chaotic decade following the Civil War, a group of young
ex-slaves in Nashville, Tennessee, set out on a mission to save their financially
troubled school by giving concerts. Traveling first through cities in the
North, then on to venues across Europe, the Jubilee Singers introduced
audiences to the power of spirituals, the religious anthems of slavery."
Aida's Brothers and Sisters: Black Voices in Opera. Kultar, 2000.
Amazon
.com
PBS website with related
resources
A fascinating look at the history and present situation of African-American
opera singers in America. Combines rare and contemporary footage of some
of the greatest performers of the century and includes interview with many
notable black singers, as well as musicologists, directors and historians.
Three Mo' Tenors BMG/RCA 2001. Available at Amazon.com in VHS
and
DVD (You can also purchase the audio
CD at Amazon.com)
"Since their debut in the summer of 2000, Victor Trent Cook, Thomas
Young, and Rodrick Dixon -- otherwise known as Three Mo' Tenors -- have
been thrilling audiences with their dynamic performances encompassing a
wide spectrum of musical genres. From Verdi and Puccini through gospel
and traditional spirituals to Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington , and Broadway,
these three virtuosos pay tribute to the incredible versatility of African-American
operatic tenors that is all too infrequently showcased on the conventional
stage."
Sheet
Music
MusicNotes.com Digital sheet music on demand! A wide library to select from, with adjustable keys. For example, Select from 17 versions of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and Download a DIGITAL VERSION instantly.
GIA Publications - African American Church Music Series (Books, Hymnals, CDs, Sheet Music and more!)
In 2000, GIA Publications named Dr. James Abbington as Executive Editor of a new publishing venture, The African American Church Music Series. GIA had just published the African American Heritage Hymnal and intended to begin publishing a series of choral music by America's leading African American composers and arangers. The series now boasts over 150 titles already published or in the process. CDs have been produced to introduce music from both the Series and the Hymnal, usually featuring choirs from Morgan State University conducted by Dr. Abbington.
Stop By, Lord James Abbington, Conductor. Chicago, IL: GIA, 2004. CD and Scores. Order at GIA Music (I haven't heard this one)
"This special packet includes a copy of each of fourteen pieces from this series, plus a complete compact disc recording! Performed by a special New York City recording choir under the direction of Dr. James Abbington, with Joseph Joubert, piano, and a compliment of other fine instrumentalists."
Guide My Feet. James Abbington, Conductor. Chicago, IL: GIA, 2003. CD and Scores. Order at GIA Music
Fourteen selections from the African American Church Music Series. This diverse collection - from arranged spirituals to contemporary gospel - would make an excellent choral program. Most of the scores are for SATB and piano. The CD is invaluable because (besides being a joy to listen to ) it demonstrates descants and other improvisations which are not scored. For me, a stand-out piece in this collection is the medley arranged by Joseph Joubert, "The Precious Blood of Jesus." If this closed a choral program, there would not be a dry eye in the house!
How Excellent is Thy Name. James Abbington, Conductor. Chicago, IL: GIA, 2005. Order the CD at Amazon.com or CD and Scores GIA Music
The singers on this recording are graduates or current students of Morgan State University, conducted by Dr. James Abbington (who also serves as Executive Editor of the series.) The selections include arrangements of spirituals ("Hold On" arr. by Uzee Brown Jr.) and early gospel songs (Lucie Campbell's "Something Within" arranged by Nathan Carter) as well as contemporary works written specifically for choruses. My favorite piece - which would be perfect for commencement ceremonies - is "May the Work I've Done Speak for Me" by Sullivan Pugh, arranged by Colin Lett. This work certainly speaks for GIA's commitment to African American churches.
Beams of Heaven. James Abbington, Conductor. Chicago, IL: GIA, 2006. CD and Scores. Order at GIA Music
Every time I think this series couldn't possibly get any better, it does. The selections include psalm-based hymn arrangements, spirituals and gospels, and composers/arrangers were asked to submit pieces which could be used in worship not only by the choir but also the congregation. A wonderful discovery are the works of Bishop Charles Price Jones (1865-1949) a contemporary of Reverend Tindley who wrote over one thousand gospel songs. His hymn I Will Make the Darkness Light is presented in three distinct styles: first sung as written, then as a solo made popular by Sarah Jordan Powell, and finally as the gospel or "saints" version.
As always, variety is key. The title work, Beams of Heaven (composed by Charles A. Tindley, arranged by Robert E. Wooten Sr.) will joyously sweep you off your feet, while I Must Tell Jesus (Elisha A. Hoffman, arranged by Mattie L. Robertson) invites quiet contemplation. Though intended as an instructional resource, this CD - with the usual unparalleled performances of graduates and current Morgan State University students - makes for compelling listening. In the month since I received it, I don't think a day has passed when I haven't listened to several tracks. Highly recommended!
Use Me. James Abbington, Conductor. Chicago, IL: GIA, 2008. CD and Scores. Order at GIA Music
This is the fifth CD produced by GIA in a line of excellent recordings that contain many of the printed pieces from the African American Church Music Series. Featuring 17 pieces, the collection is diverse, compelling, and accessible to most church and community choirs. As usual, Abbington masterfully mixes the old with the new, and everything in between. You'll find settings of Negro spirituals like "I Know I Got Religion," "Done Made My Vow" and Uzee Brown's "Deep River." My favorite is Joseph Joubert's stunning arrangement of "Ride Up in the Chariot" featuring a solo soprano and a Broadway/gospel style piano. Traditional hand-clapping, foot-stomping gospel is represented in Eddie Robinson's "In The Word" and Frank Davis' " Savior, Lead Me." On the quieter side is the lovely contemporary Christmas lullaby "He Sleeps" by Charles Garner. The late Dr. Nathan Mitchell Carter Jr. (1936-2004), who led the Morgan State University Choir in performances all over the world while building it into one of the premier vocal groups in the nation, is remembered in his arrangements of "Precious Lord" and "I Know I Got Religion." Highly Recommended, whether you lead a choir or just cherish "joyful noise."
http://creativefolk.com/toolkit/musicart.html
