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08/16/2025
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture, opus 46 – Ballade in D Minor for Violin and Orchestra, opus 4 [1] – 3 Selections from 24 Negro Melodies, opus 59 (arr. Curtis Stewart, Hamilton Berry and Andrew Roitstein) [1] – Suite from 24 Negro Melodies, opus 59 (ed. Patrick Meadows & Lionel Harrison)
Curtis Stewart [1] (violin), Laura Colgate (concertmaster), National Philharmonic at Strathmore, Michael Repper (conductor)
Recording: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall, Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, Virginia (February 6‑7, 2025) – 66’40
AVIE AV2763 – Booklet in English, German and French
 
On August 15, 1875, an Englishwoman named Alice Hare Martin gave birth to a child who would grow up to make his mark on the world of music. The boy did not know his father, Dr. Daniel Hughes Taylor, a medical practitioner from Sierra Leone, who returned to Africa before the pregnancy was apparent. The boy was raised in the working‑class home of Alice’s father, who was employed as a farrier (one who specializes in hoof care for horses). Alice married a railway worker in 1887, the year that her son turned 12.
The child of this unremarkable story went on to claim a remarkable life. He showed musical talent at a young age and, supported by his grandfather, studied with Charles Villiers Stanford, one of the leading composers of the era, at the Royal College of Music. Here, he began the composition of his best-known work, a series of cantatas based on Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha.
The hero of this story was none other than Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, often cited as one of the most brilliant musicians of color to excel in the world of classical music composition. I certainly recall reading about his life and musical contributions in many of the music history textbooks I read as a young person. In these books, Coleridge-Taylor was admired and respected, and Hiawatha celebrated as a major work by a composer who flourished in both Great Britain and The United States.
But what about the other works of this reportedly prolific talent? With the 150th anniversary of his birth at hand, where can we hear this composer’s music, and what is its value to 21st century audiences?
Thanks to a renewed interest in classical music by composers of color, Coleridge-Taylor’s music is enjoying a renaissance in this, the composer’s anniversary year. The National Philharmonic, under the direction of Michael Repper, is releasing an all-Coleridge-Taylor album, featuring violin soloist, Curtis Stewart. The orchestra, colloquially known as the NatPhil, has its residency at the Strathmore Music Center in North Bethesda, Maryland.
The album contains four works: Toussaint L’Ouverture; Ballade in D minor for violin and orchestra; three selections from 24 Negro Melodies; and Suite from 24 Negro Melodies. This collection presents the World Premiere Recording of each of these works.
Toussaint L’Ouverture was composed in 1901, a tribute to a historical general of the same name who was born a slave in Saint‑Domingue (Haiti) and rose to become the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. Although he is justly venerated as a hero, his actions and policies were not beyond criticism, especially his position on slavery. The general’s last name is French for “overture,” and a fine concert overture this is, a spritely work of flickering moods that encourages further listening. Although the composer was British, there is an air of Americana to this and the other works on this recording, most of which are directly influenced by African music and African-American spirituals specifically. Through the wonder of technology, listeners to the CD may follow a QR code to a downloadable score which can be used for performance or personal enjoyment.
I was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm of the conductor, Michael Repper, who is a champion of Coleridge-Taylor’s work, and Curtis Stewart’s skillful and appealingly original performance of the Ballade, a romantic movement that recalls other one-movement romances for violin and orchestra by Beethoven and Dvorák. Highlights of the album are 3 Selections and a Suite, both taken from 24 Negro Melodies, originally piano works by the composer which have been arranged for full orchestra. The melodies include familiar tunes such as Deep River and I’m Troubled in Mind. More reflective than dynamic, these works deserve a modern listenership, providing a spirit of diversity and an international perspective that feels fresh and welcoming. Here in the States, let’s hear more music by this composer, especially during Black History Month and celebrations of Juneteenth, MLK Day and Kwanzaa, as well as a regular part of concert repertoire.
Linda Holt
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