Virginia State University Professor David Shaffer-Gottschalk Presents Lecture-Recital on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 PM

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: 24 Negro Melodies, Opus 59; David Shaffer-Gottschalk, piano; Albany Records Troy 930/31 (2007)

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) (Emil Hoppe)]

Prof. David Shaffer-Gottschalk is the pianist who recorded the above 2-CD set of Twenty-Four Negro Melodies, Opus 59, composed by the Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor:

VSU Pianist to Present Lecture-Recital

Published date: October 23, 2012

Virginia State University professor and pianist David Shaffer-Gottschalk will be performing selections from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s 24 Negro Melodies, Opus 59, with commentary on the pieces and on Coleridge-Taylor’s life and works, on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Recital Hall in Davis Hall on the campus of Virginia State University.  The concert is free and open to the public.

The Afro-English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor died 100 years ago in 1912, and memorial concerts of his work are being held throughout this year on both sides of the Atlantic.  At the height of his career, Coleridge-Taylor was the most often performed English composer of his generation.  His success was an inspiration to struggling African-American musicians in the early years of the 20^th century, and he traveled to the United States to conduct and promote his music.  In 1905, Coleridge-Taylor published the 24 Negro Melodies, in which traditional African and African-American melodies were used as the basis for classical solo piano compositions.

David Shaffer-Gottschalk holds degrees in piano performance from Wartburg College, the University of Michigan, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado.   Since joining the VSU faculty in 1992, he has performed numerous solo and chamber recitals in the area and on several occasions as featured soloist with the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.