Willis Laurence James
Encyclopedia
Willis Laurence James was born in Montgomery, Alabama
, United States
, and was raised in Pensacola
and Jacksonville, Florida
. Educated at the Florida Baptist Academy in Jacksonville, he studied violin
with Sidney Woodward. Woodward recognized his musical talent and took James for further study to Atlanta, Georgia
, where from the age of sixteen he was the protégé of Kemper Harreld
, a concert violinist and head of the Morehouse College
music department. James enrolled at Morehouse in 1919, and his studies included the traditional core of music courses, as well as the violin and several other instruments. He was a member of the Morehouse Quartet and Glee Club
, and played violin in the college orchestra. James showed great promise as a concert violinist and performed as a recitalist and soloist throughout his career.
After receiving his B.A.
from Morehouse in 1923, James pursued further study with Oswald Blake and Edwin Gerschefski at the Chicago Musical College
.
He began his teaching career at Leland College
in Baker, Louisiana
(1923-1929), and it was while living in Louisiana
that James began collecting folklore
and folksongs, particularly along the levees of the Mississippi River
. In 1927 the Paramount Record Company of Chicago released a record on which he sang folksongs and for which he and James Edward Halligan transcribed the music and texts. In 1928 he married a fellow teacher at Leland College, Theodora Joanna Fisher.
From 1929 to 1933, James taught at the Alabama State Teachers' College at Montgomery, before accepting a teaching position at Spelman College
, where he would stay for the remainder of his career, serving as chairman of the music department and director of the Spelman College Glee Club. After the retirement of Kemper Harreld, he assumed the duties of director of music at both Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
With Horace Mann Bond
, president of Fort Valley State College, he co-founded the Fort Valley State College Folk Festival (1940-1955), and was a member of the summer faculty there from 1941 to 1949.
James continued investigating folksongs over the years and was noted for his compositions and arrangements. His theory that "the cry" was the most distinctive feature of black folksong attracted some attention. He lectured at college campus
es, before professional societies, at the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, and at the Roundtables of the Tanglewood music festival. He received awards from the General Education Board and the Carnegie Foundation
and in 1955 received an honorary doctorate from Wilberforce University
. In April 1966, he lectured at the opening of the Center for the Arts in Lagos
, Nigeria
.
At the time of his death on December 27, 1966, he left a completed manuscript
, Stars in De Elements, which was published in 1995 as a special issue of the journal Black Sacred Music.
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was raised in Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
and Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Educated at the Florida Baptist Academy in Jacksonville, he studied violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
with Sidney Woodward. Woodward recognized his musical talent and took James for further study to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, where from the age of sixteen he was the protégé of Kemper Harreld
Kemper Harreld
Kemper Harreld , born William Kemper Harreld in Muncie, Indiana, was a renowned African American concert violinist. In addition to being an accomplished violinist, Harreld was also a pianist and organist...
, a concert violinist and head of the Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
music department. James enrolled at Morehouse in 1919, and his studies included the traditional core of music courses, as well as the violin and several other instruments. He was a member of the Morehouse Quartet and Glee Club
Morehouse College Glee Club
The Morehouse College Glee Club, founded in 1911, is the official choral group at Morehouse College. The Glee Club has a long tradition of significant public appearances, having performed at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral, President Jimmy Carter's inauguration, Super Bowl XXVIII, and the 1996...
, and played violin in the college orchestra. James showed great promise as a concert violinist and performed as a recitalist and soloist throughout his career.
After receiving his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Morehouse in 1923, James pursued further study with Oswald Blake and Edwin Gerschefski at the Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt UniversityIt was founded in 1867, less than four decades after the city of Chicago was incorporated...
.
He began his teaching career at Leland College
Leland College
Leland College was a school and college for blacks, that in fact was open to all races, that was established in 1870. It was established first in New Orleans, Louisiana, and moved to a location near Baker, Louisiana in 1923, "after its original buildings burned".It was listed on the National...
in Baker, Louisiana
Baker, Louisiana
Baker is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,793 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baker is located at...
(1923-1929), and it was while living in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
that James began collecting folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and folksongs, particularly along the levees of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. In 1927 the Paramount Record Company of Chicago released a record on which he sang folksongs and for which he and James Edward Halligan transcribed the music and texts. In 1928 he married a fellow teacher at Leland College, Theodora Joanna Fisher.
From 1929 to 1933, James taught at the Alabama State Teachers' College at Montgomery, before accepting a teaching position at Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
, where he would stay for the remainder of his career, serving as chairman of the music department and director of the Spelman College Glee Club. After the retirement of Kemper Harreld, he assumed the duties of director of music at both Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
With Horace Mann Bond
Horace Mann Bond
Horace Mann Bond was an American historian, college administrator, social science researcher, and the father of civil-rights leader Julian Bond. He earned a master's and doctorate from University of Chicago, at a time when only a small percentage of any young adults attended any college...
, president of Fort Valley State College, he co-founded the Fort Valley State College Folk Festival (1940-1955), and was a member of the summer faculty there from 1941 to 1949.
James continued investigating folksongs over the years and was noted for his compositions and arrangements. His theory that "the cry" was the most distinctive feature of black folksong attracted some attention. He lectured at college campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es, before professional societies, at the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, and at the Roundtables of the Tanglewood music festival. He received awards from the General Education Board and the Carnegie Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York, which was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding," is one of the oldest, largest and most influential of American foundations...
and in 1955 received an honorary doctorate from Wilberforce University
Wilberforce University
Wilberforce University is a private, coed, liberal arts historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans...
. In April 1966, he lectured at the opening of the Center for the Arts in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , 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...
.
At the time of his death on December 27, 1966, he left a completed manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
, Stars in De Elements, which was published in 1995 as a special issue of the journal Black Sacred Music.