List of composers of African descent
Encyclopedia
- Michael AbelsMichael AbelsMichael Abels is an American composer. Abels was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and studied at the University of Southern California. His best known work is Global Warming...
, USA (born 1962) - Mohamed Abdelwahab AbdelfattahMohamed Abdelwahab AbdelfattahMohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah is an Egyptian composer of contemporary classical music and educator. He is a member of Egypt's third generation of classical composers.-Biography:...
, Egypt (born 1962) - Muhal Richard AbramsMuhal Richard AbramsMuhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
, USA (born 1930) - William J. Accooe, USA (died 1904)
- Alton Augustus Adams, Sr. USA (1889–1987)
- Leslie AdamsLeslie Adams (composer)H. Leslie Adams is an American composer and music educator. He has won awards for his compositions from the National Association of Negro Women and the Christian Arts Annual National Competition for Choral Music...
, USA (born 1932) - Emmanuel Gyimah LabiEmmanuel Gyimah LabiEmmanuel Gyimah Labi is a Ghanaian-American composer, conductor, and music professor. He is a graduate of the Achimota School and a former conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra Ghana.-External links:*...
, Ghana (born 1950), Composer/theorist - Samuel Akpabot, Nigeria (1932–2000)
- Eleanor AlbergaEleanor Alberga-Life:Eleanor Alberga was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She decided at the age of five to be a concert pianist and began composing short pieces. She studied music at Jamaican School of Music and in 1970 she won the biennial West Indian Associated Board Scholarship which allowed her to study at the...
, JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
(born 1949) - Amanda Christina Elizabeth AldridgeAmanda Christina Elizabeth AldridgeAmanda Christina Elizabeth Aldridge , , was a British opera singer, teacher and composer, under the pseudonym of Montague Ring.-Life:...
(Montague Ring), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1866–1956) - Kenneth AmisKenneth AmisKenneth Amis is the tuba player with the Empire Brass. He is also the assistant conductor of the MIT Wind Ensemble, a group he has been involved with since its creation in 1999. In addition, as of 2005, Amis is an Affiliated Artist of MIT....
, USA (born 1970) - Thomas Jefferson AndersonT. J. AndersonThomas Jefferson "T.J." Anderson is an African American composer, conductor, orchestrator and educator. He is well-known for his orchestration of the Scott Joplin opera, Treemonisha....
(TJ), USA (born 1928) - William Appo, USA (c.1808-ca.1878)
- William Banfield, USA (born 1961)
- Ayo BankoleAyo BankoleAyo Bankole was a composer and organist from the Yoruba ethnic group in southwest Nigeria. He was born into a musical family: his father, Theophilus Abiodun Bankole was an organist and Choirmaster at St. Luke's Anglican Church in Jos...
, Nigeria (1935–1976) - David Baker, USA (born 1931)
- Renee C Baker (violist), USA (born 1957)
- Basile Jean Barès, USA (1845–1902)
- Leon Bates, USA, pianist
- Catalina BerroaCatalina BerroaCatalina Berroa Ojea was a Cuban pianist, music teacher and composer. She was born in Trinidad, Las Villas, and studied with local teachers to master several instruments. She operated a music academy in Trinidad where she taught students including her nephew, pianist and composer Lico Jimenez. She...
, Cuba (1849-1911) - Eubie BlakeEubie BlakeJames Hubert Blake was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans...
(James Hubert Blake), USA (1883–1983) - James A. BlandJames A. BlandJames Alan Bland , also known as Jimmy Bland, was an African American musician and song writer.-Biography:...
, USA (1854–1911) - Margaret Allison Bonds, USA (1913–1972)
- John William BooneJohn William BooneJohn William "Blind" Boone was an American pianist and composer of ragtime music.- Early life :Boone was born in a Federal militia camp near Miami, Missouri, May 17, 1864, to a contraband slave, Rachel Carpenter, who had been owned by descendants of Daniel Boone. His father was a bugler in the 7th...
, USA (1864–1927) - William BradyWilliam BradyWilliam Otterwell Ignatius Brady was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sioux Falls and Archbishop of Saint Paul .-Biography:...
, USA (died 1854) - Anthony BraxtonAnthony BraxtonAnthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
, USA (born 1945) - George BridgetowerGeorge BridgetowerGeorge Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower was an Afro-Polish-born virtuoso violinist, who lived in England for much of his life. He was born in Biala in Galicia, where his father worked for Hieronimus Wincenty Radziwill, in 1778. He was baptised Hieronimo Hyppolito de Augusto on 11 October 1778...
, Poland (1779–1860) violinist and composer - Leo BrouwerLeo BrouwerJuan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida is a Cuban composer, conductor and guitarist. He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona Casado.-Biography:...
, Cuba (born 1935) - James Tim BrymnJames Tim BrymnJames "Tim" Brymn, born in Kinston, North Carolina on October 5, 1881 and died in New York City on October 3, 1946, was a jazz musician in the early 1900s from Kinston, North Carolina....
, USA (1881–1946) - Harry BurleighHarry BurleighHenry "Harry" Thacker Burleigh , a baritone, was an African American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer...
, USA (1866–1949) - Naima Butler, USA (born 1962)
- Billy Childs, USA (born 1957)
- Robert Allen "Bob" ColeBob Cole (composer)Robert Allen "Bob" Cole was an American composer, actor, playwright, and stage producer and director.In collaboration with Billy Johnson, he wrote and produced A Trip to Coontown , the first musical entirely created and owned by black showmen. The popular song La Hoola Boola was also a result of...
, USA (1868–1911) - Samuel Coleridge-TaylorSamuel Coleridge-TaylorSamuel Coleridge-Taylor was an English composer who achieved such success that he was once called the "African Mahler".-Early life and education:...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1875–1912) - Ornette ColemanOrnette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
, USA (born 1930) - Aaron J. R. Conner, USA (died 1850)
- Will Marion CookWill Marion CookWilliam Mercer Cook , better known as Will Marion Cook, was an African American composer and violinist from the United States. Cook was a student of Antonín Dvořák and performed for King George V among others...
, USA (1869–1944) - Roque CorderoRoque CorderoRoque Cordero was a Panamanian composer.-Life:Born in Panama City, he studied composition under Ernst Krenek and conducting under Dimitri Mitropoulos, Stanley Chapple, and Leon Barzin before becoming director of the Institute of Music and Artistic Director and conductor of the National Symphony of...
, PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
(born 1917) - Walter F. Craig, USA (1854–1920) violinist and composer
- Arthur CunninghamArthur CunninghamArthur Cunningham was an American composer.-Biography:Cunningham began writing music at the age of 12 to be performed with his jazz band. He attended Fisk University , Juilliard, and Columbia University's Teachers College, attaining his Master's in 1957...
, USA (born 1928) - William L. Dawson, USA (1899–1990)
- Anthony DavisAnthony Davis (composer)Anthony Davis, better known as Tony Davis , is an American composer, jazz pianist, and student of gamelan music.-Biography:...
, USA (born 1951) - Gussie Lord Davis, USA (1863–1899)
- Edmond DédéEdmond DédéEdmond Dédé was a free-born Creole musician and composer. He moved to Europe to study in Paris in 1857 and settled in France. His compositions include Quasimodo Symphony, Le Palmier Overture, Le Sermente de L'Arabe and Patriotisme...
, USA (1827–1903) - Leonard De PaurLeonard De PaurLeonard Etienne De Paur was an African American composer, choral director, and arts administrator.- Biography :...
, USA (1914–1998) - Robert Nathaniel DettRobert Nathaniel DettRobert Nathaniel Dett , often known as R. Nathaniel Dett, was a composer in the United States and Canada...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(1882–1943) - Alia Dixon, USA (20th century) jazz
- John Thomas DouglassJohn Thomas DouglassJohn Thomas Douglass was an accomplished American violinist who composed Virginia's Ball, which is the first known opera written by an African American, copyrighted in 1868. It was performed at least once, but is now lost...
, USA (1847–1886) - Leslie DunnerLeslie DunnerLeslie Byron Dunner is an American conductor and composer.-Biography:Leslie was born in New York City to parents Lloyd Bertram Dunner and Audrey Dunner. His father worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and later for the Brooklyn Department of Sanitation, while his mother was a social worker...
, USA (born 1956) - Julius EastmanJulius EastmanJulius Eastman was an African-American composer, pianist, vocalist, and dancer of minimalist tendencies. He was among the first musicians to combine minimalist processes with elements of pop music...
, USA (1940–1990) - Justin Elie, Haiti (1883–1931)
- Duke EllingtonDuke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
(Edward Kennedy Ellington), USA (1899–1974), jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
big band leader - Joseph Antonio EmidyJoseph Antonio EmidyJoseph Antonio Emidy was a West African born slave in early life, but later became a famous and celebrated violinist and composer in Cornwall.-Life:...
, Guinea (1775–1835) - Akin EubaAkin EubaAkin Euba is a Nigerian composer, musicologist, and pianist.Euba studied composition with Arnold Cooke at the Trinity College of Music, London, obtaining the diplomas of Fellow of the Trinity College London and Fellow of the Trinity College London . He received B.A. and M.A...
, Nigeria (born 1935) - James Reese EuropeJames Reese EuropeJames Reese Europe was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African American music scene of New York City in the 1910s.-Biography:...
, USA (1881–1919) - Thomas Flippin, USA (born 1983), Classical Guitarist
- Donal FoxDonal FoxDonal Fox is an American composer, pianist and improviser in the jazz and classical genres. He has received several awards, including a 1997 Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition and a 1998 Fellowship from the Bogliasco Foundation. He has also been nominated for the CalArts/Alpert Awards in...
, USA (born 1952) - Harry P. Guy, USA (1870–1950)
- Adolphus HailstorkAdolphus HailstorkAdolphus Hailstork is an American composer and educator. He grew up in Albany, New York, where he studied violin, piano, organ, and voice....
, USA (born 1941) - W.C. Handy (William Christopher Handy), (1873–1958), USA bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
- Henry HartHenry Hart (musician)Henry Hart was an African American musician. He composed, led the Henry Hart Minstrels, was proclaimed a "social necessity" in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was the leader of a family musical group that Emma Lou Thornbrough called "the best-known group of colored entertainers in the state."-Early...
, USA (1839–1915) - Scott HaydenScott HaydenScott Hayden was an African-American composer of ragtime music.Born in Sedalia, Missouri, he was the son of Marion and Julia Hayden...
, USA (1882–1915), ragtimeRagtimeRagtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published... - Isaac Hazzard, USA (1804-c.1864)
- Philip HerbertPhilip HerbertPhilip Herbert may refer to:*Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke *Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke *Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke *Philip Herbert , Member of Parliament for Rye 1705–1707...
, English - John Leubrie Hill, USA (1869–1916)
- Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
(Robert McFerrin Jr.), USA (born 1950) jazz, unique vocalise, sacred, classical, multitalented composer-vocalist-conductor - Talib Rasul HakimTalib Rasul HakimTalib Rasul Hakim is an American composer. Born Stephen Alexander Chambers on February 8, 1940 in Asheville, North Carolina, he grew up playing music in school, studying clarinet, piano, and singing in church choir. He later studied music at the Manhattan School of Music, New York College of Music,...
, (1940–1988) - James Hemmenway, USA (1880-1849)
- Fletcher HendersonFletcher HendersonJames Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
, USA (1897–1952), jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
big band leader - Ernest HoganErnest HoganErnest Hogan was the first African American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show and helped create the musical genre of ragtime....
, USA (1865–1909) - Moses HoganMoses HoganMoses George Hogan was an African-American composer and arranger of choral music. He was best known for his very popular and accessible settings of spirituals. Hogan was a pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown...
, USA (1957–2003) - Justin Holland, USA (1819–1887) Classical Guitarist
- Tony Jackson, USA (1876–1921), pianist
- Keith JarrettKeith JarrettKeith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
, USA (born 1945) - Occide Jeanty, Haiti (1860–1936)
- Leroy Jenkins, USA (born 1932)
- Jose Julian JiménezJose Julian JiménezJose Julian Jiménez was a Cuban violinist and composer. He was born into a musical family and was brother-in-law to composer Catalina Berroa and father of cellist Nicasio and pianist Lico Jiménez...
, Cuba (1823-1880) - Lico Jiménez (José Manuel Jiménez Berroa), Cuba (1851-1917)
- Francis Johnson, USA (1792–1844)
- Hall JohnsonHall JohnsonHall Johnson was one of a number of American composers and arrangers—including Harry T. Burleigh, R. Nathaniel Dett, and Eva Jessye—who elevated the African-American spiritual to an art form, comparable in its musical sophistication to the compositions of European Classical...
, USA (1888–1970) - James Price Johnson, USA (1894–1955)
- J. Rosamond JohnsonJ. Rosamond JohnsonJohn Rosamond Johnson , most often referred to as J. Rosamond Johnson, was an American composer and singer during the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson is most notable as the composer of Lift Every Voice and Sing which has come to be known in the United States as the "Black National Anthem"...
, USA (1873–1954) - Scott JoplinScott JoplinScott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
, USA (1868–1917) - Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, USA (born 1933) - Joe JordanJoe Jordan (musician)Joe Jordan was an African American musician and composer. Jordan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, grew up in St...
, USA (1882–1971) - Ulysses Simpson Kay, USA (1917–1995)
- J. S. Mzilikazi Khumalo, South Africa (born 1932)
- Fela Anikulapo Kuti, NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
(born 1938) - Charles Lucien LambertCharles Lucien LambertCharles Lucien Lambert, also known as Lucien Lambert , was a black American composer, born a free person of color in New Orleans before the American Civil War...
, USA (c.1828-1896) - Lucien-Leon G. Lambert, Jr., French (1858–1945)
- Sidney Lambert, USA (born 1838)
- Tom Lemoinier, USA (1870–1945)
- Ludovic LamotheLudovic LamotheLudovic Lamothe was a Haitian composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of Haiti's most important classical composers.-Early life:...
, Haiti (1882–1953) - Tania Justina León, (b. 1943)
- Sam LucasSam LucasSam Lucas was an African American actor, comedian, singer, and songwriter. His career began in blackface minstrelsy, but he later became one of the first African Americans to branch into more serious drama, with roles in seminal works such as The Creole Show and A Trip to Coontown...
, USA (1850–1916) - Wynton MarsalisWynton MarsalisWynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
(born 1961) - Arthur MarshallArthur Marshall (ragtime composer)Arthur Marshall was an African-American composer and performer of ragtime music.Marshall was born on a farm in Saline County, Missouri, but a few years later his family moved to Sedalia, Missouri...
, USA (1881–1968) ragtimeRagtimeRagtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published... - Chevalier de J.J.O. Meude-Monpas, French, Late 18th century
- Richard James Milburn, USA (born c.1814)
- Nathaniel L. Mitchell Jr., USA (born 1975)
- Roscoe MitchellRoscoe MitchellRoscoe Mitchell is an African American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic—saxophonist." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past...
, USA (born 1940) - Michael Mosoeu Moerane, South Africa (1909–1981)
- Thelonious MonkThelonious MonkThelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
, USA (1917–1982) - Undine Smith MooreUndine Smith MooreUndine Smith Moore was a notable and prolific female African-American composers of the 20th century.She began studying piano at age seven, and at the age of 20 became the first graduate of Fisk University to receive a scholarship to Juilliard...
, USA (1905–1989) - Jeffrey MumfordJeffrey MumfordJeffrey Mumford or is a U.S. composer who teaches music at Lorain County Community College. He holds degrees from the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, San Diego...
, USA (born 1955) - Diedre MurrayDiedre MurrayDiedre Murray is an American cellist and composer specializing in jazz, improvised music, opera, and contemporary classical music. She is also active as a producer, and curator...
, USA (born 1951) - William Joseph Nickerson, USA (1865–1928)
- Jose Nunes-Garcia, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(1767–1830) - Funsho OgundipeFunsho OgundipeFunsho Ogundipe is a Nigerian pianist, Music director and composer. He is also a writer and film maker. Ogundipe is primarily known for his work with the Afrobeat band Ayetoro . He has also written music for theatre in Ghana....
, Nigeria - Juwon Ogungbe, English of Nigerian descent
- Coleridge-Taylor PerkinsonColeridge-Taylor PerkinsonColeridge-Taylor Perkinson was an innovative American composer whose interests spanned the worlds of jazz, dance, pop, film, television, and classical music.Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson was Afro-American...
, USA (1932–2004) - Julia PerryJulia PerryJulia Amanda Perry was an African-American composer of classical music.Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Perry studied voice, piano and composition at the Westminster Choir College 1943-48 and came to prominence as a result of a scholarship to the Berkshire Music Center where she was a student of Luigi...
, USA (1924–1979) - Zenobia Powell PerryZenobia Powell PerryZenobia Powell Perry was an American composer born in Boley, Oklahoma who spent much of her life in Dayton, Ohio. She attended and taught in a number of historically black colleges and universities. -Early life and education:...
, USA (1908–2004) - Marvin Peterson, USA (born 1948) jazz composer
- Armand John Piron, USA (1888–1943)
- Joseph William Postlewaite, USA (1837–1889)
- Alain Pierre Pradel, GuadeloupeGuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
(born 1949) - Florence Beatrice Price, USA (1887–1953)
- Walter Robinson, (born 1952)
- Edward de Roland, USA, (1803–1894)
- Amadeo RoldánAmadeo RoldánAmadeo Roldán y Gardes was a Cuban composer and violinist. Roldán was born in Paris to a Cuban mulatta and a Spanish father...
, Cuba (1900–1939) - Chevalier de Saint-GeorgesChevalier de Saint-GeorgesJoseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George was an important figures in the Paris musical scene in the second half of the 18th century as composer, conductor, and violinist. Prior to the revolution in France, he was also famous as a swordsman and equestrian...
(c.1739 - 1799) - Ignatius SanchoIgnatius SanchoIgnatius Sancho was a composer, actor, and writer. He is the first known Black Briton to vote in a British election. He gained fame in his time as "the extraordinary Negro", and to 18th century British abolitionists he became a symbol of the humanity of Africans and immorality of the slave trade...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, (c.1729-1780) - Jacob J. Sawyer, USA (born c.1859)
- James ScottJames Scott (musician)James Sylvester Scott was an African-American ragtime composer, regarded as one of the three most important composers of classic ragtime, along with Scott Joplin and Joseph Lamb....
, USA (1886–1938) - Agboola ShadareAgboola ShadareAgboola Shadare is an international songwriter, composer and producer. He started as a church musician, then moved into club and studio production in Nigeria. He produced for popular Nigerian artistes such as Gbenga Owoeye-Wise and Mike Aremu, and released two solo albums - Dream Dawn and Glory...
, Nigeria (born 1970) - Alvin SingletonAlvin SingletonAlvin Singleton is a composer from the United States. Born and raised in New York, he received his music education from New York University and the Yale School of Music . From 1971 to 1985 he lived overseas, and then he returned to the United States after being appointed as the Atlanta Symphony...
, (born 1940) - Chris SmithChris Smith (composer)Chris Smith was an American composer and performer.Smith was born in Charleston, South Carolina; he started traveling with Medicine Shows when young and went into Vaudeville where he performed in an acts with Elmer Bowman and Jimmy Durante...
, USA (1879–1949) - Hale SmithHale SmithHale Smith was an American composer, pianist, educator, arranger, and editor. He was one of the most notable African American composers of the 20th century....
, USA (born 1925) - H.L. Smith, II, USA (born 1952) ClassicalClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
Organist, Composer - Irene Britton Smith, USA (1907–1999)
- Sonelius Smith, USA (20th century) jazz
- Fela SowandeFela SowandeOlufela Obafunmilayo Sowande was a Nigerian musician and composer....
, Nigeria (1905–1987) - Fred S. Stone, USA (1873–1912)
- William Grant StillWilliam Grant StillWilliam Grant Still was an African-American classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions. He was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major...
, USA (1895–1978) - Howard SwansonHoward SwansonHoward Swanson was an American composer. Swanson studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and was then taught by Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He received fellowships, awards and prizes. His preference was for linear construction and lyrical works with subtle tonal centers...
, USA (1907–1978) - Billy StrayhornBilly StrayhornWilliam Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn was an American composer, pianist and arranger, best known for his successful collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington lasting nearly three decades. His compositions include "Chelsea Bridge", "Take the "A" Train" and "Lush Life".-Early...
(William Thomas Strayhorn), USA (1917–1967) one of the most highly regarded jazz & big band composers & arrangers; Ellington's friend and arranger - Shirley ThompsonShirley Thompson (composer)-Biography:Shirley Thompson was born in London, England, of Jamaican parents. She graduated in music from Liverpool University and in composition from Goldsmith's College after studying with Professor Stanley Glasser...
English-born composer of Jamaican descent - Henry ThreadgillHenry ThreadgillHenry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres....
, USA (born 1944) jazz composer - Thomas Million Turpin, USA (1873–1922)
- Joshua UzoigweJoshua UzoigweJoshua Uzoigwe was a Nigerian composer and ethnomusicologist. A member of the Igbo ethnic group, many of his works draw on the traditional music of that people.-Early life and education:...
, Nigeria (1946–2005) - Solon Verret, Haiti
- George WalkerGeorge Walker (composer)George Theophilus Walker is an African-American composer, the first to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He received the Pulitzer for his work Lilacs in 1996....
, USA (born 1922) - Fats WallerFats WallerFats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
, USA (1904–1943), singer, jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician - Horace Weston, USA (c.1825-1890)
- Clarence Cameron WhiteClarence Cameron WhiteClarence Cameron White was an African American neoromantic composer and concert violinist. Dramatic works by the composer were his best-known, such as the incidental music for the play Tambour and the opera Ouanga. During the first decades of the twentieth century, White was considered the...
, USA (1880–1960) - Joseph WhiteJosé White LafitteJosé Silvestre White Lafitte , also known as Joseph, was a Cuban violinist and composer. His father was Spanish and his mother was Afro-Cuban....
(José Silvestre White Lafitte) CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(1835–1918) - Thomas Wiggins (Bethune) or Blind Tom, (1849–1908)
- Clarence Williams, USA (1898–1965)
- Henry F. Williams, USA, (1813–1903)
- Julius P. Williams, USA (born 1954)
- Olly WilsonOlly WilsonOlly Woodrow Wilson, Jr. is a prominent American composer of contemporary classical music, pianist, double bassist, and musicologist. He is one of the preeminent living composers of African American descent.-Life:...
, USA (born 1937) - John Wesley Work IIIJohn Wesley Work IIIJohn Wesley Work III was a composer, educator, choral director, musicologist and scholar of African American folklore and music.-Biography:...
, USA (1901–1967) - Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, (born 1950) - Fonta Tanka Emmanuel, CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, (born 1966), composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, multi-instrumentalist - Kerwin Young, USA (born 1970)
- Pamela ZPamela ZPamela Z is an American composer, performer, and audio artist who works primarily with her voice and live electronic processing.-Music career:...
, USA (born 1956) - Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, USA (1958-2009) Singer-songwriter, Producer, Dancer, coreographer, Musician, Businessman
Dates of birth and death are unknown for several composers whose music, published during the nineteenth century, is described in Historical Notes on African-American and Jamaican Melodies. These composers include Harry Bloodgood, Samuel Butler, Dudley C. Clark, Harry Davis, Pete Devonear, Fred C. Lyons, Henry Newman, James S. Putnam, and Francis V. Seymour.
External links
- Orchestral Music of African-American Composers
- Discography of Center for Black Music Research: Music by Black Composers
- Classical Music Recordings of Black Composers: a reference guide
- Historical Notes on African-American Melodies and Composers
- Historical Notes on African Melodies and Composers
- Black History and Classical Music
- Myrtle Hart Society
- Composers of African Descent
- H. L. Smith, II
- Perspectives of Black Composers