University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

The sacred choral works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

(USC Thesis Other)

The sacred choral works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content

THE SACRED CHORAL WORKS OF SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR

by Zanaida Noelle Robles

A Dissertation Presented to
THE FACULTY OF THE USC THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
(CHORAL MUSIC)

Zanaida Noelle Robles

DECEMBER 2014

Copyright 2014

ii

DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to Paul Smith and James Walker, to the choirs of All
Saints Church, Pasadena, and to the many friends and family members, (especially my
husband Vincent Robles, along with our precious daughters) who have upheld me
throughout the process of writing this paper and earning the degree of Doctor of Musical
Arts in Choral Music.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to acknowledge my dissertation committee members, Dr. Cristian
Grases (chair), Dr. Nick Strimple, and Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, whose support and
guidance have been fundamental throughout this process.
I thank John Malveaux, who first introduced me to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
more than a decade ago. I am also deeply grateful for the support and encouragement of
Dr. Dominique René De Lerma, Dr. William Tortolano, and Charles Kaufman: three
individuals whose personal correspondence with me was immeasurably valuable.
I cannot express enough gratitude for James Walker and the choirs at All Saints
Church Pasadena – their unwavering encouragement and support have enabled me to
realize my dreams and deepen my faith.
I thank the National Association of Negro Musicians and the USC Graduate
School, Department of Diversity Outreach and Academic Professional Development for
providing a safe environment in which to refine my research and presentation skills.
The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University and Christopher
Scobie from British Library Reference Services gave me the tools I needed to unearth
musical treasures I had only hoped to find.
And finally, my friends and family for providing the extra brains and eyes needed
to ensure the quality of this project.

iv

ABSTRACT

African British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was
affectionately referred to in his time as the African “Mahler.” His most popular work,
Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, op. 30, no. 1 for soli, chorus and orchestra, is a shining
example of his command of musical form, texture, harmony, and orchestration, which
resulted in overnight fame and respect among colleagues that few men of color could
have hoped to enjoy in the early twentieth century. Because of his incredible success in a
field dominated by white males at a time when racism in America was peaking,
Coleridge-Taylor’s influence on African American artists and intellectuals was powerful
and far-reaching. After Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, Coleridge-Taylor is most known for
his 24 Negro Melodies, his violin concerto, a host of chamber music and several art songs
- his compositional output is substantial and varied. The purpose of this dissertation is to
examine the construction, style, character, historic value, and contemporary relevance of
the choral music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a body of repertoire that has heretofore
been virtually neglected.

Need For Research
With an opus of at least twenty known works for chorus, including two sets of
part songs, five choral ballades, two major cantatas, seven smaller cantatas, eight
anthems, and a Morning and Evening Service, Coleridge-Taylor’s contribution to the
choral genre is significant but seriously underexplored. Recordings of this highly

v

regarded composer’s choral works are scarce, and few scholarly sources offer much
insight into his choral music beyond merely acknowledging its existence in lists and
catalogues. Research and analysis is necessary so that knowledge of this music might
increase and performances and recordings of these works might resume after a century of
neglect. Coleridge-Taylor was one of the earliest composers of African descent whose
music was revered, not for any Afro-centric novelty, but for being well crafted and
wholly original. With this research on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the compositional
voices of past and contemporary composers of African descent might also be more
distinctly heard and appreciated, not just for the novelty of spirituals and crossover
works, but for their genuinely fine craftsmanship and distinctly refined sound. To that
end, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor can still lead and inspire the American musical
community, just as he did a century ago.

Methodology
Data from available scholarly, media, and primary sources have been gathered,
examined, and discussed in order to present a concise, comprehensive picture of the life
and influences of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. An original theoretical analysis of selected
works is included from a performance preparation perspective. Study scores have either
been purchased from the publisher or accessed through public domain resources, when
available.

vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... III

ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... IV

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... VIII

LIST OF EXAMPLES .................................................................................................... IX

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER II: A BRIEF HISTORY ............................................................................... 6

CHAPTER III: ANTHEMS AND HYMNS ................................................................. 12

In Thee, O Lord
.....................................................................................................................................
13

Lift up your heads
.................................................................................................................................
15

Break forth into joy
..............................................................................................................................
16

O ye that love the Lord
.......................................................................................................................
21

The Lord is my strength
......................................................................................................................
23

By the waters of Babylon
...................................................................................................................
25

Now late on the Sabbath day
............................................................................................................
31

What Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender
............................................................................
36

Anthem Summary
................................................................................................................................
40

Hymn: Luconer
.....................................................................................................................................
41

vii

CHAPTER IV. MORNING AND EVENING SERVICE, op. 17. ................................ 46

Te Deum
...................................................................................................................................................
48

Benedictus
...............................................................................................................................................
52

Jubilate Deo
...........................................................................................................................................
54

Magnificat
...............................................................................................................................................
59

Nunc dimittis
..........................................................................................................................................
62

Performance Considerations for Morning and Evening Service, op. 17
............................
64

CHAPTER V: RE-IGNITING A LEGACY ................................................................ 66

BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 70

APPENDIX A: LIST OF REFERENCED SCORE EDITIONS ................................ 75

APPENDIX B: A LIST OF SELECTED SECULAR CHORAL AND SOLO
VOCAL WORKS ............................................................................................................ 76

APPENDIX C: PRINT MEDIA AND SELECTED CORRESPONDANCE ............ 90

APPENDIX D: COLERIDGE-TAYLOR PROJECT: CONCERT PROGRAM ..... 97

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 – Chronology of the Sacred Choral Works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor ......... 13
Table 3.2 – Rondo Form and Harmonic Motion of By the waters of Babylon ................. 26
Table 3.3 – Form and Harmony in mm. 1-73 of Now late on the Sabbath day ................ 34
Table 4.1 – Harmony and Texture in Te Deum, mm. 1-72 ............................................... 50
Table 4.2 – Mediant Modulation in Te Deum, mm. 71-119 ............................................. 51
Table 4.3 – Progression and Voicing in Section One of Benedictus ................................ 54

ix

LIST OF EXAMPLES

Example 3.1 – In Thee, O Lord, Opening Melody ........................................................... 14
Example 3.2 – Tenor solo in Break forth into joy ............................................................. 18
Example 3.3 – Ending to Barnby’s Break forth into joy. .................................................. 19
Example 3.4 – Coleridge-Taylor’s O come, all ye faithful ............................................... 20
Example 3.5 – Opening measures of O ye that love the Lord .......................................... 22
Example 3.6 – Opening melody for The Lord is my strength ........................................... 24
Example 3.7 – Climax, second segment of The Lord is my strength ................................ 24
Example 3.8 – mm. 1–29 of By the waters of Babylon ..................................................... 27
Example 3.9 – By the waters of Babylon, mm. 91–96 ...................................................... 30
Example 3.10 – Now late on the Sabbath day, mm. 27–42. ............................................. 32
Example 3.11 – Soprano Solo excerpt from Now late on the Sabbath day ...................... 35
Example 3.12 – What Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender, mm. 25-41 ..................... 38
Example 3.13 –What Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender, mm. 136 – 146 ............... 39
Example 3.14 – “To Mercy Pity Peace and Love” for Luconer ....................................... 43
Example 4.1 – “Morning and Evening Service” motif ..................................................... 50
Example 4.2 Neighbor tones and Bdim7 harmony in Jubilate Deo, m.2 ......................... 56
Example 4.3 – Jubilate Deo, mm. 49–65 .......................................................................... 57
Example 4.4 – “Gloria” from Jubilate Deo ...................................................................... 58
Example 4.5 – Opening phrase in Magnificat .................................................................. 60
Example 4.6 – Opening phrase of Nunc dimittis .............................................................. 63

1

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

African British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who lived from 1875 to
1912, is known to have been affectionately referred to as the “African Mahler” by
professional orchestra members in New York.
1
Perhaps this was because he, like Mahler,
was a fine composer and a formidable conductor. As popular as Mahler was in his day,
this comparison casts a favorable light on Coleridge-Taylor. Unlike Mahler, however,
whose music is well known and revered, having been championed in the 1950s by such
acclaimed conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Coleridge-Taylor has suffered a decline in
popularity, and ultimately his music has fallen into obscurity.
He might have been more aptly named the “African Dvořák,” or “African
Mendelssohn,” if style bares any weight in the matter. The most notable example of his
command of musical form, texture, harmony, and orchestration is Hiawatha’s Wedding
Feast, op. 30, no. 1, his most well-known and often-performed work. The international
fame he achieved on account of this masterwork is difficult to fathom given how
dramatically his star has faded. Coleridge-Taylor’s compositional output is substantial
and varied: after Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, he is most known for Twenty-Four Negro
Melodies, op. 59, Ballade in A Minor, op. 33, Violin Concerto in G minor, op. 80, Nonet
in F minor, op. 2, several choral orchestral cantatas, and more than 100 art songs. While
his large-scale orchestral works receive acknowledgement as compositions comprising

1
Taylor, Avril. The Heritage of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, (London: Dobson Books Ltd.) 68. In an
account by Carl Stoeckle, Gustav Mahler was regarded as the greatest conductor who ever visited the US.

2

harmonic depth and lushness typical of the late Romantic style, he also had a gift for
miniature composition, a trait less recognized in scholarly discourse on the composer.
But perhaps more important is the impact his success had on the African
American community at the turn of the twentieth century. Dr. William Tortolano writes:
American Negros looked upon him [Coleridge-Taylor] as an outstanding
example to their race: a man of intellect, talent, and success. He became a
household word and an inspiration in many American Negro homes and
model of one who could overcome racial and prejudicial difficulties.
2

African Americans regarded Coleridge-Taylor with such praise and adoration in the
United States that the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Choral Society, a music organization
funded by, and comprised mainly of African American members, was founded in his
honor in 1901. Thousands of people crammed themselves into the Metropolitan African
Methodist Church in Washington D.C. to hear the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Choral
Society mount the first American performance of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast in 1903.
Coleridge-Taylor visited the United Sates on several occasions, even earning an
invitation to a meeting with President Roosevelt. With such talent and opportunity at his
command, Coleridge-Taylor’s future seemed bright, his success guaranteed, and his place
in history secure. Yet his music, having reached its zenith in the 1920’s, fell out of favor
entirely after World War II and to this day remains obscure at best. Further, his tragic
and untimely death at age 37 robbed Coleridge-Taylor of the possibility of a musical
evolution and prevented him from truly making a permanent stamp on the world as a
great composer.

2
Tortolano, William. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Anglo-Black Composer, 1875–1912, 2d ed.
(Lanham: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2002) 41.

3

There are two possible reasons that Coleridge-Taylor’s music has been neglected.
Firstly, he died in the prime of his life, just as his contemporaries Ralph Vaughan
Williams and Gustav Holst were making their mark on the musical world. It is possible
that the music of these two composers completely overshadowed Coleridge-Taylor’s
works. But since Coleridge-Taylor had already enjoyed a major success in Hiawatha’s
Wedding Feast years before either Vaughan Williams or Holst composed their first major
musical works, and since all three men were around the same age (Coleridge-Taylor was
the youngest of the three), it is difficult to say whether the quality of Coleridge-Taylor’s
works simply didn’t measure up to his now well-known contemporaries. Coleridge-
Taylor’s career had advanced far beyond those of his contemporaries of the same age,
and his best works may have been ahead of him. But for his untimely death, his style may
have continued to evolve in such a way as to have a significantly larger impact on
English music.
Secondly, it is easy to attribute the decline of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s music to
the color of his skin. He was born of mixed parentage – his mother a white woman from
England; his father, a black man from Sierra Leon. Even in his own country, where his
music enjoyed great popularity, he endured insults and race-related setbacks. His
daughter Avril recounted:
There were lads in Croydon who sometimes laughed at him because of his
dark skin, and what they said caused him great pain. When he saw them
approaching along the street he held my hand more tightly, gripping it
until it almost hurt.
3

C.V. Stanford famously stood up for him, remarking how he [Coleridge-Taylor] had far

3
Coleridge-Taylor, The Heritage of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 96.

4

more talent than his detractors could ever hope for.
4
Dr. Mike Phillips discuses the
decline in popularity of the grand performances of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. In his
essay on Coleridge-Taylor, he aptly conjectures:
It is fashionable to blame racism, and a look at the judgment in some of
his [Coleridge-Taylor’s] obituaries seems to bear out this view. On the
other hand, performances of this kind were unlikely to survive the decline
of the amateur and semi-professional choral tradition, as well as the shift
in the magnetic centre of popular music. The showmanship of conductors
like Sir Malcolm Sargent was part of [Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast’s]
support in the pre-war years. Later on, the atmosphere had changed.
5

These thoughts from Dr. Phillips underscore the importance of amateur singing
organizations and highlight on-going concern over the declining state of music literacy.
Phillips also keenly observes how Coleridge-Taylor was possessed of a deep pride in his
African heritage.
But while he was a great proponent of Pan-Africanism and the empowerment of
people of color, in-depth analysis shows his music scarcely suggests compositional
influence beyond his European models. Coleridge-Taylor himself writes in his preface to
his Twenty-Four Negro Melodies “…what Brahms has done for the Hungarian folk
music, Dvořák for the Bohemian, and Grieg for the Norwegian, I have tried to do for
these Negro Melodies.”
6
Indeed he did compose exceptional musical works based on the

4
Sayers, W. C. Berwick, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Musicians: His Life and Letters (London:
Cassell and Company) 27.

5
Mike Phillips, “Samuel Coleridge-Taylor,” Black Europeans 6, 11 November 2011 [gallery on-
line]; available from http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/blackeuro/pdf/coleridge.pdf; internet;
accessed 19 August 2014.

6
Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel. Twenty-Four Negro Melodies, op. 59, no. 1 (Boston: Oliver Ditson,
1905) preface.

5

African American melodies to which he was exposed by the likes of Harry T. Burleigh
and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. But Coleridge-Taylor used this material as a point of
departure for the composition of completely original works of classical music, rather than
using classical elements to create ethnocentric re-arrangements of these original folk
melodies.
While Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was deeply moved and inspired by spirituals,
none of his choral/vocal works are arrangements of spirituals. Much of Coleridge-
Taylor’s choral and vocal material came from exotic cultural sources outside African and
African American folk songs (such as the far east) and incorporated texts from a diverse
pool of such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christina Rossetti, Robert
Herrick, William Shakespeare, and Lawrence Dunbar. Coleridge-Taylor also wrote his
own lyrics, most notably his own libretto to his grand opera Thelma, op. 72. As a means
for achieving a more complete image of literary aspects of Coleridge-Taylor’s choral
compositions, the complete lyrics to works selected for analysis are included herein.
There is no doubt that Coleridge-Taylor saw himself as a large-scale, high-caliber
composer. So, it is hoped this fresh analytical account of his small sacred choral works
might inspire educators, conductors, and singers to a renewed study and eventual
performance and recording of these, along with the larger works on which Coleridge-
Taylor truly prided himself and for which he was widely adored in his time.

6

CHAPTER II: A BRIEF HISTORY

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was the son of a mixed-race couple. According to his
birth certificate, he was born on August 15, 1875 to a Caucasian mother Alice Holmans
and a Sierra Leonean father David Taylor.
1
David Taylor was a medical doctor who was
evidently employed in England at the time of what must have been a relatively brief
courtship with Alice. Coleridge-Taylor never knew his biological father, and it is
unknown why the name “Coleridge” became attached to the composer’s identity beyond
his mother’s apparent liking for the surname and for the composer’s namesake – the poet
Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his mother were nurtured under the roof of Mister
Benjamin Holmans, who most scholars believe to have been his maternal grandfather.
Young Coleridge-Taylor lived with his mother and grandfather in the middle-class
neighborhood of Croyden, where young Samuel was taken under the musical wing of
Joseph Beckwith. From Mr. Beckwith, Coleridge-Taylor learned string technique and
began to acquire a reputation around Croyden as a fine violinist. Archival records in
Croyden indicate that Coleridge-Taylor attended the non-conformist British School in
Tamworth Road where John Drage, the head master likely sought to strengthen ties
between his school and non-conformist churches and church leaders in the area. Drage
recognized Coleridge-Taylor’s unique musical talent and brought the young boy to the
attention of Colonel Herbert Walters, the choirmaster at St. George’s Presbyterian

1
Tortolano, p. 4.

7

Church in Croyden.
2
When he was thirteen years of age, Coleridge-Taylor ceased to
study at the non-conformist school. When Walters left his choirmaster position at St.
George’s and relocated to attend St. Mary Magdalene at Addiscombe, then the newest
Anglican Church in Croyden, Samuel followed him there to continue his musical work as
a choirboy under Choirmaster J.H. Wallace. Jeffrey Green, in his book Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor: A Musical Life states: “the new church exposed him to the substantial
inheritance of choral music possessed by the Anglicans and was an important experience
in the young composer’s education.”
3

Sir George Grove, then president of the Royal College of Music (the same Grove
for whom the Grove Dictionary of Music is named), took an interest in Coleridge-Taylor.
Two years later in 1890, Walters convinced Grove to admit Coleridge-Taylor, then
fifteen years old, to the Royal College of Music, after he had been rejected two years in a
row for reasons probably related to his dark skin.
4
Once enrolled, Coleridge-Taylor had
the opportunity to study with such well-respected musicians as Charles Wood, Walter
Parrat, and, most notably, Charles Villiers Stanford, one of the cornerstone composers of
nineteenth century English music. Upon instruction from George Grove who said “the
piano is all important for a composer,”
5
he dropped his violin studies and began studying
piano more vigorously. Considering who his teachers were and that his classmates

2
Green, Jeffrey. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, A Musical Life (London: Pickering and Chatto, 2011)
17.

3
Ibid, 18.

4
Ibid, 25.

5
Coleridge-Taylor, The Heritage of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 18.

8

included Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan-Williams, and William Hurlstone, Coleridge-
Taylor was part of a compositional legacy that not only defined the English choral sound,
but that shaped the development of modern English music in general. From the waning
Sir Arthur Sullivan to the rising Sir Edward Elgar, England’s musical elite supported
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor in the final decade of the nineteenth century, aiding him in his
own rise to fame. Novello published Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s first anthem, In Thee, O
Lord, in 1891, which Coleridge-Taylor dedicated to his friend and former teacher Colonel
Walters. The next year, Novello published a set of four additional anthems: Break forth
into joy, The Lord is my strength, Lift up your heads, and O ye that love the Lord.
In 1893, Coleridge-Taylor received permission from the principal of the Royal
College of Music (Mr. Grove) to present an ambitious public concert featuring, in
addition to music of other composers including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, several
original works of his own. Following this successful performance, Coleridge-Taylor was
then awarded an open-ended composition scholarship at the Royal College of Music. In
1895 came the first performance of the Coleridge-Taylor Quintet for Clarinet and
Strings, op. 10. Even today, this quintet remains one of the best examples of Coleridge-
Taylor’s chamber music and a standard work in the chamber music repertoire with a
Hyperion recording by the London-based Nash Ensemble as recently as 2007. 1896
brought a performance of the first three movements of his Symphony in A major, op. 8.
Remarkably, orchestra members for this concert included Gustav Holst on trombone and
Ralph Vaughan Williams on triangle.
6
These memorable events in the life of Coleridge-

6
Ibid, p. 23.

9

Taylor illustrate how active and fruitful he was as a young composer. An 1895 article in
Musical Times illustrates the critical acclaim with which these early works were received:

Mr. Taylor’s themes are his own, and very interesting and unconventional the
majority are, while the ease with which he handles the difficult form, the freedom
and artistic balance of his part-writing, and, even more, the variety and originality
of his rhythms, are quite remarkable in one so young.
7

By the time Coleridge-Taylor left the Royal College of Music in 1897, he had
composed five published anthems and a short, modest setting of the canticle Te Deum
laudamus, op. 18, in addition to the aforementioned works. Driven by an increasing
infatuation with the epic poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor composed his most beloved work Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast in 1898, a work that
catapulted him to fame overnight. The popularity of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast is
commonly said to have rivaled even Georg Frederich Handel’s enormously popular
oratorio Messiah. August Jaeger, a writer for Musical Times and one of Coleridge-
Taylor’s early supporters, wrote an enthusiastic letter to his friend, composer Edward
Elgar, commenting on Coleridge-Taylor’s astounding originality and saying of
Coleridge-Taylor “he is a genius I feel sure, if ever an English composer was.”
8

Coleridge-Taylor went on to compose two additional cantatas, Death of Minehaha in
1899 and Hiawatha’s Departure in 1900, completing the epic trilogy Scenes from The
Song of Hiawatha, op. 30.
Following his overwhelmingly successful Hiawatha trilogy, Coleridge-Taylor

7
Musical Times, August 1895, p. 532.

8
Moore, Elgar and his Publishers, pp. 51–2.

10

composed two more moderately successful cantatas before he embarked on composing
his 1902 sacred cantata The Atonement, op. 19. This work can be considered a passion,
comparable in size and scope to Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast and in depth and character to
Bach’s St. John Passion, BWV 245. To the composer’s dismay, The Atonement was
generally not well received by critics in 1903. It failed to measure up to the expectations
of an audience so in love with Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha, op. 30, his last
significant success. The arguably over-dramatized music, with an uninspired libretto by
Alice Parsons, fell on unimpressed ears. Further, Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of the seven
last words of Christ to be sung by the person playing the roll of Christ instead of the
traditional chorus treatment, and the fact that he set original verses instead of scripture,
was tantamount to musical blasphemy. Still, Coleridge-Taylor defended his work, saying
in a letter to a friend:
The fact is that there has never been a religious work written by a coloured man
before, and so they had only English and German works to guide them, and my
efforts were fearfully misunderstood. Nevertheless, it held the people very well
indeed.
9

Using the popularity of his compositional output as a barometer for success,
Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast was surely the highest point, while The Atonement was the
lowest. But the importance of The Atonement, his only large-scale sacred work, lies not
in its reception (which may have been more favorable under different circumstance), but
in the fact that Coleridge-Taylor believed in the quality of his music. The disappointment
over the apparent failure of this work must have been tremendous. The only other sacred
choral music he wrote after that is the relatively small anthem, What thou hast given me,

9
Ibid, p. 85.

11

Lord here I tender from 1905. Perhaps he had run out of inspiration for setting sacred
texts. Given time, he may have found his way back to composing sacred choral music.
Tragically, he died of pneumonia in 1912 at the age of 37, and neither he nor his family
ever profited financially from what would have been substantial royalties from
Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. He had sold it out right to Novello for fifteen guineas.

12

CHAPTER III: ANTHEMS AND HYMNS

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor wrote all of his sacred choral works between 1890 and
1905. In them he found a vehicle for some of his most intuitive music. These works are
attractive to hear, accessible for learning, and suitable for performance in not only sacred
services, but also in public concerts. While at the Royal College of Music, Coleridge-
Taylor not only studied and performed music of the English choral tradition, but he
became a part of it, composing service music in the tradition of composers such as Tallis,
Byrd, Sullivan, and Coleridge-Taylor’s own teacher, Charles Villiers Stanford. His
largely over-looked body of sacred choral music (small as it may be) is a part of a legacy
that also includes Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Benjamin
Britten. The sacred choral works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor contain the compositional
seeds (structural integrity, economy of harmonic and melodic material, textural variety)
that would later blossom into Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast and other major works, some of
which were among the most performed and well-known works in early twentieth century
England. Due to their modest vocal ranges and colorful yet uncomplicated harmonies and
textures, Coleridge-Taylor’s sacred choral works are accessible for choirs of even the
most modest musical ability. The influence of his early mentors and his experience as a
choirboy cannot be underestimated.
The Grove Dictionary of Music lists a total of eight anthems composed by Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor, as well as a Morning and Evening service and a hymn setting. The
following table is an account of his small yet significant body of sacred choral works.

13

Table 3.1 – Chronology of the Sacred Choral Works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Year of Publication Title Scoring
1891 - Novello In Thee, O Lord Mixed chorus and organ
1892 - Novello Lift up your heads Mixed chorus and organ
1892 - Novello Break forth into Joy Mixed chorus and organ
1892 - Novello O ye that love the Lord Mixed chorus and organ
1892 - Novello The Lord is my strength Mixed chorus and organ
1899 - Novello By the waters of Babylon Mixed chorus and organ
1899 - Novello Morning and Evening
Service, op. 17
Mixed chorus and organ
(Benedictus, Jubilate Deo,
Te Deum, Magnificat, Nunc
dimittis)
1901 - Novello Now late on the Sabbath day Mixed chorus and organ
1903 – Novello The Atonement, op. 53 Orchestra, Chorus and
Baritone
1905 – Maxwell and
Co.
What thou hast given me,
Lord here I tender
Mixed chorus and organ
1928 (posthumously) Luconer Hymn

As previously stated, an analysis of the The Atonement is beyond the scope of this
dissertation, and the Morning and Evening Service, op. 17 will be discussed in a later
chapter. But the eight anthems and the hymn can be logically grouped as a body of
repertoire to be analyzed and considered for performance both in sacred and secular
settings.
In Thee, O Lord
In 1891, Novello and Company published Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of
In Thee, O Lord when he was just sixteen years old. This first of his eight anthems was
dedicated to Colonel Herbert A. Walters, choirmaster of St. Mary Magdalene of
Addiscombe in Croyden. Coleridge-Taylor describes this work as “a short anthem for
four voices” which suggests that he may have had a relatively small, or perhaps less-
advanced choir in mind; perhaps this was for Walters’s choir. The fact that the organ

14

accompaniment doubles much of the vocal writing makes rehearsal and performance of
this work readily accessible. The vocal ranges are modest, and except for relatively few
measures, the work is mostly homophonic, making it an easy sing for the average church
choir.
Analysis of In Thee, O Lord reveals three distinct sections, which are arranged in
ABA form. After a brief eight-measure introduction beginning in the key of Bb major,
the sixteen-measure A section with the text “In thee O Lord, have I put my trust” is
presented at a mezzo-forte dynamic, preferably with soli as indicated in the notation of
“verse.” The melody, found in the soprano line, is simply constructed beginning on the
third scale degree and spanning a modest octave between Eb 4 and Eb 5 (Example 3.1).
Example 3.1 – In Thee, O Lord, Opening Melody

This musical statement is then repeated at a piano dynamic, but with the “full” ensemble,
adding a sense of fervor and reverence to the texture. For sixteen measures, the B section
is a setting of the text “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit, for Thou hast redeemed me,
Thou God of truth” with a modulation to the dominant key area of Eb major. An
indication of “a little faster” in the score emphasizes an extra sense of urgency embedded
in this text, representing a character of passionate faith. A brief, contrapuntal, eight-
measure transition leads back to Ab major and the return of the A section marked tempo

15

primo. The work closes in contrapuntal fashion with the text “make haste to deliver me…
in thee have I put my trust.” Coleridge-Taylor marks the closing with morendo,
suggesting a dying-away or resignation in the mood of the music. The final rallantando
and the adagio “Amen” give the work a dignified, traditional finish.
From start to finish, there is a strong sense of textual conviction and sincerity due
to the primarily homophonic texture, the clearly indicated dynamics, and the creative and
economical usage of “verse” and “full” choral writing.
Lift up your heads
Lift up your heads has thirteen editions and three known recordings. Among these
are arrangements for SATB/band, SATB/organ, SATB/piano, treble voice/piano, and
TTBB/piano. The number of published editions of this work is a testament to its
practicality and popularity. William Tortolano, in his 1990 edition of the work published
by Broude Brothers Limited, writes, “The anthem reflects the rigorous training in
harmony, counterpoint, and musical form that Coleridge-Taylor received under
Stanford.”
1
Like all of Coleridge-Taylor’s anthems, the organ registration should be
bright (Tortolano suggests 8’, 4’, 2’).
2
Lift up your heads is one of the set of four
anthems simultaneously published by Novello.
With a bright tempo in triple meter to start, a rising four-measure introduction
gives way to the opening statement of “Lift up your heads, O ye gates” in homophonic
fashion. In Bb major, with brief excursions to closely related key areas, the work remains

1
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Lift up your heads, ed. William Tortolano (New York: Broude
Brothers Limited, 1996) inside cover.

2
Ibid.

16

homophonic throughout, and is among the simplest and most straightforward of the four
anthems published as a set by Novello in 1892. The text “Who is the King of Glory?” is
set with a simplified texture, first in solo section statements by tenors and sopranos, then
with an a cappella statement by semi-chorus (which could be sung by a solo quartet). The
full chorus answers with “It is the Lord, strong and mighty in battle.” The work closes
with a return of the opening statement, a seventeen measure coda, which builds in
accelerando to the final IV-V cadence on “Amen.”
Break forth into joy

Break forth into joy employs texts taken from the books of Isaiah and Luke, texts
most commonly associated with the Christmas story. There are two known editions of
this work: the original publication printed as number 415 in Novello’s Collection of
Anthems and a newer edition by William Tortolano published by Broude Brothers
Limited in 1992. Of the two editions, Tortolano’s is more accessible and includes notes
that briefly describe the composer’s background, along with a concise analytical
overview of the music and performance suggestions.
3

In the key of A major with 3/4 time signature marked Allegro con brio, Break
forth into joy is the most exuberant of the four anthems Novello published in 1892. An
eight-measure introduction of successive first-inversion diatonic triads ascending and
descending over an E pedal creates an extended anacrusis on a dominant chord. Then the
choir bursts forth with a harmonized leap upward with “Break forth, break forth into joy.”

3
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Break forth into joy, ed. William Tortolano (New York: Broude
Brothers Limited, 1992) inside cover.

17

The form is similar to that of In Thee, O Lord: a somewhat formulaic ABA structure built
on eight-measure phrases. The difference in this setting is that there are occasional
interludes of two or four measures between sections, giving this more mature anthem a
greater sense of pacing. Also, after the ABA form is complete, two additional sections are
added to expand this celebratory Christmas anthem. First in the C section, a full tenor
solo of twenty-seven measures is written for the text “Unto you is born this day in the
city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,” harkening to Handel’s solo soprano
treatment of this same text in Messiah. This lavish tenor solo, which modulates to the
subdominant key of D and contains one of Coleridge-Taylor’s most lush keyboard
accompaniments (Example 3.2), is then followed by a final D-section.

18

Example 3.2 – Tenor solo in Break forth into joy

The final section is an original chorale tune composed by Coleridge-Taylor for the text
“O come, all ye faithful” in the first key area of A major. Though some sources say the

19

musical setting comes from Hymns Ancient and Modern, this tune is not connected with
the setting for the “O Come All Ye Faithful” text (hymn number 59 “Adeste Fideles”)
found in this historic hymnal. Therefore, this writer suggests the tune is probably
Coleridge-Taylor’s.
There is a precedent for adding well-known hymns to the ends of holiday
anthems. Coleridge-Taylor was probably keenly familiar with Joseph Barnby’s setting of
Break forth into joy, which was composed as an Easter anthem, and with the second verse
of the well-known hymn “Christ the Lord is risen today” added at the end (example 3.3).
A note is included at the bottom of Barnby’s score that reads: “the congregation may join
the choir in singing this verse of the well-known Easter hymn.”
4

Example 3.3 – Ending to Barnby’s Break forth into joy.

4
Joseph Barnby, “Break Forth into Joy” Musical Times, no. 468 (ca. 1890): 26.

20

Coleridge-Taylor’s anthem would likely work in the same way, but while today’s
parishioners are familiar with the text, they probably would not recognize the original
tune he chose to set (Example 3.4).

Example 3.4 – Coleridge-Taylor’s O come, all ye faithful

However, this currently unfamiliar musical setting of such a familiar text adds interest to
Coleridge-Taylor’s anthem; it becomes a grand finale that simultaneously looks both
backward and forward, inviting choir and congregation into musical communion through
hymnody.

21

O ye that love the Lord
This is one of the four anthems published by Novello in 1892. The text is taken
from Ps. 97:10:
O ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing which is evil:
The Lord preserveth the souls of His saints,
He shall deliver them from the hand of the ungodly.

Coleridge-Taylor truly squeezes as much mileage as possible out of these three short
lines, setting the words “O ye that love the Lord,” twenty-two times. The work is tightly
constructed, built on eight-measure phrases in ABA form. In his 1996 edition of O Ye
that love the Lord, William Tortolano says:
This short composition is reminiscent of certain sections of Mendelssohn’s
oratorio Elijah, which Coleridge-Taylor heard and studied for the first time as an
impressionable young student… The seventeen-year-old composer employs a
harmonic language somewhat audacious for his era.
5

The second full measure of the anthem contains the harmonic treasure that sets the tone
of the entire anthem: an augmented seventh chord resolving to a subdominant chord over
a tonic pedal which then moves to a third inversion dominant seventh chord in measure
three. Here, in just the first three measures, are chromatic passing tones, extended
harmonies, pedal tones, and chord inversions, which define the signature “audacity” of
Coleridge-Taylor’s harmonic language (Example 3.5).

5
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, O ye the love the Lord, ed. William Tortolano (New York: Broude
Brothers Limited, 1992) inside cover.

22

Example 3.5 – Opening measures of O ye that love the Lord
&
&
&
&
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
43
!
43
!
43
!
43
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
V
!
?
&
&
V
?
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
51
Ó
˙
O
51
Ó
˙
O
51
Ó
˙
O
51
Ó
˙
O
œ
œ
œ
œ
ye that love the
œ œ
œ œ
ye that love the
œ n œ
œ
œ
ye that love the
œ œ œ œ
ye that love the
˙
œ
œ
Lord O
˙ ˙
Lord O
œ
œ
œ
œ
Lord O
˙ ˙
Lord O
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
4
[Title]
Ab Augmented 9 chord

After a rich, hymn-like exposition of the first eight bar phrase, the second phrase is quasi-
canonic, leading to a modulation to the dominant key area of Eb including staggered
entrances along with homophonic treatments of the voice parts.
With the modulation to Eb, the B section emerges with the text “the Lord
preserveth the souls of His saints.” The homophonic treatment of this segment of text
gives clarity to the work. After the texture briefly thins to employ treble voices alone, an
eight measure transition builds energy and leads to the full choir with a return of the A
section. An eight-measure closing segment with three crescendo statements and one final
slower statement of “O ye that love the Lord” is concluded with a traditional “Amen”
cadence.

23

The Lord is my strength

The text of The Lord is my strength is taken from Psalm 118, verses fourteen and
seventeen, with the addition of a doxological chorale, featuring John Mason Neal’s poetic
translation of the fifth century hymn Aurora lucis rutilat, attributed to St. Ambrose:
The Lord is my strength and my song,
And is become my salvation.

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of God,

O Lord of all, with us abide,
In this our joyful Eastertide,
From ev’ry weapon death can wield,
Thine own redeem’d forever shield.

All praise be Thine, O risen Lord,
From death to endless life restored,
All praise to God the Father be,
And Holy Ghost eternally. Amen.

For this anthem in Bb major, Coleridge-Taylor uses Psalm 118 in two sections. This first
is in a lilting 3/4 meter marked Allegro con brio. The tempo and character of the work
might best be communicated by conducting in “1,” or in series of circles. A typically
short four-measure introduction is followed by sixteen measures of a chorale-like
treatment of the melody built on the fifth scale degree and comprised of two phrases
leaping up by major sixth, skipping down by thirds, and resting with an upward second.
(Example 3.6). A sixteen-measure B section takes an excursion to the dominant key
center of F major with the tenors stating the text first, followed by basses, then the full
choir. The A section of this first part returns with an eight-measure repetition of the first
theme.

24

Example 3.6 – Opening melody for The Lord is My Strength
&
b
b
4
3
n
b C
œ
The
œ
œ
œ
Lord is my
˙
œ
strength, my
œ
œ
œ
strength and my
˙
Œ
song.
! ! !
&
b C
8
w
w
w
f
˙
˙
˙
œ
œ
˙
˙
˙
˙
w
w
w
>
˙
˙
˙
Ó ! ! ! !
&
b
16
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
&
b
25
! ! ! ! ! ! !
Coleridge-Taylor Examples
[Composer]
Score

The second part of the work modulates to the subdominant key area of Eb major
with the text “I shall not die but live and declare the works of God.” The meter also
changes to 6/4 causing a shift if accentuation of the rhythm so that it is felt in two rather
than in one. Treble and men’s voices are featured in duet fashion, and the segment
climaxes with a statement by the full chorus (Example 3.7).
Example 3.7 – Climax, second segment of The Lord is my strength

For the final section of the anthem, Coleridge-Taylor composed a chorale tune for
the eleventh stanza of the Latin text Aurora lucis retitlat, the translation of which can be

25

found under hymn number 602 in Hymns Ancient and Modern
6
, with a suggestion for its
use as a Doxology. The chorale’s position at the end of Coleridge-Taylor’s anthem
fulfills the role of congregational sing-along, creating a sense of affirmation of the psalm
text. The fermata at the ends of each phrase in this section might be treated similarly to
those used in the chorales of Bach, meaning they aren’t truly “held”, but merely indicate
a breath or an added beat to accommodate breathing.
By the waters of Babylon

The text of this, Coleridge-Taylor’s darkest, most poignant and somber anthem, is
taken from Psalm 137:
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remember’d thee, O
Sion
As for our harps, we hanged them up: upon the trees that are therein
For they that led us away captive required of us a song, and melody, in our
heaviness
Sing us one of the songs of Sion
How shall we sing the Lord’s song, in a strange land?
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, yea
If I prefer not Jerusalem in my mirth, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth.
Remember the children of Edom, O Lord, in the day of Jerusalem, how they said,
Down with it, even to the ground.
O daughter of Babylon, wasted with misery, yea, happy shall he be that rewardeth
thee, as thou hast served us.
Blessed shall he be that taketh thy children, and throweth them against the stones.

With an abandonment of formal symmetry, Coleridge-Taylor intensifies the musical
interest from section to section. The work is in seven sections where, musically, B is
analogous to D, and A is analogous to G to create a rondo form (Table 3.2).

6
Hymns Ancient and Modern. (London: Novello and Company, 1861).

26

Table 3.2 – Rondo Form and Harmonic Motion of By the Waters of Babylon
Section A B C D (B) E F G (A)
Measure# 1-32 33-44 45-64 65-77 78-93 94-107 108-
130
Key B min G F# min A unstable D/F#
(V)
B min

Whereas many of his earlier anthems are almost clinically symmetrical, with sections
consistently comprised of combinations of four or eight measure phrases, Coleridge-
Taylor builds interest in this anthem by expanding sections with repeated text beyond the
title phrase, thereby heightening the drama. Like composers such as Bach, Beethoven,
and Mendelssohn, Coleridge-Taylor uses great economy of musical material with
fragmentation and re-voicing for textural variety (Example 3.8).

27

Example 3.8 – mm. 1–29 of By the waters of Babylon

28

29

The opening statement is set for the soprano section to sing alone, followed by a choral
answer of the same text. The answer by the choir is first a variation on the opening
melody, then a harmonization and expansion, which climaxes mournfully with two
additional statements of the words “when we remember’d thee, O Sion.”
In the B section, the texture thins as the basses drop away, and a modulation
occurs to the submediant key of G major for the text “As for our harps, we hanged them
upon the trees that are therein.” Then trebles voices drop away to allow tenors and basses
to sing the statement “For they that led us away captive required of us a song and melody
in our heaviness” – this conveys the very somber moment in the composition.
Section C arrives in the key of C# minor with the text “Sing us one of the songs of
Sion. How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land!” followed by a flourishing
four-measure keyboard interlude. This interlude sets up the D section with another sub-
median modulation to the key of D major.
With the text that begins “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget
her cunning,” the texture becomes its lightest, as Coleridge-Taylor writes “Verse” to
indicate this section be sung by soloists. Also, the inverted harmonies wafting over an A4
pedal tone add to the lightness of the texture and call attention to the personal nature of
this segment of text.
The full choir returns at section E in fortissimo fashion to exclaim ”yea, if I prefer
not Jerusalem in my mirth, let my tongue cleave to the floor of my mouth.” Coleridge-
Taylor then makes his way back to B minor with segment F, which might be categorized
as a transition or a bridge given it’s harmonic oscillation between mediant-related keys D

30

and F# which occurs beneath the choir’s fervent unison F# statement of “Remember the
children of Edom, O Lord, in the day of Jerusalem, how they said Down with it, even to
the ground” (Example 3.9).
Example 3.9 – By the waters of Babylon, mm. 91–96

The final section G is a recapitulation of the mournful section A music, but with
the text “O daughter of Babylon, wasted with misery.” It concludes with the bitter
statement “blessed shall he be that taketh thy children and throweth them against the
stones” for which Coleridge-Taylor uses a neopolitan-sixth chord in an effectively
wrathful fashion on the words “throweth them.”
Having been composed in the same year as The Death of Minnehaha, the second
installment in Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha trilogy, By the Waters of Babylon is the
anthem that represents the height of Coleridge-Taylor’s compositional power. It is
arguably the most well-constructed and stirring anthem in his output.

31

Now late on the Sabbath day

This, the final biblical text Coleridge-Taylor is known to have set, is taken from
the book of Matthew 28: 1-9, 19 and 20:
Now late on the Sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,
came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
And behold there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from
heav’n, and came and roll’d away the stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was as lightening, and his raiment white as snow:
And for fear of him the watchers did quake and became as dead men.
And the angel answer’d and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye
seek Jesus, which hath been crucified.
He is not here; for He is ris’n, ev’n as He said.
And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring
His disciples word.

And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail.
Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost;
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you:
And lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the world. Amen.
Now late on the Sabbath day is Coleridge-Taylor’s longest anthem. The organ
introduction is thirteen measures in length, the longest introduction of all the anthems.
What he started to explore with regard to musical space and asymmetrical phrasing in the
preceding anthem By the waters of Babylon, Coleridge-Taylor explored with greater
depth in Now late on the Sabbath day. The harmony is extremely lush and highly
chromatic. The organ writing is rhapsodic; the organ serves as its own distinct voice in
this work in contrast to its more servile function in his earlier anthems. Dramatic silences,
dovetailing segments, highly asymmetrical, text-driven phrasing, and word painting add
to the intense musical drama. One can hear the orchestral possibilities in this anthem, as
if it was a condensed version of an orchestral ballade (Example 3.10).

32

Example 3.10 – Now late on the Sabbath day, mm. 27–42.

33

Now late on the Sabbath day was composed one year before Coleridge-Taylor began
work on The Atonement, and textures and harmonies in this anthem foreshadow what was
to come in his one and only sacred choral-orchestral cantata.
Now late on the Sabbath day is in triple meter, marked andante comodo. After the
thirteen measure introduction, which is comprised of three four-measure segments
chromatically swirling around the dominant key area of Bb7, separated by two brief
dramatic pauses and ending finally on the tonic chord Eb, the soprano section enters with
the first two phrases of text, thereby setting the stage for the musical drama to unfold.
Then, after a brief interlude to facilitate a tonal shift to the mediant key area of G minor,
the full choir sings “And behold, there was a great earthquake” with fortissimo volume. A
deceptive cadence from an E diminished key area to a second inversion D major chord
facilitates a dramatic modulation for the text “for an angel of the Lord descended from
heav’n, and came and roll’d away the stone and sat upon it.” This phrase is repeated with
another modulation to Bb major before the organ drops away for the choir to sing a
cappella “His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow.” For the next
phrase “and for fear of him, the watchers did quake,” Coleridge-Taylor writes an
elaborate triplet-based counter melody in the organ accompaniment, mixing D major and
G minor modes. This phrase of text is repeated and dovetails into an organ interlude,
which begins with the same triplet melodic motif and winds its way to a reprise of the
introductory material of the anthem (Table 3.3).

34

Table 3.3 – Form and Harmony in mm. 1-73 of Now late on the Sabbath day
Measures 1-13 14-31 32-35 36-49 50-53 54-60 61-73
Structure Sequential;
rhapsodic
Text-
driven
Sequential Text -
driven
Text -
driven
Imitative,
then
Chorale-
like
Sequential;
rhapsodic
Harmony Eb - Bb7 -
Eb
Eb –
Gm
Gm Gm –
Edim
– D/A
- Bb
Bb –
A7
D;Gm G;
Unstable;
Eb

Next, as the anthem returns to Eb major, the soprano soloist sings the role of the angel
with the words “Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus…” This beautifully
impassioned solo, filled with harmonic instability, occurs over 34 measures before the
tenors and basses of the choir tell in unison of how “they departed quickly from the tomb
with fear and great joy,” after which the sopranos and altos add that they “ran to bring
His disciples word” (Example 3.11).

35

Example 3.11 – Soprano Solo excerpt from Now late on the Sabbath day

36

With fortissimo volume and an ecstatic accelerando, the full choir exclaims “And behold,
Jesus met them, saying All hail!” The changes of texture between soprano soloist and
combinations of treble and male voices add interest and excitement to the work. The final
phrases of this anthem, which continue with Jesus’s words “Go ye therefore, and make
disciples of all the nations.…” are sung homophonically in hymn-like fashion. This is in
alignment with several of Coleridge-Taylor’s other anthems in which he concludes with a
hymn or a chorale. From this point on, the work stays in Eb major and is generally sung
with full voice to the concluding “Amen.”
What Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender

This curious anthem employs text from The Saint’s Tragedy
7
, a play by Charles
Kingsley. Kingsley, who lived from 1819 to 1875, was a successful writer of fiction who
was known for his social-commentary works. Kingsley doubled as an Anglican
clergyman, and in his script from Scene 4, pg. 59 of The Saint’s Tragedy, he writes a
song for the character named Elizabeth, which reads:

Deep in the warm vale, the village is sleeping,
Sleeping the firs on the bleak rock above;
Nought wakes, save grateful hearts, silently creeping
Up to the Lord in the might of their love.

7
Kingsley, Charles. “The Saints Tragedy” in The Works of Charles Kingsley: Yeast Poems, fourth
edition. (Philadelphia: John F. Taylor and Company, 1899).

37

What Thou hast given to me, Lord, here I bring Thee,
Odours, and light, and the magic of gold,
Feet which must follow Thee, lips which must sing Thee,
Limbs which must ache for Thee, ere they grow old.

What Thou hast given to me, Lord, here I tender,
Life of my own life, the fruit of my love,
Take him, yet leave him me, till I shall render
Count of the precious charge, kneeling above!

Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of What Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender is composed
in the form of a miniaturized and modified sonata-rondo with sections ||: A B :|| C D C |
AB ||. The A and B sections are in triple meter, while the C and D sections are duple. The
work moves through the key areas of B minor, D major, D minor, F major, and finally
ending in D major. Major/minor mode mixture and inverted chordal planing are
hallmarks of the anthem. A twenty-five measure solo for contralto follows the four-
measure introduction. After a brief two-measure interlude, the choir answers the soloist
with the same melody, but harmonized in relative major mode – an example of
compositional unity and economy of material (Example 3.12).

38

Example 3.12 – What Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender, mm. 25-41

39

This anthem, more than any other, makes use of each individual section of the choir and
is finely constructed to employ great textural variety between homophony and
polyphony, unison and harmony. The most moving moment of the work is in the eighth
measure from the end, where Coleridge-Taylor employs a Neapolitan sixth chord to
highlight the word “might” in the final phrase “in the might of their love” (Example
3.13).
Example 3.13 –What Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender, mm. 136 – 146

40

The term “curious” used earlier to describe this anthem comes from the fact that it
is not a traditional anthem in the sense of the term. It does not employ a liturgical or
scriptural text, yet it makes strong allusions to the Christian faith and has a very spiritual
message. An allegory might be inferred between the Elizabeth in Kingsley’s play and
Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist in the bible. But because it doesn’t specifically
reference Christmas or any other religious holiday, Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of What
Thou hast given me, Lord here I tender could work well as an anthem for sacred services
at various times throughout the year.
Anthem Summary
These anthems are a testament to Coleridge-Taylor’s inner calling to write sacred
music, despite all his other endeavors and projects. His anthems speak to his deep
connection to the English sacred music heritage in which he was ensconced, at least
culturally if not necessarily religiously. All eight of Coleridge-Taylor’s anthems have
something unique to offer any concert or sacred service setting. In this corpus of works,
when taken as a whole, the first anthem In Thee, O Lord might be considered a statement
of Coleridge-Taylor’s faith in his ability to write music both vocationally and according
to his heart’s calling. His final anthem What Thou hast given me, Lord, here I tender can
be seen as a statement of resignation, as if to say, “I’ve taken my gifts and used them to
the best of my ability. I now offer the fruits of my labor to Your glory.” This
interpretation of the evolution of the Coleridge-Taylor anthems is especially poetic, given
he succumbed to death seven years later without having written any additional sacred
choral music after he wrote his final anthem.

41

Hymn: Luconer
Hymn titles are sometimes associated with specific places in which a hymn tune
writer lived, worked, or visited. But the name of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s hymn tune
Luconer is a mystery. Having written only one known hymn-tune, Coleridge-Taylor
would not likely be viewed as a major contributor to English hymnody. But his
composition of a work for practical church usage is further evidence of his endeavor to
contribute to the sacred music tradition of his English heritage.
Luconer utilizes a common-meter poetic structure, making it compatible with a
host of other common meter hymn texts including the 1866 text Jesu, the Very Thought of
Thee by John Bacchus Dykes, for which most scholars believe Coleridge-Taylor’s tune
was composed. The hymn is listed in most biographies and on most composition lists as
having been set for the text Jesu ,the Very Thought of Thee, and found in the Methodist
Sunday School Hymnal.
8
However, while the text is present, Coleridge-Taylor’s hymn
tune is nowhere to be found. In Katherine Smith Diehl’s Hymns and Tunes: An Index,
9

the hymn is listed in the American Student Hymnal, set to the words To Mercy, Pity,
Peace, and Love by William Blake. According to the Dictionary of American Library
Biography, Diehl’s Index was very favorably received as “the first of its kind and
unparalleled in scope and content.”
10
The information in contained in Diehl’s index is
correct.

8
Van Pelt, John R. and Peter Lutkin, ed. Methodist Sunday School Hymnal (New York: Eaton and
Mains, 1911).

9
Diehl, Katherine Smith. Hymns and Tunes: An Index. (New York: Scarecrow Press, 1966).

10
Deon Dempsey, “Katherine Diehl” in Dictionary of American Library Biography, Second
Supplement (2003), 77.

42

In the American Student Hymnal, Luconer (Hymn number 36) is referenced in the
acknowledgements section as being permitted for publication by W. S. Skelton. Details
about W.S. Skelton and his relationship to Coleridge-Taylor’s music are difficult to
locate. But an article in the October 1904 edition of Musical Herald makes mention of a
W. S. Skelton as a director of the South Street Methodist New Connexion Church in
Sheffield. Further research is needed in order to unearth records related to the musicians
and musical activities of this church. Still, it is very possible that the then-progressive
congregation might have employed a hymn tune by Coleridge-Taylor, utilizing the Jesu,
the Very Thought of Thee text. Further research is also needed to determine if the South
Street Methodist New Connexion Church used the Methodist Sunday School Hymnal to
which is attributed the inclusion of Luconer for the text Jesu, the Very Thought of Thee. If
so, even though Coleridge-Taylor’s tune is not included in the published corpus of the
hymnal, it is possible his hymn may have been individually pasted into the back pages
(which was common practice) as an unpublished addendum used only by certain
congregations with a connection to Coleridge-Taylor and or his music.

43

Example 3.14 – “To Mercy Pity Peace and Love” for Luconer

While To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love is a usable text, the music flows with even more
lyricism as set for the common meter text Jesu, the Very Thought of Thee, which was
likely Coleridge-Taylor’s first inspiration:
Jesu, the very thought of thee, With sweetness fills my breast;
But Sweeter far thy face to see, And in thy presence rest.
Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame, Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than thy blest name, O Saviour of mankind
O Hope of every contrite heart, O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind thou art, How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah! This nor tongue nor pen can show:
The love of Jesus, what it is None but his loved ones know.
Jesus, our only joy be thou, As thou our prize wilt be;
Jesus, be thou our glory now, And through eternity. Amen.
11

11
Caswall, Edward, trans. Jesu, the Very Thought of Thee, 1849.

44

The music in the hymn is simple, having an almost drawing-room quality in terms
harmony. Coleridge-Taylor’s hymn uses a very logical harmonic progression with
unpredictable passing chords to give it maximum harmonic interest in a short period of
time without destroying the simplicity and sing-able nature of the music. It makes sense
that Jesu, the Very Thought of Thee would be a practical text for which to write a hymn
tune – at the tender age of fifteen years old and unknown yet as a composer, Coleridge-
Taylor would have certainly been interested in writing practical music so that it could be
used and heard as much as possible. Because the hymn was published in the American
Student Hymnal
12
in 1928, sixteen years after Coleridge-Taylor’s death, it is probable that
Coleridge-Taylor would never have known his music was being used by hymn editors in
the United States as a musical setting for William Blake’s sacred poetry. But William
Blake was a poet from whom many artists and religious leaders drew inspiration for
creating sacred works of art using non-scriptural texts, including Ralph Vaughan
Williams. And the editors of the American Student Hymnal must have identified an
accord between William Blake’s poetry and Coleridge-Taylor’s little know hymn tune. It
is altogether possible that Coleridge-Taylor would have been greatly in favor of this. In
the preface to this hymnal, lead editor Henry Augustine Smith writes:
[This hymnal’s] publication is … doubly timely since it is coincident with the
nation-wide renaissance of glee clubs, all eager to slough off the trammels of ‘the
collegiate’ for repertoire of more artistic livingness. To such the basso profundo
rhythms of William Blake and Frances Thompson will make irresistible appeal, as

12
Smith, Henry Augustine, ed. “Preface” in American Student Hymnal (New York, London:
Century Co., 1928).

45

will also the masculine spirituality of Rupert Broke, Joyce Kilmer, and John
Masefield. The very challenge of such lyrics will commend the book to souls,
who, like another student, Charles Hamilton Sorley, ‘felt the allure of blue
horizons far away.’
13

With this hymnal, the editor was committed to being “alive to his audience,” seeing to the
needs of early twentieth century American students by providing hymnody that would
“satisfy the cravings of the modern spirit.” With this understanding, the inclusion of a
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor setting in the American Student Hymnal is evidence of how
potent Coleridge-Taylor’s influence was in the United States.
On poetry, the editor authoritatively adds, “poems are likely to languish and die in
musty anthologies … hymns have a way of caroling on in the hearts and lives of [people]
… Thus [through this hymnal] many a poem has been revitalized, which set to sing-able
music, will continue to express the high rapture of an age of vision.”
14
By pairing
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Luconer with William Blake’s To Mercy, Pity, Peace and
Love in this hymnal, both the poet and the composer are exalted. But in order for this text
and this music to truly live, it must be used in the context for which it was created: as a
vehicle for congregational singing, now in twenty-first century houses of worship.

13
Ibid. iv.

14
Ibid. iii.

46

CHAPTER IV. MORNING AND EVENING SERVICE, Op. 17.
According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, “The Music of the Church of
England is inseparably bound to its peculiar history. It’s repertory and style affirm the
church’s nature as a confluence of medieval, Reformation, and humanistic ideals.”
1
The
Book of Common Prayer
2
contains the order for the daily offices of the Anglican Church,
including Morning and Evening Prayer. An invitatory psalm, such as Jubilate Deo,
precedes the psalm appointed according to the yearly lectionary, and psalms generally
precede the Gospel lesson.
3
In Morning Prayer, following the opening scripture reading,
Psalm 100 or Jubilate Deo is a common psalm included in the Invitatory and Psalter
segment of the morning service (Psalm 95 or Venite may also be used).
4
After the
Invitatory and Psalter, the appointed Lessons are read, followed by the singing of the
Canticles, which include the Benedictus, and the Te Deum texts.
5

The Evening Prayer service, a combination of the Roman Catholic Vespers and
Compline, is similar in construction to Morning Prayer, when practiced as a complete
evening Office with selections from the psalter, bible readings, canticles, prayers, and a
blessing.
6
The most common canticles for this service are the Magnificat and Nunc

1
“Anglican church music” in The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, p. 40.

2
The Book of Common Prayer, Oxford University Press, 1990.

3
“Invitatory and Psalter” in The Book of Common Prayer, p. 42 – 46.

4
Ibid.

5
“The Lessons” in Book of Common Prayer, p. 47 – 54.

6
Ibid. “An Order of Worship for the Evening” p. 112-113.

47

dimittis. Evening Prayer is practiced in some American churches and church-affiliated
schools with a tradition of offering these sacred services as a vehicle for public
performance. This is convenient, since the service approximately coincides with the
average time frame of a Sunday evening music concert and does not have to include
Eucharist or Communion, religious elements which might diminish the size and diversity
of an audience. Since these services are primarily musical, for centuries composers have
created their own settings of this service music in similar fashion to the way in which
countless composers have composed settings of the Roman Mass since medieval times.
Each of the five movements from Coleridge-Taylor’s Morning and Evening
Service is scored for mixed choir and organ –a typical scoring for Anglican Church
music. The key of F major is used for all five movements, preserving harmonic unity
between movements. The Te Deum is the longest of the five movements, and is perhaps
the most imaginative and compositionally appealing.
Dominique-Rene De Lerma notes in his detailed list of Coleridge-Taylor’s works
that the Te Deum is the same that was composed in 1890, and was absorbed into the
published version of the Opus 17 Morning and Evening Service of 1899. Followed by the
Te Deum would be the Benedictus and Jubilate Deo, both of which are joyous in
character and contain imaginative text painting. The closing “Gloria” sections of the
Benedictus and the Jubilate Deo are exactly the same as the closing “Gloria” sections of
the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis. The Novello catalogue numbers each individual
movement successively as 416, 417, 418, and 419.

48

Today, the parts of the Morning service (Te Deum, Benedictus, and Jubilate Deo)
are available from the publisher as separate octavos. The Evening service (Magnificat,
and Nunc dimittis) is available in a single publication.
7

Te Deum
Coleridge-Taylor’s Te Deum was designed for traditional use in a Morning Prayer
service in conjunction with its musical counterparts, the Jubilate Deo and/or the
Benedictus. This work may also work well in the context of concert performance. The
text for Te Deum is a Christian hymn attributed to St. Ambrose and dating from around
the third century A.D. It’s final stanzas, taken from several different verses of the Book
of Psalms, were added later by the Anglican Church. The translation of this text, which
was originally in Latin, is as follows from The Book of Common Prayer:
We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud,
the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim
continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee,
The Father of an infinite majesty,
thine honourable, true, and only Son;
also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.

Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,

7
A list of referenced score editions is provided in “Appendix A” of this dissertation, p. 70.

49

thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come: to be our judge.

We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints
in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save thy people and bless thine heritage.
Govern them and lift them up for ever.
Day by day, we magnify thee,
And we worship thy Name: ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us as our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded.
8

Of the five segments of the Morning and Evening Prayer services, the Te Deum, is
the most verbose and, consequently lends itself for musical settings that contain the
richest variety of textures, harmonies, and melodic effects for textual illumination.
Coleridge-Taylor’s Te Deum can be broken down into ten sections, identifiable by
interludes of varying lengths and with recurring thematic statements. The term modified-
rondo can be use to describe the form of the work. It opens with a four-measure organ
fanfare in the dominant key area C major, featuring the melodic fragment that is the
constant thread through out all five movements (Example. 4.1).

8
Myres, Miles, ed. The Book of Common Prayer A.D. 1886: Compared with the First Prayer
Book of Kind Edward the Sixth, A.D. 1549 (London: Griffith, Farran, Okeden and Welsh, 1886), 57–58.

50

Example 4.1 – “Morning and Evening Service” motif
&
b
b
4
3
n
b C
œ
The
œ
œ
œ
Lord is my
˙
œ
strength, my
œ
œ
œ
strength and my
˙
Œ
song.
! ! !
&
b C
8
w
w
w
f
˙
˙
˙
œ
œ
˙
˙
˙
˙
w
w
w
>
˙
˙
˙
Ó ! ! ! !
&
b
16
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
&
b
25
! ! ! ! ! ! !
Coleridge-Taylor Examples
[Composer]
Score

For twenty-two measures, Coleridge-Taylor builds excitement in the dominant key area,
expressing the text “We praise Thee, o God, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord…”
with ascending and descending melodic statements that outline a mixolydian scale
superimposed over a dominant-seven tonality. This mixolydian element becomes a
prominent feature throughout the work. Finally, at measure 22, after an enormous build,
F major appears with the word “everlasting.” The next section varies the choral texture
by alternating statements between treble and male voices, harmonically rooted in F
major, as if to paint the continual crying of the groups of cherubim and seraphim. The
voices come together again on the statement “Holy, holy, holy” in collective and
resounding praise (Table 4.1).
Table 4.1 – Harmony and Texture in Te Deum, mm. 1-72
Measures
1-‐28
28
-‐46
47-‐72

Text
“We
praise
thee…”
“To
thee
all
Angels…”
“Holy,
holy,

holy…”

Harmony
C
mixolydian
–
F
F;
Dm;
Bb;
C/F
F;
F+;
F

Texture
Homophonic
Treble/male

alternation;
call-‐and-‐
response

Homophonic

A bold mediant modulation brings on the next section, which again alternates
between treble and male voices to portray the various groups of apostles, prophets,

51

martyrs and the “church through out all the land,” all acknowledging the infinite Majesty
of Father. Coleridge-Taylor skillfully maneuvers through three different key centers with
a series of median modulations outlining F dominant seven (or F mixolydian) and
creating a colorful and vibrant sense of grandeur and multiplicity through this section
(Table 4.2).
Table 4.2 – Mediant Modulation in Te Deum, mm. 71-119
Measures mm. 71-78 mm. 79-
94
mm. 94-103 mm. 104-
118
mm. 119…
Key areas F – A A A – C – G – Eb Eb – G – C F
Analysis I - V/III - III
I
I I – bVI
I – V
III – I
I – III
V/V –
V

I – V

The section closes with a movement back to the opening theme for nineteen measures on
the text “Thou art the King” before transitioning again to a textural variation featuring the
lower three voices against a soprano section solo.
Voices converge once more at “Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all
believers,” brightening harmonically to E major. The opening theme then returns again
but now, with a chromatic move by half step to the key of Eb major. This becomes the
dominant key area of Ab major, the key to which the work modulates in the eighth
section on the text “We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants.” It is marked piano and is
the softest, most humble moment in the work. A crescendo and choral divisi occur with
the text “Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints.” Another piano supplication then
occurs with the text “O lord save Thy people” before a second crescendo leads to the

52

return of an F tonality, where the work remains until its end. In measure 331, a dominant
pedal point for eight measures erupts into a melodically descending fortissimo final
statement of “O Lord, in Thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded” all built upon
a mixolydian scale.
Benedictus
The text to Coleridge-Taylor’s Benedictus, a canticle originally written in Greek,
is taken here from the Book of Common Prayer:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel:
for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us:
in the house of his servant David;
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets:
which have been since the world began;
That we should be saved from our enemies:
and from the hands of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers:
and to remember his holy Covenant;
To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham:
that he would give us;
That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies:
might serve him without fear;
In holiness and righteousness before him:
all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people:
for the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God:
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death:
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

[Lesser doxology]
Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost;

53

As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
9

Coleridge-Taylor’s Benedictus employs very symmetrical phrasing, which runs
counter to what one might come to expect with such verbosity of prose. It is constructed
in regular groups of four and eight measure phrases and can be essentially analyzed in
four main sections. In duple meter, at a tempo marking of Allegro, the first section of the
work has an ecstatic character, or even urgency, from the outset. An introduction of four
measures consisting of alternating F major and F augmented chords is followed by the
full choir’s declamatory entrance with the text “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.…”
The vocal texture changes to feature solo statements by each section of the choir, as if the
story is being passed from one voice to another. At the same time, the harmony
temporarily seems like it modulates to the sub-median key area of D major. But this
tonicization is short lived, as D major actually become the secondary dominant of G
minor. With brief visits between major and minor modes, the tonal center of G leads to
the dominant key area of C7 where the choir recombines homophonically for the words
“To perform the mercy promised to our fore-fathers….” The first section of this
composition ends with the text “To perform the oath which He sware to our forefather
Abraham...,” coinciding with a downward median-modulation to Ab harmonic shift Db
(Neapolitan 6 of F major) and concluding with an F7 chord (Table 4.3).

9
Meyers, ed. The Book of Common Prayer, 60–61.

54

Table 4.3 – Progression and Voicing in Section One of Benedictus
Measures mm. 25-33 mm. 33-43 mm. 44-59 mm. 60-76
Text “As he
spake…”
“That we
should be
saved…”
“To perform the
mercy
promised…”
To perform
the oath
which He
sware…”
Key areas D – Gm Gm – C7 C/F – C7 Ab – Db – F7
Voicing Sectional solos Sectional
solos;
homophony
Dueting; 4pt
homophony
4pt
homophony

In the transition to the second section, Coleridge-Taylor with one measure
modulates to A minor and changes the meter to 3/2. He uses an inverted minor-mode
mediant modulation and writes a twelve-measure melodic solo for either a single soprano
or the section as a whole. A six-measure interlude leads to the third section, which is
marked tempo primo and returns to F Major in duple time just as abruptly as it changed
before. This third section lasts for 44 measures until the sopranos sing: “To give light to
them that sit in darkness.” The choir sings a cappella for five measures before a
diminuendo and ritardando bring the voices to a poignant fermata after the word “death.”
The meter changes back to 3/2 over a four measure retard and transition to the final
section of the work: the triumphant “Gloria,” which is identical to the one in Coleridge-
Taylor’s Magnificat. With an expression marking of Allegro molto, the Gloria progresses
quickly to its end.
Jubilate Deo
Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of the Jubilate Deo is a well-constructed and
exuberant work. The text for Jubilate Deo comes from Psalm 100:

55

O be joyful in the Lord all ye lands,
serve the LORD with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

Be ye sure that the Lord he is God;
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving
and into his courts with praise;
be thankful unto him and speak good of his Name.

For the Lord is gracious;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
10

[Lesser Doxology]

This text is in accordance with Rite 1 (Rite 2 “Jubilate” text is slightly different) in The
Book of Common Prayer.
The duration of Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of this text is approximately two
minutes and fifteen seconds. A pedal on low C in the organ anchors the vivaciously
homophonic F major statement “O be Joyful in the Lord, all ye lands.” The 6/4 time
signature causes the work to have a soaring lilt though out. Coleridge-Taylor is fond of
harmonized upper and lower neighbor tones, which create brief diminished sonorities that
give his music a high-romantic quality returning at various points in the movement.
(Example 4.2)

10
Ibid. 61

56

Example 4.2 Neighbor tones and Bdim7 harmony in Jubilate Deo, m.2

Homophonic texture remains predominant for the choral parts, though some light
counterpoint is used for textural variation. At the phrase “O go your way,” the melody is
given to the sopranos and tenors in a unison solo that contrasts the rhythmic energy of the
opening section with long expressive lines. The organ provides gentle support here in the
subdominant key of Bb. Coleridge-Taylor’s harmonic language remains conservative.
Once Bb major is established, six bars of harmonic development through a brief
exploration of half-diminished chords leads to the key of G minor, creating a tone of
reverence for the unison setting of the text “For the Lord is Gracious, His mercy is
everlasting.” The composer returns to F major in a triumphant crescendo for the text
“and His truth endureth from generation to generation (Example 4.3).”

57

Example 4.3 – Jubilate Deo, mm. 49–65

58

There is a pause followed by a complete change in character for the doxology “Gloria.”
Coleridge-Taylor sets this concluding section in duple meter at an even faster tempo.
The choral writing is homophonic, the key solidly centered in F major with short visits to
G minor via diminished and augmented chords (approached by neighbor tones). With a
deceptive cadence and another series of half-diminished seven chords, the work
concludes triumphantly in F major (Example 4.4).
Example 4.4 – “Gloria” from Jubilate Deo

59

Magnificat
The Magnificat is a canticle taken from the Gospel of Luke. Originally in Greek,
it is commonly known as “The Song of Mary.”
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded
the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me,
and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him
throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel,
as he promised to our forefathers,
Abraham and his seed for ever.
11

[Lesser doxology]

Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of the Magnificat is through composed, constructed in seven
sections identified by significant shifts in tonal center and character. Because of the
litany-like nature of the canticle – being without rhyme scheme as it lists attributes of
God’s favor toward Mary – the through-composed musical form is complementary to the
text. The duration of the work is approximately six minutes and thirty seconds.
Beginning in F major, the phrase “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my savior” is well-served with a homophonic treatment with the

11
Ibid.

60

chord-tone-based melody prominently featured in the soprano voice starting on a high F
and working its way down the span of an octave. Organ accompaniment punctuates each
segment of the phrase with resounding chordal iterations (Example 4.5).
Example 4.5 – Opening phrase in Magnificat

61

The next section, which begins “For He hath regarded the lowliness of His
handmaiden” progresses with the harmony centered around submediant and dominant
key areas. Textural variety is also used to distinguish the character of each phrase of text
through out the work beginning in this second section. First the tenors and sopranos sing
in unison, followed by a harmonized trio between soprano, alto, and tenor, and climaxing
with the full chorus and soprano divisi for the words “for behold from henceforth, all
generations shall call me blessed.” For the third section, in the relative minor key area,
Coleridge-Taylor again changes the texture by utilizing the lower three voices, perhaps to
symbolize the power and depth of Mary’s humility in the words “For He that is mighty
hath magnified me.” A delicate sixteen-measure concluding segment is sung by sopranos
alone in divisi with a modulation to D major. This contrast in vocal texture and harmony
can be interpreted as a musical depiction of Mary’s vulnerability to support her phrase:
“And His mercy is on them that fear Him throughout all generations.” In the final two
chords of the third section, Coleridge-Taylor completes a swift median modulation back
to F major/D minor.
In the fourth section, which moves between D minor and the sub-mediant G
minor, the antiphonal affect between organ and choir give magnitude to this section of
text describing God’s strength and power over the proud and God’s exaltation of the
humble and meek. This segment remains at a forte dynamic until a substantial rallentando
and diminuend occur as the choir contracts to a piano unison during the text “and the rich
he hath sent empty away.”
For the fifth segment of the composition where the text turns toward the God’s

62

remembering His mercy, Coleridge-Taylor writes “verse,” indication it is sung by a
soloist in each section of the choir. This tender section, which returns to the F major
tonic, is a cappella and notated with detailed dynamic markings, suggesting Coleridge-
Taylor’s desire for great expressivity from the soloists. The organ gently provides
harmonic coloring for the soloists’ final statement “Abraham and his seed, forever.” The
organ continues with a twelve-measure closing statement centered around C dominant 7.
Abruptly, as if in celebration, the familiar “Gloria” from the Jubilate Deo arrives to
conclude the Magnificat, giving unity to the set.
Nunc dimittis
In liturgical services the Nunc dimittis is commonly known as the “Song of
Simeon,” and, like the Magnificat, is taken from the gospel according to St. Luke.
Translated from the original Greek, the text is as follows from the Book of Common
Prayer:
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word;
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
[lesser doxology]
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
12

Nunc dimittis, published together with and immediately following the Magnificat,
contrasts its spirited counterpart with a subdued andante tempo to support the image of

12
Ibid.

63

Simeon’s final words before death. It is composed in three short distinct sections,
followed by the same concluding doxology as the Magnificat. After a brief two-measure
arppeggiated F major introduction, the first section of text “Lord now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace” features a descending melodic line starting on the third that, after
a range of a major sixth, returns to its starting pitch, as if to melodically paint a return to
the creator (Example 4.6). Word painting related to ideas of rest or returning to God in
the beginning of the composition is contrasted later with the words: “to be a light to
lighten the Gentiles,” in which the melodic line ascends and crescendos.
Example 4.6 – Opening phrase of Nunc dimittis
&
b
b
4
3
n
b C
œ
The
œ
œ
œ
Lord is my
˙
œ
strength, my
œ
œ
œ
strength and my
˙
Œ
song.
! ! !
&
b C
8
w
w
w
f
˙
˙
˙
œ
œ
˙
˙
˙
˙
w
w
w
>
˙
˙
˙
Ó ! ! ! !
&
b
16
˙
œ
œ
Now Let test
˙
˙
Thou Thy
˙
œ œ
ser vant de
˙
œ
œ
part in
w
peace,
œ
Œ
˙
ac
. ˙ œ
cor ding - - - - -
&
b
23
˙
˙
to Thy
w
word,
œ
Œ
˙
ac
.
˙ œ
cor ding
˙
˙
to Thy
w
word.
˙
Ó !
- -
&
b
31
!
Coleridge-Taylor Examples
[Composer]
Score

A sequential phrase with a repeated leap downward of a minor seventh connotes a
sense of reverence for the line “according to Thy word.” In the second section, with the
text “for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,” the accompaniment drops away, and the
choir alone sings in hymn-like fashion an ascending melody comprised of leaps
encompassing a range of a sixth. Finally, the third section sweeps upward, pairing the
motion of sopranos with altos and the tenors with basses, to the range of a full octave,
capturing the sense of enlightenment and hope in the phrase “to be a light to lighten the
Gentiles.”

64

Performance Considerations for Morning and Evening Service, Op. 17
Concerning Te Deum, while no indication of tempo variation appears in the 1899
Novello score, it would be in keeping with traditional Anglican settings of this text to
tastefully vary the tempo according to the character of the text. For example, the opening
can be a robust Allegro con moto as called for in the score, conducted in one at 138bpm
to the half note. However, at the text “When thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man,”
sung with few voices and marked substantially softer, a convincing argument can be
made in favor of tastefully relaxing the tempo in keeping with the humble sentiment of
the text. Other tempo adjustments might be made according to the needs of the text in
each section of the work. However, rubato would not necessarily be recommended in
keeping with the characteristically English contrast between a dance or march-like
fanfare and dramatic character change so strongly associated with settings of this text. A
new edition of this work could remedy the lack of measure numbers or rehearsal letters,
as well as the frequently odd barring and optically strenuous typeface that typifies
Novello scores of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Jubilate Deo was designed for traditional use in a Morning Prayer service in
conjunction with its musical counterparts, the Te Deum and/or the Benedictus. The
Jubilate Deo may also be appropriate for use as an offertory anthem in services during
most any season of the church year except for Lent. This selection may also work well in
the context of concert performance. If Coleridge-Taylor’s Jubilate Deo is too short to
stand alone in the context of a concert, then coupling this selection with a contrasting
anthem like his By the waters of Babylon or with an anthem or canticle by another

65

English composer would present a tasteful and diverse sampling of British sacred choral
music.
Nunc dimittis was designed for traditional use in an Evening service, in
conjunction with its musical counterpart, Magnificat. But each of the five movements
from Morning and Evening Service may also work well in the context of concert
performance.

66

CHAPTER V: RE-IGNITING A LEGACY

According to an Impact Study sponsored by Chorus America in 2009, choral
singing is the most popular form of participation in the performing arts, with 18.1 percent
of households reporting one or more adults actively singing in a choir, a significant
increase over results from research conducted in 2003. The inclusion of children in the
equation increases the percentage of household choral singers to 22 percent. These
statistics suggest that choirs are thriving in the United States, and proponents of the
choral art and of art education and performance would benefit from renewed efforts to
diversify and elevate the level of repertoire in the choral arts. Research is needed to
determine the average number of works by composers of African descent programmed in
our nations choruses. But this author’s experience suggests the probability that few works
are being performed beyond arrangements of spirituals.
On the subject of the classical music of African American composers, Dr. André
Thomas in his dissertation A Study of the Selected Masses of Twentieth Century
Composers: Margaret Bonds, Robert Ray, George Walker and David Baker, says: “The
‘classical’ music of Black composers has suffered from lack of acceptance in the world of
art music. Frequently, only music that is of a specific ethnic origin such as spiritual, jazz,
and blues is accepted by classical musicians.”
1
Coleridge-Taylor was not African
American, but even as a British citizen he has suffered much the same musical fate as his

1
Thomas, André. A Study of the Selected Masses of Twentieth-Century Black Composers:
Margaret Bonds, Robert Ray, George Walker, and David Baker (DMA Diss., University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, 1983) 1.

67

African American counterparts.
Of great concern is the possibility that music by composers of African descent is
not given performance consideration unless it has some kind of ethnocentric quality.
While they exhibit no ethnic influence whatsoever, Coleridge-Taylor’s small choral
works have both historic and artistic merit and are viable for performance in both sacred
and secular settings. Several of his part-songs and anthems are available for purchase
from Novello and Co., and some are freely accessible through websites such as the
Choral Public Domain Library (www.cpdl.org) and the International Music Score Library
Project (www.imslp.org). With Coleridge-Taylors’s background in Anglican,
Presbyterian, and Methodist traditions, his anthems and service music are available and
accessible for various faith communities with a strong classical choral tradition.
Coleridge-Taylor’s secular part-songs would make a unique addition to any college or
advanced high school concert or festival set. His unison songs and his two- and three-part
works might even be accessible for advanced middle school-aged singers. Recordings of
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s small choral works are few; those that have been identified
are archival and can be difficult to access. But current recordings and performances are
emerging, making this music increasingly available for general study, performance, and
enjoyment.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is an early, shining example of how excellence can be
achieved by people of African descent in a field where they have been traditionally
underrepresented or misrepresented. To help facilitate a higher standard for greater
diversity in choral music, the perpetuation of the study and performance of the choral

68

works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is of great importance, particularly the small choral
works. In many cases, these compositions offer great poetic illumination and
compositional potency.
Coleridge-Taylor is slowly and posthumously making his way back on to the
classical music scene. With the expiration of copyrights of early twentieth century works
of poetry and music, scholars and composers can find a wealth of new, workable material
from among works which flourished in the nineteen twenties and thirties, including
works of Coleridge-Taylor. Just recently in 2007, Coleridge-Taylor’s unpublished grand
opera Thelma was re-discovered as a result of the diligent work of Catherine Carr, a
doctoral scholar and graduate from the University of Durham in the United Kingdom. As
a result of her research, new performances of this and other Coleridge-Taylor works have
begun to emerge sporadically across the country. The year 2012 marked the centenary
anniversary of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s death. Concerts and performances in his
tribute were held in Great Britain and the United States. Released in 2013, the film
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his Music in America: 1900 – 1912 was produced by
Charles Kaufmann, a leading expert on the works of Henry Wordsworth Longfellow and
on music based on Longfellow’s works. And interest surrounding Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor continues to build in the musicological community and among today’s singers and
conductors.
Classical choral conductors, singers, and educators are encouraged to look beyond
spirituals to explore fine-art works by gifted, well-trained persons of African descent,
perhaps starting with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. With additional research and increasing

69

performances, the compositional voice of Coleridge-Taylor and the voices of past and
contemporary composers of African descent might also be more distinctly heard and
appreciated, not just for the novelty of spirituals and crossover works with ethnocentric
sentiments, but for their genuinely fine craftsmanship and distinctly refined sound. To
that end, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor can still lead and inspire the American musical
community, just as he did a century ago.

70

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
The Book of Common Prayer. 1789. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Coleridge-Taylor, Avril. The Heritage of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. London: Dobson
Books Ltd., 1979.

Coleridge-Taylor, Jessie. Coleridge-Taylor: Genius and Musician. London: John
Crowther, 1943.

Diehl, Katherine Smith. Hymns and Tunes: An Index. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1966

Elford, Charles. Black Mahler: The Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Story. Guildford UK:
Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd., 2008.

Green, Jeffrey. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, A Musical Life. London: Pickering and Chatto
Ltd., 2011.

_____ Black Edwardians: Black People in Britain 1901 – 1914. London: Frank Cass,
1998.

Hymns Ancient and Modern. London: Novello and Company, 1861.

Jeffers, Ron. Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, Volume 1: Sacred Latin
Texts. Corvallis: Earthsongs, 1988; second printing 1989.

Kingsley, Charles. “The Saint’s Tragedy” in The Works of Charles Kingsley: Yeast
Poems, fourth edition. Philadelphia: John F. Taylor and Company, 1899.

Lerma, Dominique-René de. Reflections on Afro-American music. Kent, OH: Kent State
University Press, 1973.

Locke, Alain. The Negro and his Music. New York: Arno Press, 1969.

Meyres, Miles, ed. The Book of Common Prayer, A.D. 1886: Compared with the First
Prayer Book of Kind Edward the Sixth, A.D. 1549. London: Griffith, Farran,
Okeden and Welsh, 1886. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books.
Accessed October 14, 2014

71

Moore, Jerrold Northrop. Elgar and His Publishers: Letters of a Creative Life, Volume
I:1885–1903 and Volume II:1904–1934. London: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Sayers, W.C. Berwick. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Musician: His Life and his Letters.
London: Cassell, 1915; revised ed.1927; republished by Afro-Am Press, 1969.

Self, Geoffrey. The Hiawatha Man, the Life and World of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Burlington, VT: Scolar Press, 1995.

Shrock, Dennis. Choral Repertoire. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Smith, Henry Augustine, ed. The American Student Hymanl. New York, London:
Century Co., 1928.

Thompson, Jewel Taylor. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, The Development of His
Compositional Style. Metuchen, NJ.: Scarecrow Press, 1994.

Tortolano, William. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press Inc., 2002.

Van Pelt, John R. and Peter Lutkin, ed. The Methodist Sunday School Hymnal. New
York: Eaton and Mains, 1911.

Dissertations
Ames, Jeffrey L. A pioneering twentieth-century African American musician: The Choral
Works of George T. Walker. DMA diss., Florida State University, ProQuest, UMI
Dissertations Publishing, 2005. Retreived from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.usc.edu/docview/304997544/EE41828DD6A
04CE4PQ/1?accountid=14749. Accessed April 15, 2014.

Carr, Catherine. The Music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 - 1912): A Critical and
Analytical Study. DMA Diss., University of Durham (United Kingdom), 2005.
Retreived from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/301642063?accountid=14749. Accessed
April 15, 2014.

Carter, Nathan. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: His life and Works, DMA diss., Peabody
Conservatory of Music, Maryland, 1984. Retreived from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/303314353?accountid=14749. Accessed
April 15, 2014.

Thomas, André. J. A Study of the Selected Masses of Twentieth-Century Black
Composers: Margaret Bonds, Robert Ray, George Walker, and David Baker.

72

DMA diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. ProQuest Dissertations
and Theses, 1983. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/303165713?accountid=14749. Accessed
April 15, 2014.

Articles
Butterworth, Sidney. “Coleridge-Taylor: New Facts and old Fiction.” Musical Times.
London, April 1987, v. 130 no. 1754; pp.202-204.

Dempsey, Deon. “Katherine Smith Diehl.” Dictionary of American Library Biography,
second supplement, v. 3 (2003), pp. 76 – 79.

Green, Jeffrey. “The Foremorest Musician of his Race: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor of
England, 1875-1912.” Black Music Research Journal, v. 10, no. 2. (1990) pp.
223-252.

_____ “Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: The Early Years.” Black Music Research Journal. v.
21, no. 2 (2001) pp. 133-57.

Howse, Christopher. “A&M: The C of E in Music and Words; Sacred Mysteries:
Christopher Howse celebrates the anniversary of an unlikely best seller.” The
Telegraph. 4:31PM GMT 18 Mar 2011. Retrieved at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/8391166/AandM-the-C-of-E-in-words-and-
music.html. Accessed August 20, 2014.

Lowe, George. “The Choral Works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.” Musical Times.
London, April 1920, vol. 61, pp. 598-601.

Lerma, Dominique-René de. “Biographical notes on the composers.” Symposium of
symphonic music by Black composers, Baltimore. Minneapolis: The
AAMOA Press, 1973, p11-14.
Lerma, Dominique-René de. “Black composers in Europe; A works list.” Black music
research journal, v10, n2 (1990/Autumn) p. 275-334.
Lerma, Dominique-René de. “Preface” in Black music research journal, v.21,
n.2 (2001/Fall) p127-132.

73

Malveaux, John. “John Malveaux: On July 22, 2014 at NANM convention, Zanaida
Robles presented: “Re-Igniting a Legacy: The Choral Music of Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor.” Africlassical.blogspot.com. 22 Jul 2014. Retrieved from
http://africlassical.blogspot.com/2014/07/john-malveaux-on-july-22-2014-at-
nanm.html. Accessed August 20, 2014.

“News from All Parts.” Musical Herald; October 1904, no. 679, p 303.

Parry, Hubert. “Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: A Tribute.” Musical Times (London), 1912, p.
637.

Penberthy, Debra. “Zanaida Robles: Bringing Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor’s works to life.” ColoradoBoulevard.net. 28 Jul 2014. Retreived from
http://coloradoboulevard.net/zanaida-robles-bringing-afro-british-composer-
samuel-coleridge-taylors-works-to-life/. Accessed July 28, 2014

Scores

Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel. The Atonement. London: Novello and Company, 1903.

_____. Benedictus. London: Novello and Company, 1899.

_____. Break Forth into Joy. London: Novello and Company, 1899.

_____. Break Forth into Joy. ed. Williams Tortolano. New York: Broude Brothers
Limited, 1992.

_____. In Thee, O Lord. London: Novello, Ewer and Company, 1891.

_____ Jubilate Deo. London: Novello and Company, Limited, 1899.

_____ Lift Up your Heads. ed. Williams Tortolano. New York: Broude Brothers Limited,
1990.
_____ The Lord is My Strength. London: Novello and Company, Limited, 1892.

_____ The Lord is My Strength. ed. Williams Tortolano. New York: Broude Brothers
Limited, 1993.

_____. “Luconer.” The American Student Hymnal. New York, London: Century Co.,
1928.

_____ Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in F. London: Novello and Company, Limited, 1899.

74

_____ Now Late on the Sabbath Day. London: Novello and Company, Limited, 1901.

_____ O Ye That Love the Lord. ed. Williams Tortolano. New York: Broude Brothers
Limited, 1996.

_____. Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha. London: Novello and Company Ltd., 1900.

_____ Te Deum Laudamus. London: Novello and Company, Limited, 1899.

_____. What Thou has given me, Lord here I tender. New York: William Maxwell Music
Company, 1905.

Websites

Banfield, Stephen and Jeremy Dibble. "Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel." Grove Music
Online. Oxford Music Online. 29 Oct. 2011
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.usc.edu/subscriber/article/grove/
music/06083. Accessed July 1, 2014.
“Charles Kingsley” in Encyclopaedia Britanica
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/318730/Charles-Kingsley.
Accessed July 1, 2014.
Green, Jeffrey. 090: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and the Church.
http://www.jeffreygreen.co.uk/090-samuel-coleridge-taylor-and-the-church.
Accessed July 1, 2014.
Kent, Christopher. "Jaeger, August." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 7
Nov. 2011
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.usc.edu/subscriber/article/grove/
music/14090. Accessed July1, 2014.
Lerma, Dominique-René de. A Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Bilbliography. 13 Jan. 2014
http://sctf.org.uk/bibliography/. Accessed July 1, 2014.

Phillips, Mike. “Samuel Coleridge-Taylor” in Black Europeans. Online gallery: British
Library. 11 November. 2011
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/blackeuro/pdf/coleridge.pdf.

Accessed July 1, 2014.

Sheffield History. http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic/10575-
old-methodist-chapel-south-street/. Accessed July 1, 2014.

75

APPENDIX A: LIST OF REFERENCED SCORE EDITIONS

Break forth into joy, Christmas anthem, for tenor & SATB. London: Novello, 1892.
(Novello’s collection of anthems, 415). Dedication: Herbert A. Walters72. Library:
British Library. -- New York: Broude Brothers, ed. by William Tortolano.

By the waters of Babylon, for soprano, contralto, tenor, bass, SATB & organ. London:
Novello: 1899. 8p. Library: British Library; Library of Congress. -- New York: Broude
Brothers, ed. by William Tortolano. -- 1980/VI/ 14; 73 New Clef Club Orchestra;
Maurice Peress, conductor; Wynton Marsalis, Reed Badger, commentators (NPR, radio
broadcast).

In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust, for SATB. London: Novello, 1891. Dedication: Col.
Herbert A. Walters.

Lift up your heads, for SATB & organ. London: Novello, 1892. 5p -- London: Winthrop
Rogers, 1921. -- London: Allans. (600). -- Melville: Belwin-Mills. 5p. (Church music
review, 1460). -- New York: Broude Brothers, 1990. 9p. (From the choral repertoire, 61;
CR 61). Ed. by William Tortolano. -- Park Ridge: Neil A. Kjos, 1950.

Luconor; To Mercy Pity Peace and Love, (American Student Hymnal, #36); Common
Meter; Text: William Blake

Morning and evening service, op. 18, F major, for SATB & organ (1890). London:
Novello, 1899 (in Parish choir book). 14, 10, 7, 9, 5p. 1. Te Deum; 2. Benedictus; 3.
Jubilate; 4. Magnificat; 5. Nunc dimittis.

Now late on the Sabbath day; Anthem for Eastertide, for SATB. London: Novello, 1901.
8p. (Novello's octavo anthems, 695). Text: St. Matthew 28:1-9, 19, 20. Library: Library
of Congress.

O ye that love the Lord, for SATB & organ. London: Novello, 1892. 4p. (1623; #40-
0882- 00). Text: Psalms 97. -- New York: Broude Brothers, ed. by William Tortolano. --
for SATB & organ, arr. by James Allan Dash. Baltimore: Baltimore Music Co., 1951.
(James Allen Dash choral arrangements, 222). Library: Library of Congress.

The Lord is my strength, for SATB. London: Novello, 1892. (#28-0398-04).

What thou hast given me, Lord, for SATB (1901). London: Weekes; New York: William
Maxwell, 1905. -- for contralto & SAB. Library: Library of Congress.

76

APPENDIX B: A LIST OF SELECTED SECULAR CHORAL AND SOLO
VOCAL WORKS
from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Comprehensive List of Works
Compiled by Dominique-René de Lerma and edited with his kind permission
A birthday, for high voice & piano (1909). London: Metzler, 1909. Text: Christina
Georgina Rossetti. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn. -- for high voice & orchestra. London:
Metzler. Library: Spingarn.

A corn song, for medium voice & piano (1897). London: Boosey, 1897. Text: Paul
Laurence Dunbar*. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn; University of Oregon. -- 1904/IV/12;
Washington; Metropolitan A. M. E. Church; J. Arthur Freeman*, tenor;
Mary Europe*, piano. -- 1906/XI/16; New York; Mendelssohn Hall; Harry T. Burleigh
[?], baritone; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, piano. -- for medium voice & orchestra. London:
Boosey. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn.

A June rose bloomed, for SSA & piano (1906). London: Augener, 1911, 1906. 5p.
(Augener's edition, 4249; 4249a in tonic sol-fa notation) Text: Louise Alston Burleigh.4
Library: Yale.

A lament, for medium voice & piano. London: Ricordi, 1910. 6p. Text: Christina
Georgina Rossetti. Duration: 2m45s. Library: North East of Scotland Music School;
Schomburg, Yale. --AT: Avril Coleridge-Taylor*, soprano; N. Turner, piano. Library:
National Sound Archive, London, 1393.

A lovely little dream, for medium voice & piano (1909). New York: Schirmer; London:
Metzler, 1909. Text: Sarojini Naidu5, from Cradle song. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn;
University of Oregon. -- 1910/IV/66; Croydon; Public Hall; Effie Martyn, contralto7;
Myrtle Meggy8, piano. -- for string orchestra & organ (harmonium). London: Metzler.
(De Groot and the Picadilly orchestra series, vol. 2). Library: Schomburg, Spingarn.

A summer idyll, for high voice & piano (1906). London: Boosey9, 1906. 7p. (#E.S. 3551).
Text: Hilda C. Hammond-Spencer. Library: Library of Congress, Spingarn. -- for low
voice & piano. London: Boosey, 1906. Library: Library of Congress. -- for medium voice
& piano. London: Boosey, 1906. Library: Library of Congress.

A tale of old Japan, op. 76, cantata for soprano, contralto, tenor, bass, SATB & orchestra
(1911). London: Novello, 1912. v, 99p. Text: Flowers of old Japan (1903) by Alfred
Noyes10. Dedication: Mr. and Mrs. Carl Stoeckel "with happiest remembrances of the
White House, Norfolk, Conn., U.S.A., and the people I met there." Duration: 48m.
Library: Library of Congress (orchestral parts, #13531 with 1912 imprint); Peabody.

77

A vision, for medium voice & piano (1905). New York: William Maxwell; Philadelphia:
Theodore Presser, 1905. 6p. Text: Louise Alston Burleigh. Library: Library of Congress;
Schomburg. -- for low voice & piano. Library: Library of Congress.

African romances (7), op. 17, for medium voice & piano (1897). London: Augener, 1897.
21p. (Augener’s edition 8817; #11114). 1. An African love song; 2. A prayer; 3. A starry
night; 4. Dawn. 5. Ballad; 6. Over the hills; 7. How shall I woo thee? Text: Paul
Laurence Dunbar*. Dedication: Helen Jaxon24. Library: British Library; Library of
Congress; Spingarn; Yale.

Ah sweet, thou little knowest, for high voice & piano (1904). London: Ricordi, 1904. 6p.
(10952). Text: Thomas Hood.36 Library: Library of Congress, Schomburg, Spingarn.

Ah tell me, gentle zephyr, for medium voice & piano. Poet unidentified. -- for violin &
piano. -- 78rpm: Albert Sammons38, violin; William. Murdoch39, piano. Columbia L-
1396/7.

All are sleeping, weary heart, for TTBB with piano reduction. London: J. Curwen, 1910.
3p. (Apollo club, 460). Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from Todos duermen,
corazón, by an unidentified poet, included in Cancionero general (1511) and used in
actII/4of The Spanish student (1843) by unidentified playwright.46 Library: British
Library; Library of Congress.

All my stars forsake me, for SATB. London: Augener, 1905. 8p. (Augener's edition,
4658). Text: Alice Meynell. Library: British Library; Library of Congress.

American lyrics (6), op. 45, for low voice & piano (1901). London: Novello, 1903. 1. O
thou, mine other, stronger part (text: Ella Wheeler Wilcox49); 2. O praise me not (text:
Ella Wheeler Wilcox); 3. Her love (text: Ella Wheeler Wilcox); 4. The dark eye has left
us (text: John Greenleaf Whittier50); 5. O ship that sailest slowly on (text: Ella Wheeler
Wilcox); 6. Beat, beat, drums (text: Walt Whitman51). Library: British Library; Library
of Congress; Spingarn.

An explanation, for high voice & piano. London: Augener, 1914. Text: Walter
Learned52. Library: Lerma; Schomberg; Spingarn; University of Oregon. -- AT: George
Shirley*, tenor; Wayne Sanders*, piano (1976, Westminster Choir School). Library:
Lerma. -- for medium voice & piano. Boston: Arthur P. Schmidt, 1914. 5p. (10304).
Library: Spingarn.

Beauty and truth, for SA & piano (1911). London: J. Curwen, 1912. Text: Sonnet 54, by
William Shakespeare. See also Othello

Bon-bon suite, op. 68, cantata for baritone, SATB & orchestra (1908). London: Novello,
1908. 79p. 1. The magic mirror; 2. The fairy boat; 3. To Rosa; 4. Love and Hymen; 5.

78

The watchman; 6. Say, what shall we dance? Text: Thomas Moore69. Dedication: Doris
Sunshine70. Library: British Library (also tonic sol-fa edition, and string parts);
Schomburg. -- Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1906. 7p. (#5-19-65712). -- Boston [?]: Summy,
1910. Library: Spingarn. -- 1909/I/1471; Brighton Musical Festival; Henry Julien,
baritone; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, conductor. -- piano-vocal score. London: Novello,
1908. 79p. Library: Library of Congress, Yale.

By the lone seashore, for SATB (1901). London: Novello, 1910. Text: Charles
MacKay==. Duration: 3m10s. Library: British Library (1901 imprints for Novello’s tonic
sol-fa series, 1230, and for issue within The musical times, 699).

Candle lightin' time, for high voice & piano (1901). Cincinnati: John Church, 1911. 7p.
(#30520-6). Text (both English and dialect): Paul Laurence Dunbar*. Library: British
Library; Schomburg; Yale. -- for low voice & piano. Cincinnati: John Church, 1911;
Philadelphia: Theodore Presser, 1930, 1911. 7p. (#16499). Library: Peabody;
Schomburg; Spingarn.

Choral ballads (5), op. 54, for baritone, SATB & orchestra (1904). London: Breitkopf
und Härtel, 1904. 51p. (#L.65). 1. Beside the ungathered rice he lay; 2. She dwells by
great Kenhawa's side; 3. Loud he sang the Psalm of David; 4. The quadroon girl, for
baritone, SSA & orchestra; 5. In dark fens of the Dismal Swamp. Text: Poems of slavery,
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Dedication: The Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Choral
Society, Washington. Library: British Library (1905 imprint, 95p.); Yale (vol. 1 of 2v
set). -- 1904/XI/1677; Washington, Convention Hall; Harry T. Burleigh*, baritone;
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, conductor. --1905/X/25; Norwich Musical Festival. -- piano-
vocal score. London: Breitkopf und Härtel, 1905. 31p. (Breitkopf and Härtel's
edition of vocal scores, v1 (L.75). Library: British Library; Library of Congress. -- 2. She
dwells by great Kenhawa's side, for women's voices & piano. Leipzig: Breitkopf
und Härtel, 1905. 15p. Library: Library of Congress.

Drake's drum, for SA & piano (1906). London: J. B. Cramer; Boston: Oliver Ditson,
1906. 8p. Text: Henry Newbolt88. Duration: 2m45s. "Original version." Library: Library
of Congress, Spingarn. -- for SATB & piano, arr. by Thomas Lewis Le Cras. London: J.
Curwen, 1923. 8p. (#61169). Library: Library of Congress. -- for TTBB, arr. by Percy E.
Fletcher89. London: J. Curwen, 1906.

Dream lovers, op. 25, operatic romance in one act, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor,
baritone & orchestra91 (1898). London: Boosey, 1898. 4, 37p. (piano-vocal score, 2242).
1. Prelude; 2. Duet: Is the red rose?; 3. Trio: You may go from bleak Alaska; 4. Song:
Long years ago; 5. Song: Pray tell me; 6. Solo & chorus: I'm a wealthy wand'ring wight;
7. Quartet: Long, long the labour. Text: Paul Laurence Dunbar*. Library: Detroit Public
Library; Lerma; Library of Congress; Sydney Conservatorium. -- 1898/XII/16 92;
Croydon; Public Hall; Brahms Choir; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, conductor.-- AT:
93Baltimore; Peabody Conservatory of Music; Luvada Harrison*, soprano; Yvette

79

Matthews*, mezzo-soprano; Garymichael Murphy, tenor; Kevin Short*, baritone;
Peabody Chamber Orchestra; Edward Polochick, conductor (1984/II; Peabody- Morgan
Symposium).

Encinctured with a twine of leaves, for SSA (1908). London: Novello, 1908. (Novello's
8vo edition of trios, quartets, 382) Text: Samuel Taylor Coleridge.95 Library: Library of
Congress. -- for SA & piano, arr. by Herbert Arthur Chambers96. London: Novello,
1933. 7p. (#15867; Novello's 8vo edition of 2-part songs for female voices, 278). Library:
Library of Congress.

Endymion's dream, op. 65, opera-cantata in 1 act for soprano, tenor, SATB97 &
orchestra. (1909). Text: Charles Raymond Booth Barrett98, after John Keats99. --
1910/II/04100; Brighton Musical Festival. Library: Schomburg. –

Eulalie, for medium voice & piano (1904). London: Boosey, 1904. 9p. Text: Alice
Parsons103. Library: Library of Congress.

Fairy ballads (5), for high voice & piano. London: Boosey, 1909. 26p. (6428). 1. Sweet
baby butterfly; 2. Alone with mother; 3. Big lady moon (text: Kathleen Easmon104); 4.
The stars; 5. Fairy roses (text: Kathleen Easmon). Library: Schomburg; Spingarn;Yale.
-- for high voice & orchestra. London: Boosey, 1910. (#6556-6560). Library: Library of
Congress (parts). -- 1. Sweet baby butterfly, for low voice & piano. London: Boosey,
1909 (#6428). -- 3. Big lady moon, for low voice & orchestra. London: Boosey, 1909. 5p.
(#6428). Library: Schomburg; Spingarn; Yale. -- for low voice & piano. Library: North
East of Scotland Music School. -- 78rpm: Violet Openshaw, contralto, with piano. His
Masters Voice D-688. -- Marian Anderson, contralto.== -- for high voice & piano. -- LP:
Robert Tear, tenor; Philip Ledger, piano. Argo ZK-76. - LP: N. Proctor, singer; P.
Hamburger, piano. PRS 250-S. -- 4. The stars, for low voice & piano. London: Boosey,
1909. Library: Spingarn. -- 5. Fairy roses, for medium voice & piano. London: Boosey,
1909. 7p. (#6428). Library: Schomburg; Spingarn. -- for low voice & piano. London:
Boosey. Library: Yale. -- for high voice & orchestra. London: Boosey, 1910. (#6556-
6560). Library: Library of Congress (parts).

Fall on me like a silent dew, for SA & piano (1911). London: J. Curwen, 1912. 4p.
(#71376). Text: Robert Herrick (1647).105 Library: Library of Congress.

Faust, op. 70, for piano (1908). London: Boosey, 1908. 23p. (#6050). 1. Dance of the
witches; Brocken scene; 2. The four visions: Helen, Cleopatra, Messlina, Margaret; 3.
Dance and chant; Devil's kitchen scene.109; 4. A king there lived in Thule. Text: Stephen
Phillips110 and Joseph Comyns Carr, after Goethe. Duration: 15m. Library: Library of
Congress; Yale; Schomburg; Spingarn.

Five and twenty sailormen, for medium voice & piano (1911). New York: John Church,
1910. Text: Greville E. Matheson112. Duration: 3m. Library: Lerma; Schomburg;

80

Spingarn. -- 1910/VIII/24; London; Julien Henry, baritone; F. W. Kiddle, piano; Proms.

Forest of wild thyme, op. 74, for orchestra (1911). London: Boosey, 1911.
4. Songs. a. Your heart's desire. London: Boosey, 1920. -- 4. Songs. b. Little boy blue.
-- for SA & piano. London: Boosey, 1923. Library: Library of Congress. -- 4. Songs. c.
Come in. London: Boosey, 1920. -- 4. Songs. d. Dreams, dreams, for high voice & piano.
London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1923. -- for SA & piano. London: Boosey, 1923. Library:
Library of Congress

Genevieve, for high voice & piano. New York: William Maxwell, 1905. 9p. (#736). Text:
Samuel Taylor Coleridge120. Library: Library of Congress, Spingarn; University of
Oregon. -- for medium voice & piano. Library: Library of Congress.

Herod, op. 47, no. 1, for medium voice & orchestra, incidental music (1900). London:
Augener, 1901. Text: Stephen Phillips. 1. Processional; 2. Breeze scene 3. Dance; 4.
Finale.125 Instrumentation: 3-2-2-2; 4-2-3-0; timp; perc,strings. Commission: Beerbohm
Tree. Duration: 12m45s.

Sleep, sleep, O king, for medium voice & orchestra.126 London: Enoch, 1900.
-- for medium voice & piano. New York: Boosey, 1900. 7p. (#E. & S. 2781). Library:
Spingarn.

Hiawatha's departure, op. 30, no. 4, for soprano, tenor, baritone, SATB & orchestra
(1900). London: Novello, 1900. Instrumentation: 3-2-3-2; 4-2-3-1; timp, perc, hrp
(optional organ); strings. Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Duration: 40m. Library:
Library of Congress (564); Luck's (7618).

Hiawatha's wedding feast, op. 30, no. 1, for tenor, SATB & orchestra (1898). London:
Novello132, 1898. 127p. (#10723). Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Instrumentation: 2-2-2-2 p; 4-2-3-1; timp perc hrp; strings. Duration: 32m. Dedication:
Sir George Grove. Library: Kalmus; Library of Congress (563); Luck's (2823), Spingarn,
Yale (manuscript, fragment of incipit).

If I could love thee, for low voice & piano (1905). New York: William Maxwell, 1905.
6p. (#731). Text: Louise Alston Burleigh. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn; University of
Oregon.

Isle of beauty, for SATB with piano reduction. Boston: Arthur P. Schmidt, 1920. 7p.
(Arthur P. Schmidt's octavo edition, 205). Text: T. H. Bayly143. London: Augener, 1920.
3p. (#15420; Augener's edition, 4657). Library: Library of Congress.

Keep those eyes, for soprano, tenor & piano. London: Novello, 1903. Text: Thomas
Moore. Library: Library of Congress; Spingarn (manuscript, 8p.).

81

Kubla Khan, op. 61, rhapsody, for mezzo-soprano, SATB & orchestra (1905). New York:
Schuberth; London: Novello; Houghton145, 1905. 50p. (#559). Text: Samuel Taylor
Coleridge. Library: Library of Congress; Schomburg; Spingarn; Yale. -- 1906146;
London; Queen's Hall; Handel Society.

Life and death, for high voice & piano. London: Augener, 1914. 5p. Text: Jessie
Adelaide Middleton. Duration: 1m45s. Library: North East of Scotland Music School;
Schomburg; ; University of Oregon. Yale.

Little boy blue, op. 84, for unison chorus. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1923.

Little songs for little folks (6), op. 19, no. 2, for medium voice & piano (1898). London:
Boosey, 1898. 21p. Text: Cooper (Kingsley?) and Charles Kingsley. 1. Sea shells; 2. A
rest by the way; 3. A battle in the snow; 4. A parting wish; 5. A sweet little doll; 6. Baby
land. Dedication: "to my little sisters and brothers, Alice, Marjorie, and Victor." Library:
Library of Congress.

Loud sang the Spanish cavalier, for TTBB with piano reduction (1910). London: J.
Curwen, 1910. 6p. Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Library: Library of Congress.

Love is like the roses, for low voice & piano. New York: Arthur P. Schmidt, 1918. 5p.
(#A.P.S. 12347). Text: Robert Buchanan. Library: Spingarn.

Love's mirror; Song for Michelmas Day151, for medium voice & piano (1897). London:
Augener, 1916. 3p. Library: Spingarn, Yale.

Love's passing, for low voice & piano (1905). New York: William Maxwell, 1905. 7p.
(#737). Text: Louise Alston Burleigh. Library: Library of Congress; Spingarn. -- New
York: Arthur P. Schmidt, n.d. Library: Spingarn. Reprinted in The dome (Michaelmass
Day, 1897) p77-79. Library: Library of Congress; Spingarn.
-- for medium voice & piano.

Love's questionings, for medium voice & piano (1904). London: Keith, Prowse, 1904. 7p.
Text: Alice Parsons. Library: Library of Congress.

Low breathing winds, for high voice & piano. London: Augener, 1914. (#10299). Text:
W. C. Berwick Sayers. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn, Yale. - for medium voice & piano.
London: Augener, 1914. (#14639). Library: Spingarn, ; University of Oregon; Yale. -- for
medium voice & piano. London: Augener, 1914. (#14639). Library: Spingarn, Yale.

Meg Blane, A rhapsody of the sea, op. 48 (1902), for mezzo-soprano, SATB & orchestra.
London: Novello, 1902. Text: Robert Buchanan. Dedication: Mary Wakefield. Library:
Library of Congress (4 vols., SATB parts with 1903 imprint, string parts with 1902

82

imprint). -- IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library at
http://imslp.org/index.php?search=samuel+coleridge-
taylor&ns0=1&title=Special%3ASearch&fulltext=Search&fulltext=Search. -- piano-
vocal score. London: Novello, 1902. 80p. (11307). Library: Schomburg; Yale. --
1902/X/3153; Sheffield Musical Festival; Henry Wood, conductor.

Lord, hearken to me; Epilogue. London: Novello, 1904. Library: Library of Congress.
Contents include: Lord, hearken to me, Epilogue. London: Novello, 1904. Library:
Library of Congress.-- piano-vocal score. London: Novello, 1902. 80p. (#11307).
Library: Schomburg, Yale.

My Algonquin, for medium voice & piano (1909). Philadelphia: Theodore Presser, 1909.
Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Library: Spingarn. -- Boston [?]: Summy, 1910.
Library: Spingarn.

My doll, for medium voice & piano (1900). London: Boosey, 1910. Text: Charles
Kingsley.

My lady, for medium voice & piano. London: Augener, 1916. Library: Spingarn.

O mariners, out of the sunlight, for TTBB (1910). London: J. Curwen. (#50462). Text:
Robert Buchanan. --1911/II/23167; Liverpool; Birkenhead Glee and Madrigal Society; J.
C. Clarke, conductor.

O mistress mine, for medium voice & piano (1906). Boston: Oliver Ditson; London:
Winthrop Rogers, 1906. 5p. Text: From Twelfth night, Act II/3, by William Shakespeare.
Library: Library of Congress, Spingarn.

Oh sweet, thou little knowest, for medium voice & piano. London: Ricordi.

Oh, the summer, for SA & piano (1911). London: J. Curwen, 1911. (#71308). Text:
Isabel Ecclestone MacKay. Library: Library of Congress.

Once only, for medium voice & piano (1906). London: Winthrop Rogers, 1906. 7p. Text:
from Youth and love by Robert Louis Stevenson. Library: British Library; Library of
Congress, Spingarn. -- Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1906. 7p. (#5-19-65712)

Part-songs, op. 21, for SSA & piano (1898). London: Augener, 1898. 1. We strew these
opiate flowers (text: Hellas by Percy Bysshe Shelley); 2. How they so softly rest.178
London: Augener, 1898 (Augener edition, 4249). Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
after Klopstock179.

Part-songs, op. 67, for SATB (1905). London: Augener, 1905. (Augener's edition, 4659).

83

1. All my stars forsake me (text: Alice Meynell); 2. Dead in the sierras (text: Poems of
wild life in the Canterbury poets, by Joaquin Miller. See also: Album of melodies; 3. The
feast of Almachara (text: R. H. Horne).

Part-songs, op. 73a, for TTBB (1909). London: Curwen, 1910. 1. Are all sleeping, weary
heart (text: Henry Wadsworth Longellow); 2. Loud sang the Spanish cavalier (text:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow); 3. O mariners, out of the sunlight (text: Robert
Buchanan); 4. O who will worship the great god Pan? (text: Robert Buchanan).

Prayer for peace (1911), for unison voices. London: J. Curwen, 1911. Text: Alfred
Noyes.

Sea-drift, op. 69, rhapsody, for SSAATTBB (1908). London: Novello, 1908. 19p.
(Novello's part song book, 1076). Text: Thomas Bailey Aldrich.197

She rested by the broken brook, for high voice & piano (1906). Boston: Oliver Ditson,
1906. 7p. (#72722). Text: Robert Louis Stevenson, from The unforgotten, in Praise and
ballads. Duration: 3m. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn, Yale. -- London: Winthrop
Rogers, 1921. -- 78rpm: Dorothy Maynor, soprano. His Masters Voice HQM-1176. --
78rpm: John McCormack, tenor; Edwin Schneider, piano. His Masters Voice DA-
1778. -- CD: Dorothy Maynor, soprano. Library of Congress (19== , 1940).

Solitude, for high voice & piano (1893). London: Augener, 1918. 5p. Text: Lord Byron.
Library: Yale.
-- 1893203.

Song of deliverance, SATB & piano. Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1918. 7p. (#72576-6; Part
songs for mixed voices, new series, n2, 13, 268).

Song of Prosperine, for SATB (1912). London: Novello, 1912. Text: Percy Bysshe
Shelley.

Song of the Nubian girl, for medium voice & piano (1905). London: Augener, 1905. 4p.
(#13002). Text: Thomas Moore. Library: Library of Congress; Spingarn.

Song-poems (3), op. 50, for low voice & piano (1903). London: Enoch; New York:
Boosey, 1905. 18p. 1. Dreaming forever; 2. The young Indian maid; 3. Beauty and song.
Text: Thomas Moore. Library: Library of Congress; Schomburg; Yale.

Songs (2), for medium voice & piano. London: Augener, 1916. 1. My lady (text: E. R.
Stephenson); 2. Love's mirror (text: Fritz Hart).

84

Songs (2), op. 81, for medium voice & piano (1912). London: Boosey, 1913, 1920. 15p.
(#H.7902). 1. Waiting; Scena; 2. Red o' the dawn. Text: Alfred Noyes. Library: Library
of Congress, Yale.

Songs (3), op. 29, for high voice & piano (1899). London: Augener, 1899. 13p.
(Augener's edition, 8869; #11295). 1. Lucy.(text: William Wadsworth); 2. Mary (text:
William Wadsworth); 3. Jessy (text: Robert Burns). Library: Spingarn, Yale.

Songs (6), op. 37, for low voice & piano (1898). London: Novello, 1899. 1. You'll love
me yet (text: Robert Browning) ; 2.== Canoe song (text: Isabella Crawford); 3. A blood-
red ring hung around the moon (text: Barry Dane); 4. Sweet evenings some and go, love
(text: George Eliot); 5. As the moon's soft splendour (text: To a lady singing to her
accompaniment on the guitar, by Percy Bysshe Shelley); 6. Elëanore (text: Eric
MacKay). Library: Schomburg, Spingarn.
-- IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library at
http://imslp.org/index.php?search=samuel+coleridge-
taylor&ns0=1&title=Special%3ASearch&fulltext=Search&fulltext=Search.

Songs of Heine (3), for medium voice & piano. London: Augener, 1918. Text: Heinrich
Heine; English translation by Elizabeth M. Lockwood. 1. My pretty fishermaiden; 2. Thy
sapphire eyes; 3. I hear the flutes and fiddles. Library: Schomburg. -- New York: Arthur
P. Schmidt, n.d. Library: Spingarn.

Songs of sun and shade, for high voice & piano (1911). London: Boosey, 1911. 18p.
(#H8222). 1. You lay so still in the sunshine; 2. Thou hast bewitched me, beloved; 3. The
rainbow child; 4. Thou art risen, my beloved; 5. This is the island of gardens. Text:
Margaret Radclyffe-Hall. Library: Spingarn, Yale.

Sons of the sea, for medium voice & piano (1910). London: Novello, 1910.209 9p.
(#13182). Text: Sarojini Naidu. Duration: 3m15s. Library: British Library (50765),
Spingarn. -- 1910/IV/6;Croydon; Public Hall; Julien Henry, baritone; Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor, piano. -- for medium voice & orchestra. --78rpm: Peter Dawson, bass-baritone,
with orchestra. His Masters Voice C-2728. -- CD: Peter Dawson, bass-baritone, with
orchestra. Pearl GEMM 9965.

Sorrow songs (6), op. 57, for low voice & piano (1904). London: Augener, 1904. 23p.
(#12715). 1. Oh, what comes over the sea; 2. When I am dead, my dearest; 3. Oh, roses
for the flush of youth; 4. She sat and sang away; 5. Unmindful of the roses; 6. Too late
for love. Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti. Dedication: Jessie Coleridge-Taylor. --
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library at http://imslp.org/index.php?search=samuel+coleridge-
taylor&ns0=1&title=Special%3ASearch&fulltext=Search&fulltext=Search.

Southern love songs, op. 12, for high voice & piano (1896). London: Augener, 1896. 15p.
(Augener's edition, 8819; #10976). 1. My love, a Spanish ditty (text: Henry Wadsworth

85

Longfellow); 2. Tears, a lamen (text: J. G. Lockhart); 3. Minguillo, ancient Spanish (text:
J. G. Lockhart)213; 4. If thou art sleeping, maiden (text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
after a Portuguese source); 5. Oh my lonely pillow, stanzas to a Hindu air (text: Lord
Byron). Dedication: Mamie Fraser. Library: Library of Congress; Spingarn.
213 See also Album of melodies. 214 Première. 215 1895, accordingto Tortolano 2002.
216 Thompson cites the barcarolle and the cavatina as separate publications of Schott in
1915. -- 3. Contemplation. -- LP: Robert Murray, violin; Ardith Lohuis, organ (1929
IV.52 E. M. Skinner, St. Paul's
Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem). Raven Oar 510 (Airs and romances; Works for
violin and organ, vol., 4).

Summer is gone, for SATB (1911). London: J. Curwen, 1911. Text: Christina Georgina
Rossetti. Duration: 3m. -- 78rpm: Glasgow Orpheus Choir; Sir Hugh Roberton,
conductor. His Masters Voice E-407 (1920s). -- LP: Glasgow Orpheus Choir; Sir Hugh
Roberton, conductor. EMI Starline MRS-5175.

Tell, o tell me, for high voice & piano. London: Augener, 1915. == 1914in Tortolano==
Text: E. C. Stedman. Library: Spingarn. -- New York: Arthur P. Schmidt, n.d. Library:
Spingarn. -- for medium voice & piano. London: Augener.

The Atonement, op. 53, sacred cantata, for soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone, SATB &
orchestra (1903). London: Novello, 1903. 190p. in 4 vols. (Novello's separate chorus
parts, #11726) 1. Prelude; 2. Gethsemane; 3. Prayer of the holy women and Apostles; 4.
Pontius Pilate; 5. Calvary. Text: Alice Parsons.226 Commssion: Three Choirs Festival.
Library: British Library; Schomburg; Spingarn; Yale. -- IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library.
http://imslp.org/index.php?search=samuel+coleridgetaylor&ns0=1&title=Special%3ASe
arch&fulltext=Search&fulltext=Search.

The blind girl of Castèl-Cuillé, op. 43, cantata for soprano, baritone, SATB & orchestra
(1901). London: Novello, 1901. Text: The Gascon of Jasmin,232 translated by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow. Dedication: F. Nicholas Kilburn.233 Library: British Library
(50764); Fleischer (1947); Library of Congress (also string parts, with 1902 imprint);
Luck’s (5299); Schomburg.-- IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library at
http://imslp.org/index.php?search=samuel+coleridge-
taylor&ns0=1&title=Special%3ASearch&fulltext=Search&fulltext=Search.

The bridal day; I hear the flutes, for medium voice & piano. New York: Arthur
P.Schmidt, 1918. 5p. (#A.P.S. 11883) Text: Annie Andros Hawley. Library: Spingarn.

The broken oar, for medium voice & piano (1983). Not extant. -- 1893; Croyden.

The death of Minnehaha, op. 30, no. 2 (1899), for soprano, baritone, SATB & orchestra.
London: Novello, 1899. 110p. (#8299). Ever thicker; And the foremost said; Forth into
the empty forest; Gitchie Manito; Give your children food; Minnehaha; And the

86

lovely Laughing Water;Hark, she said; Wahonomin; Then he sat down; Then they buried
Minehaha; For her soul; Farewell, said he; To the land of the hereafter. Text: Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow. Instrumentation: 2-2-2-2, p; 4-2-3-1; timp, 2perc; strings.
Duration: 40m. Library: Kalmus (3921); Library of Congress (string parts); Luck's
(7617); Spingarn.
-- Opa Locka FL: Edwin F. Kalmus. (#3921)

The Easter morn, for medium voice & piano (1904). London: Boosey, 1904. 7p. Text:
Arthur Chapman. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn237. -- for medium voice, violin,
violoncello & organ. London: Enoch. 7p. Library: Library
of Congress, Schomburg.

The evening star, for SATB (1911). London: Novello, 1911. Text: Thomas Campbell.
Duration: 2m20s. -- AC: Morgan State University Choir; Nathan Carter*, conductor
(1976). Library: Lerma. -- LP: Morgan State University Choir; Nathan Carter*,
conductor. Audio House AHS- 30F75 (1975). Library: CBMR (Lerma).

The fair at Almachora, for SATB. London: Augener. (Augener's edition, 4660). Text: R.
H. Horne

The forest of wild thyme, op. 74, for orchestra (1911). London: Boosey, 1911. Text:
Alfred Noyes. Commission: Beerbohn Tree. -- CD: Pearl GEMM-9965. ==for orchestra,
arr. by Elliott Schenck. London: Lafleur.

The gift rose, for high voice & piano (1907). Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1907. 5p. (#5-37-
66582). Text: Dr. Frederic Peterson. Library: Spingarn. -- London: Winthrop Rogers,
1921, 1907.

The gitanos, op. 26, cantata-operetta for soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos; 2 contraltos, SSA &
piano (1898). London: Augener, 1898. 40p. (Augener's edition, 9088 [9088a, words only;
9088b, in tonic sol-fa notation]; #11247) Text: Edward E. Oxenford. Library: Spingarn.

The guest, for medium voice & piano (1911). London: Augener, 1914. Text: Robert
Herrick238. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn. -- for medium voice & orchestra.

The land of the sun, op. 15, for SATB & piano (1897?). London: Augener, ca. 1897. 8p.
(Augener's edition, 4661). Text: Bride of Abydos, by Lord Byron. Dedication: Sir Walter
Parrett.

The island of gardens, for medium voice & piano. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1911.

87

The lee shore, for SATB (1911). London: Novello, 1912. 8p. (#45-1231-36). Text:
Thomas Hood. Duration: 2m50s. Library: Library of Congress. -- for TTBB with piano
reduction. New York: H. G. Gray; London: Novello, 1929. 8p.
(#15485; The Orpheus, 610). Library: Library of Congress.

The links o' love, for low voice & piano (1910). New York: John Church, 1910. 7p.
(#16426). Text: Greville E. Matheson. Library: Schomburg, Spingarn.

The oasis, for medium voice & piano. London: Augener, 1898. Text: Adrienne Ross.
Music based on Part-songs, op. 21, no. 1, We strew these opiate flowers. See also: Album
of melodies.

The pixies, for SSA (1908). London: Novello, 1908. (Novello's octavo edition of trios,
quartets & choruses for female voices) Text: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Library: Library
of Congress. -- for SA & piano, arr. by H. A. Chambers. London: Novello, 1933. 7p.
(#15866; Novello's octavo edition of two-part songs for female voices, 277) Library:
Library of
Congress.

The sea shell, for SATB (1911). London: J. Curwen, 1911. Text: Alfred Lord Tennyson.

The Shoshone's adieu, for medium voice & orchestra (1904). London: Boosey, 1904.
Text: Brice Fennell. --1905/III/7; York; Exhibition Buildings; J. Coleman, baritone; York
Symphony Orchestra; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, conductor. -- for medium voice & piano.
London: Boosey, 1904. Library: Schomburg.

The soul's expression; Four sonnets, op. 42, for low voice & piano (1900). London:
Novello, 1900. 19p. (#11085) Text: Four sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 1. The
soul's expression240; 2. Tears; 3. Grief; 4. Comfort. Dedication: Marie Brema. Library:
British Library (50763), Spingarn, Yale. -- 1900/IX/13241; Hereford Musical Festival. --
for low voice & orchestra.

The three ravens, a traditional English air of the sixteenth century, for medium voice &
piano (1897). London: Boosey, 1897. Text: Wilhelmine Grotjohann Dohrn (German
translation)

The violet bank, for high voice & piano (1905). New York: William Maxwell, 1905.243
== Presser, 1904 in Tortolano== . 7p. (#788). Text: Darling. Library: Library of
Congress; Spingarn.

Thelma; The amulet, op. 72, opera in 3 acts (1909). Text: Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor.Library: British Library.

88

Thou art, for medium voice & piano. Philadelphia: Presser, 1911. Text: Tulloch.

Ulysses, op. 49, incidental music for orchestra (1901). London: Novello, 1902. Text:
Stephen Phillips. Contents include (also overture, interludes, entr’actes, and storm scene):
-- 1902/01251; London; Her Majesty's Theatre; Adolf Schmid, conductor.
-- From the green heart of the waters; Nymph's song, for SSA & orchestra. London:
Novello, 1902 (#51-0345-02). 8p. Library: Library of Congress (51-0345).
-- for SA & piano, arr. by H. A. Chambers. London: Novello, 1933. 7p. (#15868;
Novello's octavo edition of two-part songs for female voices, 279). Library: Library of
Congress. -- Great is he who fused the might; Drinking song, for tenor & orchestra.
London: Novello, 1902. 71p. Library: Library of Congress. -- O set the sails, for tenor &
orchestra. London: Novello, 1902. 3p. Library: Library of Congress.

Until, for medium voice & piano (1908). Boston: Oliver Ditson == Rogers in Tortolasno
--, 1908. 5p. (#5-40-66759). Text: Frank Dempster Sherman. Library: Library of
Congress. -- London: Winthrop Rogers, 1921.

Viking song, for low voice & piano (1911). Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1914. 7p. (#5-146-
71907). Text: David McKee Wright, from The Sydney bulletin. Duration: 2m30s.
Library: Emory University (OP9); Schomburg, Spingarn. --78rpm: Emilio de Gorgorza,
baritone (by 1923). His Masters Voice 5-2105; Victor 64786. -- 78rpm: Stuart Bardner,
baritone. His Masters Voice E-193. -- for medium voice & piano; arr. by Percy E.
Fletcher. London: J. Curwen. -- for SA. London: J. Curwen, 1911. 4p. (#1307). Library:
Library of Congress. -- London: Allans. (600). -- for SATB; arr. by Percy E. Fletcher.
London: J. Curwen. (#60982). -- London: Allans. (593). -- 78rpm: Choir of the Convent
of Jesus and Mary. Decca 9426. -- for treble voice(s) & piano; arr. by Jacobson. London:
J. Curwen. (#72564). -- for TTBB & piano; arr. by Percy E. Fletcher. London: J. Curwen.
Library: Luck's (3044). -- London: Allans (714). -- 78rpm: Associated Glee Clubs of
America. 255 Victor 20494A; Zonophone GO 76. Violin album, 6 Easy pieces, for violin
& piano, arr. by B. C. Hull. London: Augener, 1920. Library: British Library.

We watched her breathing through the night,256 for medium voice & piano. Text:
Thomas Wood. -- for SSA & piano. London: Augener. (Augener's edition, 4247).

What can lambkins do?, for SSA. London: Novello, 1908. 7p. (Novello's octavo edition
of part song for female voices) Text: Christina Georgina Rossetti. Library: Library of
Congress. -- for SA & piano; arr. by H. A. Chambers. London: Novello, 1933. 6p.
(#15865; Novello's octavo edition of two-part songs for female voices, 276). Library:
Library of Congress.

Whispers of summer, for SATB (1910). London: Novello, 1910 (Musical times, n51,
p810). Text: Kathleen Easmon.

89

Zara's ear-rings, op. 7, for soprano & orchestra (1985). Text: Spanish ballads, by J. G.
Lockhart. --1895/II/07257; London; Imperial Institute; Clementine M. Pierpoint. Library:
Royal College of Music.
257 Première.

90

APPENDIX C: PRINT MEDIA AND SELECTED CORRESPONDANCE

AFRICLASSICAL
A COMPANION TO AFRICLASSICAL.COM, A WEBSITE ON AFRICAN
HERITAGE IN CLASSICAL MUSIC. MEET 52 BLACK COMPOSERS
AND MUSICIANS, TAKE A BLACK HISTORY QUIZ AND HEAR OVER
100 AUDIO SAMPLES AT THE SITE.

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014
John Malveaux: On July 22, 2014 at NANM convention, Zanaida Robles presented: "Re-
Igniting a Legacy: The Choral Music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor"

The multi-talented Zanaida Robles, DMA candidate in choral music at the USC Thornton
School of Music, presented a 10:30am workshop on July 22, 2014 during the National
Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) national convention in Culver City, CA.
titled Re-Igniting a Legacy: The Choral Music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. According
to Zanaida Robles, "Coleridge-Taylor was one of the earliest composers of African
descent whose music was revered, not for any Afro-centric novelty, but for being well
crafted and wholly original yet distinctly British. With this research on Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor, the compositional voices of past and contemporary composers of
African descent might also be more distinctly heard and appreciated, not just for the
novel inclusion of spirituals, popular style, and crossover components, but for their
genuinely fine craftsmanship and distinctly classical character. To that end, Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor can still lead and inspire the American musical community, just as he
did a century ago."

Zanaida examined/discussed the construction, style, character, historic value, and
contemporary relevance of choral music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Through her
research, she hopes to accomplish two purposes:

1. To help perpetuate the study and performance of the choral works of Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor, particularly the small choral works, which in many cases offer great
textual illumination, compositional potency, and practical performances applications in
both sacred and secular settings.

2. To help facilitate a higher standard for greater diversity in choral music

The NANM workshop included live performances by Zanaida's church choral with
Zanaida as conductor. Soprano Aleta Braxton, a member of Los Angeles Opera Chorus,
sang with the choral. Zanaida also demonstrated, with solo voice, how Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor gave unique interpretations to spirituals. Zanaida has a beautiful

91

soprano voice. She is also a member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, as
is her husband, bass-baritone Vincent Robles, who also sang in the choir during the
workshop. Soprano Aleta Braxton, [and Bass Jim Raycroft], members of Los Angeles
Master Chorale also sang in the choir during the NANM workshop.
The legendary choral director Dr. Albert J. Neil posed the question of how to
access Coleridge-Taylor's music from a convenient, comprehensive source. Zanaida
acknowledged the current difficulties but shared hope for the future with her forthcoming
thesis. Most of the music performed on the program was published by Novello.

The very academic presentation and skillful live performances received a lengthy
standing ovation.

Zanaida recognized John Malveaux for introducing her to Coleridge-Taylor during her
early undergraduate years at California State University-Long Beach and acknowledged
rehearsals with Professor/pianist Althea Waites.

Zanaida also recognized numerous others in the academic community for offering
support and encouragement such as Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma and Charles Kaufman
for his film 'Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his music in America 1900-1912.

Zanaida invited the audience to attend a music program dedicated to Coleridge-Taylor on
Thursday, July 24, 2014.

Kelvin Page, who appears in the film Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his music in America,
1900–1912, was also acknowledged by Zanaida, after he identified himself following the
presentation. [John Malveaux]

(AT 10:33 PM)

--
http://africlassical.blogspot.com/2014/07/john-malveaux-on-july-22-2014-at-
nanm.html

92

COLORADOBOULEVARD.NET
Enlightening events. Happy neighborhood

Zanaida Robles: Bringing Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s works
to life
AUTHOR Debra Penberthy
DATE July 28, 2014

Celebrated African-American conductor, composer, and singer Zanaida Robles held a
full-length concert at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Thursday, July 24.
The concert involved works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor for chamber choir, solo piano,
solo organ, and piano and violin as well as a sacred choral piece by Zanaida.

After the concert, I had the chance to interview Zanaida.

Tell me a little about yourself as a musician?

I have a multi-faceted career. I sing with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, including
performances at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, and I am on the music staff at All
Saints. As a conductor, I am the Artistic Director of the San Gabriel Valley Choral
Company, and this fall I am going to be teaching choir at Glendale Community College.

You’re wonderfully in demand! Tell me about the Coleridge-Taylor project.

For my dissertation, I am analyzing the choral music of an Afro-British composer named
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. He was active at the turn of the 20th Century, at which time he
was a great inspiration to the African-American community for having a high level of
acceptance in Classical music, a field where people of African descent were not well
represented or appreciated. He’s most known for Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, which is an
epic choral and orchestral cantata on the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. At one
time, this work was more popular than Handel’s Messiah, but it fell into obscurity after
Coleridge-Taylor’s death. My aim is to resurrect interest in this composer by
reintroducing his works into the repertoire of current ensembles.

That brings me to tonight’s concert, which was wonderful. If I had to pick one word to
describe the music that I heard, it would be sumptuous. Tell me more about tonight.
Tonight is a culmination of research and bringing together fantastic musicians from the
area to put this music back into the world. And, it was a thrill to perform and to hear
works that haven’t been performed or celebrated for over one hundred years.

93

What an accomplishment! Congratulations, and thank you for introducing us to this
beautiful music. A number of your collaborators told me how much it meant to them as
well.

I was very grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with such wonderful musicians
and singers who came from across SoCal. And finally, it was wonderful to do this at All
Saints in Pasadena, which represents a sort of epicenter of my community in the San
Gabriel Valley. I had the chance to make an offering of artistic value to this community
that’s given me so much.

We look forward to hearing more from this musical dynamo who is truly homegrown,
having grown up in Monrovia and attended LA County High School for the Arts,
CalState Northridge, CalState-Long Beach, and USC.
To learn more about Zanaida, visit her website.

Author: Debra Penberthy

Colorado Boulevard is your place for enlightening events, informative news and social
living for the greater Pasadena area. We strive to inform, educate, and work together to
make a better world for all of us, locally and globally.

--
http://coloradoboulevard.net/zanaida-robles-bringing-afro-british-composer-
samuel-coleridge-taylors-works-to-life/

94

From: Dominique René S. de Lerma
To: Zanaida Robles
Date: Wed, Jul 2, 2014 at 8:38 AM
Subject: RE: African Portraits oratorio

Dear Zanaida,

I am delighted to hear from you, and you most certainly have my full permission to use
my listing of CT's works as you wish, although I can't be certain it is antiseptic (as you
note).

Have you been in touch with Hilary Burrage in the UK
(hilary.burrage@btconnect.com)? She was the force behind the CT activities in 2011 and
has been pretty much on top of things. I am sure she would be very happy to know of
your work!

UCLA has turned out many talents in this area -- I particularly remember Katie Noss
(ethnomusicology) who had been an undergraduate student of mine here in Wisconsin.
Please keep in touch with me and/or William Zick as your career evolves. For one thing,
I am presently developing a bibliographic register of all graduate papers in our area, and
will surely wish to include your work (as well as any article you might have published
along the way, and details on all performances you have presented of the music of Black
composers).

With warm regards to John Malveaux,
Most cordially,
Dominique

95

From: Charles Kaufmann
To: Zanaida Robles
Date: Wed, Dec 4, 2013 at 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: Zanaida Robles, DMA candidate in Choral Music

Dear Zanaida,

Congratulations on your dissertation plans. You will become part of the next generation
of Coleridge-Taylor scholars, continuing in the great tradition of the late SC-T scholar
Doris Evans McGinty of Howard University, author of "That You Came So Far to See
Us: Coleridge-Taylor in America," and other papers.

I encourage you to hunt down the many primary sources that can be found in various
archives around the country, especially, but not exclusively, in the Andrew Hilyer Papers
at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University in Washington, DC.
You will have to travel there, and to other places. Much of the SC-T story still remains
untold, awaiting discovery. Also, you should travel to the places he travelled to and
where he performed. Read old newspapers, both in the African-American press and in the
European-American and English press. From these primary sources, begin to construct
your own original narrative.

It is a very exciting process, especially when you turn over those hidden stones that no
one has looked under before.

Best wishes,

Charles Kaufmann, producer/director
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and His Music in America, 1900–1912

96

From: Christopher Scobie, British Library Reference Services
To: Zanaida Robles
Date: Fri, Jun 6, 2014 at 8:29 AM
Subject: Library Question – Answer

Dear Zanaida,
Thank you for your email from the 1st June.
Printed music in our collections can be searched in the online catalogue at
http://explore.bl.uk - the catalogue records for the two anthems you mention I have
copied below (I think 'What hast thou done' should be 'What Thou hast given me'? -
unless that is a different work, in which case we don't appear to have a copy).
'Luconor' I cannot find in our catalogue, although it is shown in Geoffrey Self's list of
works by Coleridge-Taylor as being written for the hymn 'Jesu(s), the very thought of
Thee' and appearing in the Methodist Sunday School Hymnal. That appears digitised
online at https://archive.org/details/methodistsundays00meth , although it seems to have
a different setting of the words, not by Coleridge-Taylor. Katherine Smith Diehl's index
of hymn tunes lists ‘Luconer’ as appearing in 'The American Student Hymnal', no.36,
which it does (page 32), to the words 'To Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love'. I have copied the
catalogue record for our copy of this below for you too.
For manuscript material you should search the online catalogue at
http://searcharchives.bl.uk, where all of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's manuscripts that we
have in our collections can be found. I cannot see any of the above works however.
None of these scores are digitised at present, although should you need them,
reproductions of British Library collection items can be requested remotely via the online
Imaging Service. The web-pages at www.bl.uk/imaging should provide all the
information you will need regarding formats offered and prices but in summary the cost
for basic paper copies or images on CD is a flat fee of £35.29 (/£31.85 international
price). Please note that the service operates to a 25 working day turnaround.
I hope this provides all the information you need for now, but please let me know if you
have any other questions.
Best wishes,
---------
Christopher Scobie
Music Reference Service,
British Library

97

APPENDIX D: COLERIDGE-TAYLOR PROJECT: CONCERT PROGRAM
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Project
Re-Ignition of a Musical Legacy
Presented by Zanaida Robles, DMA (ABD)

Thursday, July 24, 2014
7:30 p.m.
All Saints Church
132 N. Euclid Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101 | Free Concert, Suggested Donation: $20

98

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Project
Re-Ignition of a Musical Legacy

Thursday, July 24, 2014
7:30 p.m.
All Saints Church
132 N. Euclid Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101

Program

”This is the Island of Gardens” from Songs of Sun and Shade
David Clemensen, piano
The Coleridge-Taylor Singers
Zanaida Robles, conductor

The Evening Star
The Coleridge-Taylor Singers
Zanaida Robles, conductor

Selections from 24 Negro Melodies, Op. 59
David Clemensen, piano
Jennifer Lindsay, violin
1. Deep River Op. 59, no.10
2. I'm Troubled In Mind, Op. 59, no. 14
3. Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, Op. 59 no. 11

5 Fairy Ballades
Zanaida Robles, soprano
David Clemensen, piano

Impromptu no. 1
James Calhoun, organ

The Lord is my Strength
James Calhoun, organ
The Coleridge-Taylor Singers
Zanaida Robles, conductor

”Nunc dimittis” from Evening Service, Op. 19
James Calhoun, organ

99

The Coleridge-Taylor Singers
Zanaida Robles, conductor

Nunc dimittis by Zanaida Robles
David Clemensen, piano
James Calhoun, organ
The Coleridge-Taylor Singers
Zanaida Robles, conductor

The Coleridge-Taylor Singers

SOPRANO
Pat Kelly
Leora Breese
Jen Faith Brown
Coril Prochnow
Ann Spier
VanNessa Hulme
Chris Breese

ALTO
Melissa Hayes
Janet Korsmeyer
Aleta Braxton
Sara Chang
Becky Jardine
Marti Bailey

TENOR
Joe Kelly
Danny Banks
David Spier
Paul Vorwert
Sam Cappella

BASS
Vincent Robles
Scott Leggett
Manuel Núñez
Mark Edwards
Jim Raycroft
Tom Breese
Marty Minnich
Zanaida Robles is a concert soprano soloist, studio vocalist for film and television, and
professional ensemble singer. She has sung throughout the United States, and in parts of
Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, having performed professionally under the batons
of such conductors as Charles Dutoit, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Pierre Boulez, John Mauceri,
Leonard Slatkin, Gustavo Dudamel, Jeffrey Kahane, Grant Gershon, and Michael Tilson
Thomas. She has also performed background vocals and played piano on camera with
Leah Michelle and Whoopi Goldberg on the hit Fox Television series “Glee.”

As a conductor, Ms. Robles has prepared choirs for performances with such artists as
Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald and Wayne Brady. She is nearing
completion of her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music at the University of
Southern California (USC). As a DMA Teaching Assistant at USC, she conducted the
USC Thornton University Chorus for two years. Prior to commencing her doctoral
studies, Ms. Robles served for five years as director classical choirs at the Los Angeles
County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). Under her direction, the LACHSA
Classical Choirs performed for numerous festivals, concerts, and special events at Walt
Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and in venues throughout Southern
California. She also served as chorus master for the CSUN opera department and interim
director of the CSUN Women's Chorus. She is currently the Artistic Director for the San
Gabriel Valley Choral Company, based in Monrovia, CA.

Ms. Robles has been the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including the
USC Scholar's Symposium Fellowship, the Young Musicians Foundation Gladys Turk
scholarship, the USC Choral Department Scholarship, the USC Black Alumni
Association scholarship, two L.A. Artist of the Future awards, the NFAA Young Arts
level one award in classical voice, two Charles Dolo Coker Jazz Awards, the KCET
Emerging Young Artist Grand Prize, and the NAACP ACT-SO national gold medal for
music composition. She holds a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from
California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where she was the graduate assistant
conductor of the Northridge Singers and the Matador Master Chorale. She holds a
Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from California State University, Long
Beach, where she was the first recipient of the four-year Dean's Scholarship for
Distinction in the Arts.

David Clemensen is active as a pianist, teacher, church musician and composer. A
native Californian, he holds degrees from Chapman University, CSU Fullerton, and USC.
2011-2012 will be his ninth season as pianist for Pacific Chorale and the John Alexander
Singers. He has worked with many conductors, including William Hall, Robert Istad,
Michael Lancaster, Richard Raub, Eliza Rubenstein, the late Howard Swan, James Vail,
Perla Warren and Loren Wiebe. He is in demand throughout Southern California as a
collaborator and coach.

101

Mr. Clemensen has taught at Biola University and Orange Coast College, and maintains a
private studio as an accompanist and teacher. 2012 will be his fourth year as coach and
pianist for the Intimate Opera of Pasadena’s Summer Vocal Workshop. Often called upon
to lead music for events of the C. S. Lewis Foundation, in 2002 he directed the Service of
Dedication for the Study Center at Lewis’ home, the Kilns, at the Sheldonian Theatre in
Oxford, England.

A lifelong church musician, he currently serves as accompanist for Irvine United Church
of Christ. His compositions have been performed by many choirs throughout the U.S. In
1995 he won the American Orff-Schulwerk competition for his William Blake setting
The Tyger and the Lamb. Mr. Clemensen and his wife, Diane, have been married since
1980. Their son, Steven, is a college student.

James Calhoun is a graduate of the University of Southern CA, where he received the
Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a major in organ performance and a minor in church
and sacred music. He completed 24 years of service as Organist, Choral Director, and
Director of Music Ministries at the historic Second Baptist Church, Los Angeles (the
oldest African-American Baptist congregation in Southern California). He currently
serves as Organist at Holman United Methodist Church and Organist/Choral Director at
the University Seventh-Day Adventist Church, both located in the Los Angeles area. As
educator, he has served on the faculty of the following colleges and universities: Rio
Hondo College (Whittier, CA), Loyola Marymount University (Westchester, CA),
University of California at Irvine, Cypress College, and Los Angeles Harbor College. He
brings to the university a highly diverse background in the performing arts. Dr. Calhoun
was featured in USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Santa Maria Times, the
Vineyard Gazette and the Vineyard Times, (Martha's Vineyard) for his work as musical
director for several productions of Ain't Misbehavin. His musical expertise has taken him
throughout the United States and abroad to countries such as New Zealand and Australia,
where he performed at the World Expo (Brisbane, Australia). He has toured Jamaica and
performed at the University of Kingston, West Indies. January 2006, he provided musical
direction for Arizona Theater Company's production of Crowns, which received rave
reviews in Tucson, Phoenix, Portland, and Louisville. March 2006, Dr. Calhoun toured
Munich, Frankfurt, Lucerne, Essen, and Vienna with the Paul Smith Singers and the
Pacific Symphony, under the baton of Maestro Carl St. Clair. He recently performed in a
masterclass given by Jean Guillou, internationally renowned organist and composer. Dr.
Calhoun performed one of the composer's seminal works, Toccata, one of the most
technically challenging works in organ literature. March 2010 he performed with the
Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers in concert at Lincoln Center (Avery Fisher Hall), both as
soloist and accompanist, and in May he will return to Carnegie Hall with the Gwen Wyatt
Chorale of Los Angeles.

Jennifer Lindsay is an award winning classically trained singer, violinist and composer.
At age 11 she was a founding member of the Disney Young Musicians Symphony
Orchestra, and at 14 she was a guest soprano soloist for the Loren L. Zachary National

102

Vocal Competition at Ambassador Auditorium. A past winner of the Redlands Bowl
Competition and the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) Vocal
Competition, Jennifer has performed with numerous ensembles across the US, including
the Southeast Symphony Orchestra at Disney Hall and the YouTube Symphony
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

In 2014, Jennifer appeared as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Bakersfield
Symphony Orchestra, in a performance that was hailed as “both rousing and
astounding.” Jennifer also made her role debut as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte
with Repertory Opera Company in Pomona, CA, and she appeared in the chorus for Long
Beach Opera’s productions of John Adams’s The Death Of Klinghoffer and David Lang’s
The Difficulty Of Crossing A Field. Upcoming roles include Alice Ford in Verdi’s
Falstaff for Repertory Opera Company.

Jennifer has composed dozens of songs, 10 of which are included on her debut release,
Songs In The Dark. For this album, Jennifer drew musical inspiration from the timeless
romantic masterpieces of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, as well as from
modern artists such as Enya, Sarah Brightman, Delerium, and Cocteau Twins. Her
resulting style is a unique blend of Ambient, Electronica, Worldbeat and Classical
influences, with a hint of Gothic melancholy. She is completely self-taught in
composition and orchestration and single-handedly produced, engineered and arranged all
of the tracks on Songs In The Dark.

Jennifer resides in Long Beach, CA, where she studies voice with Marvellee Cariaga.

Special Thanks: James Walker and All Saints Church, Melissa Hayes, The San Gabriel
Valley Choral Company, the National Association of Negro Musicians, the USC Office
of Academic Professional Development, First Presbyterian Church of Monrovia, William
Tortolano, Dominique-René de Lerma, Charles Kaufman, Cristian Grases, the SC-T
singers, my family, especially Vincent Robles, and you our audience – Thank you for
your support!

Abstract (if available)

Abstract African British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was affectionately referred to in his time as the African “Mahler.” His most popular work, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, op. 30, no. 1 for soli, chorus and orchestra, is a shining example of his command of musical form, texture, harmony, and orchestration, which resulted in overnight fame and respect among colleagues that few men of color could have hoped to enjoy in the early twentieth century. Because of his incredible success in a field dominated by white males at a time when racism in America was peaking, Coleridge-Taylor’s influence on African American artists and intellectuals was powerful and far-reaching. After Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, Coleridge-Taylor is most known for his 24 Negro Melodies, his violin concerto, a host of chamber music and several art songs—his compositional output is substantial and varied. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the construction, style, character, historic value, and contemporary relevance of the choral music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a body of repertoire that has heretofore been virtually neglected. ❧ With an opus of at least twenty known works for chorus, including two sets of part songs, five choral ballades, two major cantatas, seven smaller cantatas, eight anthems, and a Morning and Evening Service, Coleridge-Taylor’s contribution to the choral genre is significant but seriously underexplored. Recordings of this highly regarded composer’s choral works are scarce, and few scholarly sources offer much insight into his choral music beyond merely acknowledging its existence in lists and catalogues. Research and analysis is necessary so that knowledge of this music might increase and performances and recordings of these works might resume after a century of neglect. Coleridge-Taylor was one of the earliest composers of African descent whose music was revered, not for any Afro-centric novelty, but for being well crafted and wholly original. With this research on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the compositional voices of past and contemporary composers of African descent might also be more distinctly heard and appreciated, not just for the novelty of spirituals and crossover works, but for their genuinely fine craftsmanship and distinctly refined sound. To that end, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor can still lead and inspire the American musical community, just as he did a century ago. ❧ Data from available scholarly, media, and primary sources have been gathered, examined, and discussed in order to present a concise, comprehensive picture of the life and influences of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. An original theoretical analysis of selected works is included from a performance preparation perspective. Study scores have either been purchased from the publisher or accessed through public domain resources, when available.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

The influence of African-American harmonizing on the 'American' choral works of Frederick Delius

PDF

The romantic loner: a conductor’s guide to the choral-orchestral works of Sir William Walton

PDF

A survey of the unaccompanied choral music of Wolfram Buchenberg

PDF

The influence of the Australian landscape and indigenous Aboriginal music and traditions on Australian choral music: a study of choral works by nine Australian composers

PDF

A companion guide to Nick Strimple’s Choral Music in the Nineteenth Century: a research and repertoire guide for nineteenth century small form choral works for mixed voices

PDF

Surmounting oppression in the choral music of Petr Eben: an analysis of the Missa adventus et quadragesimae

PDF

Music in worship in the Churches of Christ and choral music performance in Church of Christ affiliated colleges and universities

PDF

The development of Taiwanese choral music in the twenty-first century

PDF

Choral music in film

PDF

Leon Levitch's Song of Dreams: the testimony of a survivor

PDF

In search for a deeper understanding of Emma Lou Diemer’s compositional style through the analysis of her shorter choral works for mixed chorus since 1987

PDF

Sing on: The life, pedagogy, and contributions to choral music of Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe

PDF

An analysis of two choral compositions with strings by Tarik O'Regan

PDF

Charles C. Hirt at the University of Southern California: significant contributions and an enduring legacy

PDF

A conductor’s guide to select choral works composed by Hyo-Won Woo between 2012 and 2018

PDF

The Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America: vocal music and choral practice

PDF

"That music always round me": 21st century choral settings of the poetry of Walt Whitman

PDF

Refined gold from along the Royal Highway: musical training at the California Missions as a model for present-day pedagogy

PDF

Synagogue choral music of nineteenth-century Vienna, Paris, and Berlin: its repertoire and history

PDF

A study of Nick Strimple’s compositional life with an emphasis on his work Pentecost

Asset Metadata

Creator Robles, Zanaida Noelle (author)

Core Title The sacred choral works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

School Thornton School of Music

Degree Doctor of Musical Arts

Degree Program Choral Music

Publication Date 11/07/2014

Defense Date 11/07/2014

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag African English,African Mahler,anthems,Black composers,Black music,British composers,choral,Church music,Coleridge,Coleridge-Taylor,English choral tradition,Hiawatha,Music,OAI-PMH Harvest,Sacred Music,Samuel,Songs,Vocal music

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Grases, Cristian F. (committee chair), Scheibe, Jo-Michael (committee member), Strimple, Nick L. (committee member)

Creator Email znrobles@gmail.com,zrobles@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-515155

Unique identifier UC11297774

Identifier etd-RoblesZana-3070.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-515155 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-RoblesZana-3070.pdf

Dmrecord 515155

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Robles, Zanaida Noelle

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA