“Roots and Branches” - Music - University of California, Irvine

noted for their artistic combination of music and poetry (utilizing the major poets of the day, e.g.
Goethe and Heine). Examples include:
1814 – Schubert composes Gretchen am Spinnrade
1815 – Schubert composes Der Erlkönig
1823 – Schubert composes the song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin
1827 – Schubert composes the song cycle Winterreise
The songs often become celebrations of national identity. The compositions of the above 19 th
century composers become integral to the performance repertoire of 20 th century African
American art song singers. These Lieder also become models for many of the 20 th century works
of African American composers.
The African American Composers and Performers of Art Song: The19th and 20 th Century - Stage 4 (1865 –
1900) and Stage 5 (1896 – Present)
African American contributions to the Art Song Genre clearly emerge within the 19 th century, Stage 4 of
the Caldwell African Diaspora Framework, during the period of Emancipation and Institution-Building.
• 1860s – African American singers begin to be connected with the genre of opera, a connection that
continues throughout the 20 th century. (Note that the major venue for opera, the Metropolitan Opera
Company of New York City, opens in 1883, but does not offer a contract to an African American singer
until 1955. The African American singer begins by performing opera as part of African American opera
companies and as performers in works written by African American composers – often using librettos that
depict aspects of Black history. Additionally, the singers build careers in Europe. In other instances, they
include opera arias within their concert programs. As a result, for the African American singer, the two
genres – opera and art song – are essential components of their repertoire.)
• 1870 – 1919 – African American organizations and artists undertake significant effort to combat what is
perceived as the derogatory, stereotyping impact of “Coon Songs.”
• 1892 – A classical musical voice of nationalism begins to be established through the efforts of Antonin
Dvorak and the students of the National Conservatory of Music, including Harry T. Burleigh.
• 20 th Century - marked by a continuous expansion in the numbers of composers and professional concert
singers.
• African American Composers and Performers of the Art Song Tradition – 20 th and 21 st Century
Performance Practice Debates
What is the appropriate use of dialect?
Is there a Black sound?
Does the “bel canto” sound typical of Art Song performance have a place within
the Black Aesthetic?
Does improvisation have an appropriate place within the Art Song structure of the
concert spiritual?
Does the popular use of “melisma” have an appropriate place within the Art Song
structure?
Should composers and arrangers utilize a contemporary musical vocabulary that
minimizes the presence of recognizably African American musical characteristics?