Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912) was an English composer and conductor whose works joined European classical forms with African and African American musical influences. He is best known for the cantata trilogy The Song of Hiawatha.

Connect

The Song of Hiawatha: A trilogy of cantatas by Coleridge-Taylor, based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem. This celebrated trilogy brought Coleridge-Taylor broad recognition in Britain and the United States.
Royal College of Music: A conservatoire in London, founded in 1882 to train musicians. Coleridge-Taylor studied composition there under Charles Villiers Stanford.
Frederick J. Loudin: An American singer and leader of the Fisk Jubilee Singers who promoted Coleridge-Taylor’s music in the United States. Loudin helped introduce the composer’s work to American audiences.
Black British history: The history of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain and their contributions to British society. Coleridge-Taylor became a prominent Black public figure in Edwardian Britain.
Hiawatha's Wedding Feast: The first cantata in Coleridge-Taylor’s Song of Hiawatha trilogy, composed in 1898. Its popularity became the trilogy’s best-known public face.
Charles Villiers Stanford: An Irish composer, conductor, and teacher who shaped British musical life in the late nineteenth century. Stanford taught Coleridge-Taylor composition at the Royal College of Music.
Fisk Jubilee Singers: An African American vocal ensemble founded at Fisk University to perform spirituals and raise funds for the school. Their performances and advocacy helped connect Coleridge-Taylor with African American musical traditions.
African American music: Musical traditions developed by African Americans, including spirituals, blues, jazz, and concert music. His compositions and American connections brought him into dialogue with African American musical life.
Symphony in A minor (Coleridge-Taylor): Coleridge-Taylor’s only symphony, completed in 1896. The symphony displays his command of the orchestral tradition beyond his famous cantatas.
Edward Elgar: An English composer whose orchestral and choral works became central to British concert life. Elgar praised Coleridge-Taylor’s work and helped bring it to wider attention.