Negro Spirituals

Jeanine P. Donaldson Harry T. Burleigh

• Classical composer, arranger, and professional singer known for his baritone voice. • First Black composer instrumental in the development of Negro Spirituals • Made the music available to classically trained artists by arranging the music in a classical form • Promoted Spirituals through publication, lectures, and arrangements

Hall Johnson (1888-1970)

• Composer, arranger • Elevated Negro Spirituals to an art form. • Julliard trained musician who first studied violin • Later became interested in choral music, forming the Hall Johnson Negro Choir • His choirs performed in movies during the 1930’s and 40’s • Known for Green Pastures, Song of the South, and Lost Horizon

Roland Hayes (1887-1977)

• Lyric tenor and composer, and first world-renowned African American concert artist • In 1923 he became the first African American soloist to appear with the Boston Symphony Orchestra singing Berlioz, Mozart, and Negro Spirituals • Hayes was a student of Harry T. Burleigh • He attempted to integrate the seating at concert halls where he performed • Hayes Performed with the Fisk Jubilee Singers while a student at Fisk in 1911

Paul Robeson (1898-1976)

• Internationally known bass singer and actor • Performed on-stage and in movies (Show Boat/Old Man River) • Civil Rights activist; blacklisted during McCarthy era • All-American football player Rutgers College; Phi Beta Kappa and valedictorian

The Jubilee Singers

“The Jubilee Singers,” a Biblical reference to the year of Jubilee in the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 25:13 “In the year of Jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.”

George L. White

• Northern missionary; Fisk College treasurer; and music director. • Proposed idea for first northern tour; named the group Jubilee Singers. • Dedicated to music and proving African-Americans were intellectual equals to whites. • October 6, 1871 first tour begun