Black Composers Rewrite the Score of Classical Music History
Classical music has had a long history of being predominantly, but not exclusively, White. In general, so-called White people make up over about 80% of classical orchestras in the United States, while less than 3% are identified as Black. The culture of Black music in America started in Africa but during the times of slavery it developed into its own forms as a result of misery, resistance, and the fight for freedom. Through music, survival was accomplished in forms of rebellion against a white supremacist country. Two significant styles of music which came out of the African American experience were Jazz and Blues.
Jazz and Blues: Sounds of Struggle and Expression
Jazz is as an expression of freedom through improvisation and heartfelt rhythms. Blues is used to express the sufferings and oppression of black people and yet the ability to rise up and overcome them. Black composers of classical music are able to incorporate these styles into works for the orchestra and the classical stage. Racism and segregation through jim crow law made many hesitant from performing their works in areas that were reserved for whites and their white only audiences. In fact, according to most sources, no music written by a black composer would be performed by a major orchestra in america until the early 1930s. One of the first works by a black composer by a leading orchestra was william grant still, who was premiered by the rochester philharmonic. Reviews of still’s music were mixed, some ranking him among other contemporary composers, while others who were racially inclined, and who could not believe that blacks could perform classical music, referred to still and others as “outsiders” or “poor performers.” this was true to the ideas of white supremacy that refused to give black classical performers or inventions their due.
William Grant Still and Black Musical Identity
Mr. Still wrote with his own artistic voice, but White audiences wanted his music to follow European modes. Black symphony music incorporated styles of Blues and down home African American folk music into the productions. Another significant work from Still was written in 1945 where he showed how to incorporate African-American folk music through three specific movements: Work Song, Spiritual, and Dance. Clearly, there is no shortage of music by Black composers available to orchestras. As the civil rights movement progressed more and more underrepresented composers were given have the opportunity to share their voice and experiences through the classical music medium.
Persistent Inequity in Orchestral Programming
Despite the rich availability of music by Black composers and composers of color, over 80% of music programmed by orchestras in recent years were works by white composers, mostly the works of dead White composers. The good news is, compared to previous years, more orchestras are programming works by Black composers. Though much more progress is needed of works being programmed by black composers, there is a positive direction in film and other areas. There is much more progress to be made if we are to continue to promote the works by Black composers and other underrepresented composers. Jim Crow America destroyed a lot of potential and the falsehoods of European dominance are still with us.
The Guitar: A Case of Cultural Reframing
In music, one example of a falsehood is the claim that guitars with Frets improved guitar playing. Frets only made it easier to remember the places for correct notes. However, fretless guitars offer a unique and expressive tonal palette, distinct from fretted guitars. The guitar, a North African invention, that Europeans adopted and added frets. In doing so, and claiming some invented superiority, they lost a different richer tonal experience characterized by smoother sounds which has a warmer, rounder tone.
