Black Pianists of Classical Music Born Between 1838 and 1933

This book tells the childhood stories of 10 Black girls and 12 Black boys who grew up to be famous concert pianists of Classical music of various styles including European, Ragtime, and Jazz. These children were born in the America, Canada, the Caribbean, Nigeria, and England. They lived and performed as children, teens, and adults in those countries and also in France, Germany, Brazil, Liberia, and Australia. These pianists were born to regular families, they became educated, some became educators up to the university level like Dr. Raymond Jackson. They performed worldwide in major concert halls, some with symphony orchestras and bands. Eight of the boys and five of the girls became famous composers also, namely Blind Tom, Scott Joplin, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Nathaniel Dett, Eubie Blake, J. P. Johnson, Duke Ellington, Fela Sowande, Florence Price, Mary Lou Williams, Margaret Bonds, Winifred Atwell, Philippa Schuyler, and famous arranger, Hazel Scott. These pianists were national award winners, some received as many as 10 awards and earned or were awarded several honorary doctorates by Ivey League universities. Several played for American presidents, the queen of England, and president of Liberia, and one received an American presidential award. Even though written in story style so much of it can be read to small children, this book is appropriate for middle and high school students to read, and is complete with a discography, internet links to performances of either the pianists themselves, or of their music played by other pianists. There are lots of illustrations (some can be colored by younger children), a bibliography and index for high school and college students as well as teachers to have the references. The purpose of this book is to educate everyone of the great significance of the contributions of Black people to the field of classical music (versus popular music), correcting the false narrative handed down through history, and exposing the magnitude of the status of music composed, arranged, directed and performed by Black people from around the world, in all time periods, including during slavery—Blacks whose published works exist and are being performed, or were destroyed or lost, but we know of them through music critics of the newspapers of yesteryear. This is one of 10 books to come on Black composers on symphonic and chamber music, Black instrumentalists, divas (female singers), male opera singers, and Black conductors of orchestras and bands. Read more