Found 41 collections related to African Americans -- Music

Ron Carter is a leading jazz bassist. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree at the Eastman School of Music in 1959 where he played in the Rochester Philharmonic and the Eastman Philharmonia. Carter received his Masters of Music Degree at the Manhattan School of Music in 1961. He taught in Missouri and New York City and played with many musicians such as Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. Carter toured widely in the United States, Europe and Japan and appeared on television shows, in concert halls and theaters, nightclubs, on college campuses, and at jazz festivals. He also published technical manuals, "Building a Jazz Line", in three volumes. The collection consists of correspondence, transcripts of grades, graduation programs and other printed material related to Carter's education at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and the Manhattan School of Music. Included are music programs from the Eastman Philharmonia conducted by Howard Hanson, in which Carter played. There are a few performance contracts and many programs of his performances, articles about him in international magazines and news clippings. Copies of Carter's publication as well as what appears to be the Japanese translation of "Building a Jazz Line" complete the collection. less

Organist. Melville Charlton served as organist for several churches and Jewish synagogues in New York City; he also gave concert tours and wrote the popular piano piece, "Poem Erotique." He was the first African-American organist to be admitted to the American Guild of Organists. Charlton was born in 1880 and died in 1973. Correspondence and memorabilia documenting Charlton's seventy years as a musician culminating in a 90th birthday celebration in 1970. Includes biographical information, correspondence, birthday cards, programs, and certificates. less

"Billy" Butler was a musical arranger, conductor, violinist and travel editor of the "Pittsburgh Courier." A graduate of Chicago Musical College, Butler worked with J. Rosamond Johnson, Eubie Blake and other prominent African-American musicians of the period. He also conducted several musical revues including Lew Leslie's "Blackbirds of 1939," "Rhapsody in Black" and Sissle and Blake's "Shuffle Along." In 1947 Butler started "Travelguide," a directory of public accommodations in the United States which catered to people of African descent. The list was later expanded to include foreign countries. Butler was also co-owner of King Travel Organization, Inc., a New York City agency which specifically catered to travelers of African descent. Papers include correspondence and printed material relating to Butler's musical career, articles by Butler on African-American music and musicians, a scrapbook containing reviews of the Lew Leslie musicals in which he appeared, orchestral parts for "Blackbirds of 1939" and "Rhapsody in Black," holograph scores by Butler, a folder of lyrics and a playscript by Butler entitled "Let's Forget Papa.". less

Steven Hager is a journalist and the author of Hip-Hop: The Illustrated History of Rap Music, Break Dancing and Subway Graffiti (1984), the first book documenting hip-hop music and culture. He is a former reporter for the New York Daily News and former editor of High Times (1988-2003). The collection provides information on the development of hip-hop and the individuals who made its rise possible, as recorded by journalist Steven Hager. Documenting hip-hop during the early 1970's to mid- 80s, the collection covers the emergence and recognition of this then-new subculture. Included are an outline and manuscript draft, along with notes from the initial meeting with the publisher to discuss the publication of Hager's book, Hip-Hop: The Illustrated History of Rap Music, Break Dancing and Subway Graffiti. Marketing and promotional correspondence for the book, as well as articles, reviews of films and books on hip-hop are in the collection. Writings by Hager and others on hip-hop, in general and its component parts, complete the collection. The process, from the decision to publish Hager's manuscript to the marketing of the book is highlighted in the correspondence to and from the editor, Betsy Wheeler of St. Martin's Press. less

The Bob Howard Papers consist of numerous programs for dinner engagements, benefits and other performances, three scrapbooks of news clippings, and lyrics, musical scores and arrangements by Howard and his wife, Ruth Howard, and Ruth Joyner. Other material includes biographical information, correspondence, contracts and correspondence with his agent, broadsides, handouts and announcements, notices in guidebooks and magazines, feature stories in magazines and miscellaneous radio, television and performance material. less

Edward D. Coleman was a musical arranger and composer. He was a member of the trio known as Day, Dawn, and Dusk. Coleman was Dawn; the other members of the trio included, at different times, Robert Carver, Augustus Dewey Simons, and Mack Smith. The group performed during the 1930s and 1940s. Papers consist of handwritten sheet music used by the trio Day, Dawn, and Dusk, including some arrangements by Coleman. less

The collection primarily consists of photocopied secondary sources, newspaper clippings, and programs collected by James R. Europe, Jr. to document his father's accomplishments. The contents also include bibliographies, magazine articles, a chronology of the Europe family from 1847 to 1947, a folder of WWI records, with Europe's military discharge records, a certified copy of the incorporation of the Clef Club of New York City, the "Memoirs of Lieutenant Jim Europe," by Noble Sissle, 1920, (which are actually reminiscences about Europe by Sissle and housed in the Manuscripts collection at LC), and excerpts from a biography, "James Reese Europe: A Life in Racetime" written by Reid Badger, in 1995. less

Kenneth P. Neilson is an educator, artist, composer and author. For nearly thirty years he worked for the New York City public school system as a teacher and supervisor. In 1977 he founded All Seasons Art, a multimedia production center which seeks to gain exposure for developing African American and Hispanic artists through a series of exhibitions, publications, concerts and theatrical productions. It also works to develop audience appreciation for the visual, literary and musical arts through special programs devoted to the life and work of well known artists. In 1984 All Seasons Art, in cooperation with the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, sponsored a special program entitled "The World of Langston Hughes Music: A Concert of Poems and Musical Settings.". The Hughes-Neilson Music Collection consists of musical settings of the poetry and lyrics of Langston Hughes. Composers represented include David Amram, Leonard Bernstein, W.C. Handy, Hall Johnson, Elie Siegmeister, Hale Smith, Howard Swanson, Kurt Weill, and donor Kenneth P. Neilson. Printed music is composed of song sheets, operatic scores, and anthologies. Included is a copy of singer Rawn Spearman's dissertation, "A Study and Selected Musical Settings for Solo Voice and Piano of the Poetry of Langston Hughes" (1973), and a comprehensive listing of the musical settings of Hughes' works compiled by Neilson, entitled "The World of Langston Hughes' Music" (1982). less

Poet, author, playwright, songwriter. Biographical information about Hughes' life and activities. Hughes' writings form the largest series in the collection and consist of manuscripts, typescripts, and drafts of books, including NOT WITHOUT LAUGHTER, FAMOUS AMERICAN NEGROES, and FIRST BOOK OF JAZZ; plays; poems; short stories; songs; and reviews of some of his published works. Material relating to programs, activities, and events in which Hughes participated or was the subject including memorial tributes, personal appearances, radio broadcasts, recordings, speeches, and television broadcasts. Papers related to programs which incorporated a presentation of Hughes' works consisting of news clippings, printed programs, and leaflets announcing or describing the programs. Also, general criticism of Hughes as a writer, and some information on sources of Hughes' material in other institutions in the United States. less

Singer, actor. Bledsoe created the role of Jo and the interpretation of the song "Old Man River" in the original production of "Show Boat" (1927) and is also known for his title role in "The Emperor Jones.". Correspondence, contracts, musical compositions, legal documents, financial records, programs, broadsides, and news clippings documenting Bledsoe's professional career, particularly in Europe. Items of significance include legal correspondence and court documents generated by his lawsuit against Lew Leslie of "Blackbirds" fame, a manuscript score of Shirley Graham's opera "Tom Tom," and a large number of manuscript compositions by Bledsoe, as well as several letters from composer Clarence Cameron White. Also, personal correspondence with friends and family members, and papers relating to a business that he owned. Of special interest is a substantial number of musical manuscripts of art songs, spirituals and instrumental pieces composed and arranged by Bledsoe. less

Printed material relating to the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) including programs and playbills from NANM and other small groups; and annual breakfast, convention and conference materials, and other records of the New York and New Jersey chapters of NANM and the National Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. Other material relating to concert performances by black artists consisting primarily of programs and playbills, scrapbooks, and news clippings. Also programs, playbills, news clippings, newsletters, and financial reports pertaining to the Thomas Music Study Club, founded by Blanche K. Thomas, which was affiliated with NANM since 1946. Papers of Glover and his wife, Martha Seabrook Glover, contain personal and professional correspondence, and documents concerning the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Free-Masonry, the Oddfellows, the Republicans and Democratic parties, church groups, the A. Philip Randolph Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund, the Patriotic American Society, the Harlem Cultural Council, and news clippings about Glover. Also, personal papers of Martha Seabrook Glover relating to the Seabrook family. less

Volume containing lyrics to twenty songs, two of which, "Nevermo'" and "The Lee Family" were recorded by Williams on Columbia Records in 1915 and 1916 respectively. Second volume, entilted "Anecdotes, Jokes, Axioms, Proverbs, Funs and Puns..." contains over two hundred jokes or "lies" told by Williams and written down by Alex Rogers, a member of Williams' company. These dialectic stories, all of which contain a flavor of fable and black folklore, are primarily about rural or unsophisticated characters. They were first used by Williams in 1909 when he experimented in vaudeville as a solo performer, and later while Williams was a member of the Ziegfeld Follies. less

Songwriter, poet. Material reflecting Razaf's career as a songwriter, lyricist, and poet. Papers consist of correspondence concerning the performance or publication of Razaf's work, and with Jean Blackwell Hutson, his second wife and the chief of the Schomburg Center. Manuscripts of his published and unpublished poetry including POEMS FOR A MIXED UP WORLD and THE NEGRO HAS TO LAUGH AND OTHER POEMS. Also, printed matter, citations, and bound volumes of Razaf's collected songs. less

Musical scores, compositions, and librettos, including White's opera "Ouanga," and an earlier version entitled "Cocomacaque;" and correspondence, biographical information, writings, contracts, financial records, programs, sheet music, press releases, newspaper clippings, and printed material relating to the first thirty years of White's career. Included are letters to his wife, Beatrice Louise (Warrick) White, and from her father, Thomas Warrick. Correspondents include family, friends, and business associates, his mother, Jennie White Connor, Amanda Ira Aldridge, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, James Weldon Johnson, George Foster Peabody, A.W. Reid Taylor, Myra Reynolds Richards, Ona Talbot, and Henry O. Tanner. less

Composer, pianist, arranger. Brown worked as Paul Robeson's accompanist for thirty-eight years. The Lawrence Brown papers encompass correspondence reflecting Brown's wide-ranging travels, and his friendships (mostly letters written by his friends and business associates); personal papers; travel file consisting mostly of itineraries for tours; financial records comprised largely of royalty and earnings statements; programs for Brown and other artists; scrapbooks of news clippings and telegrams covering the Brown and Paul Robeson concert years (1928-1968); news clippings of concert reviews; and original scores and sheet music written by Brown and other composers. Papers relate to Brown's life and times, including World War I, Harlem Renaissance, World War II, spirituals, and his collaborator, Paul Robeson. Correspondents include Amanda Aldridge, Ethel Gardner Dingle, Jannett Hamlyn, Roland Hayes, Langston Hughes, Zaidee Jackson, William Lawrence, John Payne, Paul and Eslanda Robeson, Clara Rockmore, Robert Rockmore, Mrs. Corinne Sawyer (Brown's landlady), and Greta and I. W. Sequeira. less

"Negro Week" was a program on the contributions of blacks to American culture held at the New York World's Fair in July 1940, and consisted of festivals, exhibitions, song and dance recitals, choral and symphonic music, concerts, religious services, guest speakers, and a children's program. Correspondence, press releases, speeches, exhibition material, pass and address lists, and financial records, relating to the planning and presentation of "Negro Week" at the New York World's Fair, 1940. Correspondents include Geraldyn Dismond (later Geraldyn Hodges Major) and T. Arnold Hill, both officials of the program. Also speeches by W.E.B. DuBois and L. D. Reddick relating to various aspects of black contributions to American culture. less

Florence Mills (1886-1927), world renowned entertainer during the 1920s. She starred in Lew Leslie's Plantation Revue and Blackbirds after a successful run as the lead in Shuffle Along. Collection contains personal papers that include biographical information and letters; and professional papers, including letters, contracts and printed materials. less

Correspondence, writings, speeches, research files on notable persons and organizations, personal papers and speeches, news clippings, and printed material (chiefly political) relating to Morrison's career and interests. Includes material from his experiences as the first black correspondent for STARS AND STRIPES during World War II, and with the NEGRO WORLD DIGEST, THE PEOPLE'S VOICE, EBONY, DOWNBEAT, the Johnson Publishing Company, Symphony of the New World, and HARYOU-ACT, a Harlem youth program. Also includes writings and speeches of other authors. less

The Edward Boatner papers reflect his activities as composer, choral conductor, music professor and author of music textbooks. The music in the collection consists of scores for "Freedom Suite," his musical comedy "Julius Sees Her in Rome, Georgia," and his opera "Troubled in Mind." There are also scores for four gospel songs written by Boatner, and voice parts for selections from his musical play, "He Will Answer.". less

The Larry Neal Papers document his role as a writer/editor and seminal figure in the Black Arts Movement, and consists principally of Neal's diverse forms of writings, including essays, scripts, screenplays, poems, short stories and anthologies. Published copies of some of his writings are included in the collection, as are writings by colleagues and publishers. less

Collection reflects Heyward's professional life and activities, particularly his career as a performer; a significant portion of the collection consists of music manuscripts arranged and/or composed by him. Heyward's personal papers contain biographical data, sketches and programs, performance materials, contracts, family papers, and financial records, 1917-1982. Correspondence consisting of letters received from organizations concerning programs, acknowledgements and solicitations reflecting Heyward's involvement in charitable affairs, organizations, and musical events. Heyward's writings and music consisting of manuscripts of his compositions, lyrics and arrangements, as well as music and lyrics which Heyward copied, and musical arrangements for guitar. Organizational records consisting of Heyward's files from his membership in the New Amsterdam Musical Association, Duke Ellington Society, Overseas Jazz Club, and Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament Alumni. Also, programs of Heyward's performances, and programs of other artists, along with news clippings. less

The Wyatt Tee Walker Papers consist principally of manuscripts of published and unpublished works, a few sermons and programs of events held at Canaan Baptist Church, including an anniversary souvenir journal. The manuscript titles are "The Scaffold of Faith," "Hush! Somebody's Calling My Name" (a history of the music of the African American religious experience), "Spirits that Dwell in Deep Woods," and "Past Traditions and its Meaning for Future Ministry.". less

Collection consists of a few of William Spiller's personal papers, programs, and news clippings of William and Isabele Spiller's European and American tours, 1912-1942, and of the Spiller School of Music. Bulk of papers contain material pertaining to Isabelle Spiller's work as a music supervisor and orchestra conductor in New York City public schools. Of particular interest is her work as head of the Federal Music Project in New York. Also, a scrapbook containing her published articles. less

Eva Jessye, African Amercian choral director, composer, arranger and music historian was born in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1895. In 1914, she graduated from Western University of Kansas City with a degree in music and then went on to Langston University in Oklahoma. She moved to New York in 1926 and by 1930, Jessye had formed and directed a professional choir. She was the first musical director for the original production of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess." Acknowledged as the first African-American woman to win international distinction as a director of a professional choir, Jessye was the recipient of numerous awards and honorary doctoral degrees throughout her life. She died at 97 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Eva Jessye Collection contains clippings, citations, correspondence and programs that document Jessye's professional career and recognition in her field. less

African-American music teacher and composer, Blanche K. Thomas was the founder of the Thomas Music Study Club. Thomas graduated from the Juilliard School of Music (1928) and studied choral conducting at the Westminster Choir School. In 1932 she organized a mixed ensemble of youth to study and perform the music of African-American composers. Annual recitals were presented at a variety of New York venues including Carnegie Hall and the New York World's Fair. Originally called the Thomas Negro Composers Study Group, the organization became affiliated with the National Association of Negro Musicians in 1940 and continued under the name of the Thomas Music Study Group. Thomas also served as the director of church school music at New York's St. Philip's Church and was supervisor of church school music at St. James Presbyterian Church. The Blanche K. Thomas Papers reflect some aspects of the musical career of this teacher and composer. The Personal papers series (1905-1978) includes a love letter written by her future husband, Joseph, during their engagement (1905), certificates and citations. less

The Ernestine McClendon Papers contain McClendon's scrapbook of responses from ad agencies to her 1960 letter campaign urging them to hire black actors and actresses. Included in the collection are her resumes, articles and reviews, some letters, contracts, music and lyrics written by McClendon, and a script and other production material for "Heartbreak by Midnight," a play she wrote which was later made into a screenplay. There are also jokes and other material for McClendon's comedy routine which she launched in 1984 at age 71. less

The Helen Brown scrapbook contains programs and reviews of plays and concerts that took place in New York City between 1926 and 1941. Included are articles and reviews of musicians, singers, actors, writers Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston and artists Jacob Lawrence, Augusta Savage and James L. Allen. The programs represent a variety of performances, among them the Negro Opera Company and Hall Johnson's groups, specifically the Hall Johnson Singers, Hall Johnson Jubilee Singers, and Hall Johnson Negro Choir. Also included are programs for Roland Hayes, Richard B. Harrison, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, Hazel Harrison, Abbie Mitchell, Jules Beldsoe, and the Eva Jessye Choir. The lyrics to some songs can also be found in the scrapbook. less

The Sammy Price Papers, 1929-1992, consist of materials pertaining to his musical and political career. Included in the collection are interviews with Price and various versions of his autobiography, "What Do They Want" interviews, published and unpublished sheet music, flyers and programs. There are also contracts and correspondence which detail the financial and legal background for his songs, performances, concerts and engagements and royalties, taxes, and bank statements. Materials related to Price's political activities include correspondence primarily related to Price's capacity as director of Neighborhood Board No. 2, but there are also letters generated by his work as executive director of Sam Price and Associates, and other organizations, along with memorabilia, financial documents and printed matter. less