Performing Arts Series

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was a British composer of African descent. He studied at the Royal College of Music under Charles Villiers Stanford, that bastion of musical respectability, and later counted Sir Edward Elgar as a supporter. Coleridge-Taylor wrote three cantatas after Longfellow's poem "The Song of Hiawatha," and these made the composer famous. The Hiawatha pieces became standard fare in Britain and remained popular until the middle of the twentieth century. However, his music faded from view, probably because of the conservative "Royal College" manner that prevails in many pieces. But "Royal College" also may suggest "expertly done," and his music reveals a high degree of finish. Perhaps more interesting, given the dates, is that Coleridge-Taylor embraced his African heritage and sought out important Black artists of the day; for example, he gave recitals with the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The brief "Lament" reveals the basic chromatic language of late nineteenth-century European music, but there is more: modal elements, melodic elaboration reminiscent of speech, and, perhaps even birdsong. Coleridge-Taylor created a large catalogue during his brief life, and it's time for a revival.