Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor, from his first steps up the musical ladder, to
his premature death at the age of 37 and the legacy left behind.
At the turn of the 20th century, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor could
have been described as the most famous Black person in Britain.
His cantata trilogy, the Song of Hiawatha, was an overnight
success, and by the age of 25 he had packed out the Royal Albert
Hall with a thousand performers, let alone the audience. His fame
took him all around Britain and America as choral societies from
Worcester to Washington DC all wanted to sing his music, and
Coleridge-Taylor became a role-model, especially for
African-Americans. But tragically, just over a decade later, he
would be dead. He remained a household name into the 1930s, only
for his flame to flicker out much sooner than he deserved. All
this week, Donald re-visits his fascinating story, with
recordings predominantly released in the last 5 years, showing
how excited today's performers are to rediscover his delightful
music.
Music Featured:
Going Up Clarinet Quintet in F sharp minor, Op 10 (iv. Finale)
Magnificat in F major Piano Quintet, Op 1 (i. Allegro con moto;
ii- Larghetto) Symphony, Op 8 (iii. Scherzo) Nonet (ii. Andante
con moto) African Romances, Op 17 (Ballad) Hiawatha Overture
Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast (excerpt) Othello Suite Nonet (3rd and
4th movements) Romance of the Prairie Lilies (arr. P.E. Fletcher
for orchestra) The Bamboula for piano African Suite (iv. African
Dance, orch. Chris Cameron) Big Lady Moon Summer is gone Violin
Concerto, Op 80 (ii. Andante semplice; iii. Allegro molto)
Hiawatha’s Departure (excerpt) Deep River (arr. Kanneh-Mason
Trio)
Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker
For full track listings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
(1875-1912) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dfvp
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
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