Charles Kaufmann: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor "Experiment" Broke Down American Barriers in 1904

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

Charles Kaufmann is introduced before screening of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and His Music in America, 1900-1912. at Boston University, March 17, 2014

Professor Allison Blakely at screening (Photo by Rochelle Li)

The Longfellow Chorus  (Link to full piece) Portland, Maine April 1, 2014

"Nowhere is the work of Coleridge-Taylor more  appreciated than in the United States, and this  is true both of white and black Americans.  First came his music and it thrilled and captivated  the nation. Then came Mr. Taylor himself. We,  who are colored, watched the experiment  with some interest and excitement because we  wondered if there was enough of artistic feeling  in the United States to receive a man of negro  descent as a great artist in a country where the  color line is so decidedly drawn. . . . He left  America, as elsewhere in the world, a beautiful   memory." —Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt),  1868-1963. Coleridge Taylor, ca. 1925. W. E. B.  Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections  and University Archives, University of Massachusetts  Amherst Libraries Boston Responds to Coleridge-Taylor  Writing for the Boston Musical Intelligencer, a virtual  journal about the classical music scene in Boston --  an online magazine that ties itself historically to  Dwight's Journal of Music -- music critic Geoffrey  Wieting concluded: "This fine film, touching, informative, and inspiring,  appears to be the work of a man with a mission.  Charles Kaufmann seems determined to make  Samuel Coleridge-Taylor a household name once  more among music lovers, and has spared no  pains in ferreting out fascinating details of the  composer's personal and artistic development.  To anyone interested in social history or musical  history or both at a time of considerable   ferment, this film can be wholeheartedly  recommended."