Harry Burleigh

Harry Burleigh
Background information
Birth nameHenry Thacker Burleigh[1][2]
Born(1866-12-02)December 2, 1866
Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedSeptember 12, 1949(1949-09-12) (aged 82)
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation(s)Singer, composer, arranger

Harry Burleigh (born Henry Thacker Burleigh, December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949) was an American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer known for his baritone voice. The first black composer who was instrumental in developing characteristically American music, Burleigh made black music available to classically trained artists both by introducing them to spirituals and by arranging spirituals in a more classical form.[3] Burleigh also introduced Antonín Dvořák to Black American music, which influenced some of Dvořák's most famous compositions and led him to say that Black music would be the basis of an American classical music.

  1. ^ "Current Comment – Harry Burleigh". Portland Press Herald. Vol. 88. Portland, Maine. September 23, 1949. p. 18. ISSN 2689-5919. OCLC 232117688 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 for Henry Thacker Burleigh". Ancestry. August 12, 1909. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Southern, Eileen. The Music of Black Americans: A History. W. W. Norton & Co. p. 284.

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