Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Biographical Information
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Summary:
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born in London in 1875. He would go on to become an international sensation. His talent as a composer would take him to the podiums of major orchestras, to the White House for a meeting with President Teddy Roosevelt, and on multiple tours to the United States. Samuel’s father was a Black doctor from Sierra Leone. His mother was from a white English family. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a Black Englishman with a mixed race heritage. He was an important British composer, just as important as Edward Elgar or Ralph Vaughn-Williams. His talent and fame would also make him an inspirational figure for Black communities around the world.
Early Life and Origins:
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor grew up in Croydon, a suburb of London. Samuel never met his father, Daniel Taylor, who moved to Sierra Leone before he was born. Instead, Samuel was raised by his grandparents and mother, Alice Hare Martin, until she eventually remarried. He started taking violin and piano lessons at an early age, and even organ lessons when he was slightly older. He was admitted into the Royal Conservatory of Music when he was only 15 years old. Studying at the conservatory was an adjustment. Samuel was a shy boy, and he encountered ugly reactions and comments about his mixed race. However, he persevered and excelled during his time at the Royal Conservatory. He discovered an interest in composing music and found out that he had a knack for it. He won awards for some of his early music and his reputation kept on growing over the years until he created an international hit: Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast.
Career and Legacy:
Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast was based on a famous American poem by Henry Longfellow: “The Song of Hiawatha.” Many of Coleridge-Taylor’s famous works would be based on this American poem, which highlights something intriguing. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a Black Englishman with few direct ties to the United States, would develop deep connections with American culture, the African-American community, and communities of African descent around the world. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois were two legendary leaders from the Black American community of the early twentieth century. They disagreed about many things, yet both men admired Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Washington described the composer as “the foremost musician of his race” and “a man at the zenith of his power.” DuBois saw the composer as an inspirational figure, and shared a VIP box with Coleridge-Taylor’s wife at the premiere of one of his most popular works. There was an intense excitement about Coleridge-Taylor and his music. Two hundred African-American patrons were so excited that they created a Choral Society in Washington D.C. to fund concerts featuring Coleridge-Taylor’s music in the United States.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor would embark on three whirlwind tours of the United States thanks to this groundswell of support. He would perform his works in every major city in the North. These tours were triumphs, despite many instances of racism. For example, when Coleridge-Taylor was asked to conduct a concert in Norfolk, Connecticut, two musicians refused to perform because they would not work under a Black conductor. Coleridge-Taylor embraced African-American music. He published a popular book that notated 24 Black American melodies. He also included Black American folk melodies in some of his works. During that time, many composers were experimenting with folk music. For example, Antonin Dvorak showcased folk melodies in his works to create music that sounded Czech. He wanted his music to have ties to his homeland and cultural background. Similarly, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was creating music that reflected an African ancestry by showcasing Black folk melodies in his music.
Samuel Coleridge Taylor would tragically and suddenly die from pneumonia at the young age of 35. Booker T. Washington described the composer as an inspirational figure for people of African descent and the global impact of his career was on full display at his funeral. There were West African colleagues, guests from Washington D.C., letters expressing grief from all over the United States, and mourners from all over the the United Kingdom. There was even a wreath “on behalf of unknown relatives in Sierra Leone.” Coleridge-Taylor was as much a star in Britain as he was around the world. His choral works were popular long after his death. And his career was so important to Britain, that King George V granted Coleridge-Taylor’s widow a yearly stipend as a sign of respect.
Sources:
Green, Jeffrey. “‘The Foremost Musician of His Race’: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor of England.” Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 10, no. 2 (Autumn, 1990), pp. 233-252.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/779387
Composer Website Link
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Coleridge-Taylor
