OvergrownPath.com: 'The moderate man is contemptible'

[Call Mr. Robeson: A Life, With Songs]

Bob Shingleton of On An Overgrown Path writes to us:

“This project surely deserves support -

http://www.overgrownpath.com/2011/10/moderate-man-is-contemptible.html

Regards,

Bob

Here is an excerpt from the post:

“OvergrownPath.com

Monday, October 31, 2011

It will surprise many to learn that my headline is supplied by Ralph Vaughan Williams. He was one of a group of composers, which included Gustav Holst, John Ireland and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who met in the late 1890s to discuss William Morris' brand of socialism, and Vaughan-Williams' proposition that 'the moderate man is contemptible' was the subject of one of their debates. Vaughan Williams was a leading figure in the English folk music revival and the pentatonic scale, which is the common foundation of folk music around the world, links the English rural tradition to African American spirituals. The presence of the Afro-English Samuel Coleridge-Taylor in Vaughan Williams' circle indicates that at the time racial prejudice was less virulent in Britain than in America, which is why that peerless exponent of the African-American spiritual Paul Robeson chose to live in England from 1928 to 1939 where he was able both to perform and pursue his radical politics.” [Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is featured at AfriClassical.com. In observance of the 2012 Centennial of his death, we are collaborating with the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation of the U.K., http://www.sctf.org.uk/]

SCTF invites articles about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's United States impact

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor]

Yesterday, Oct. 9, 2011 AfriClassical posted "SCTF.org hopes to catalog online works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor performed, recorded or in sheet music." Almost immediately, we received a reply from Hilary Burrage. Incidentally, Hilary's husband Tony Burrage is one of the members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra who recorded the Live-A-Music CD which is the source of the above cover image of the composer.

"Hello and very many thanks Bill.

You just beat me to it, as I was in the middle of sending a request that you might also consider publishing something on the post (and Tweet) I’ve just this minute completed on www.sctf.org.uk: SCTF invites articles about Coleridge-Taylor's US impact -

http://www.sctf.org.uk/history-and-context/scft-invites-articles-about-coleridge-taylors-us-impact

Please contact us to discuss ideas!

"You will recall the discussions on this which some of us in this group had a few weeks ago (and then my subsequent domestic delays), so I am now keen to get going again…. I do hope you think this idea is OK and that we can perhaps between us develop the US-based theme.

"On another note, you will be pleased to know that the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra – who have just won another Gramophone Award! – will be performing some of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha on 19 November, and we hope that a number of SCTF people will be able to attend. [RLPO: '...renowned choral conductor David Hill and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir rediscover one of the smash-hits of Edwardian England: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s fabulously entertaining Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast.'] You’ll recall that Liverpool has a long history of performing SCT’s work:

http://www.sctf.org.uk/featured-articles/featured-item/coleridge-taylor-conducts-his-work-in-liverpool-19-october-1908

Will keep you posted. Thank you again, and very best,

Hilary"

SCTF.org hopes to catalog online works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor performed, recorded or in sheet music

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor]

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was an Afro-British composer and conductor featured at AfriClassical.com. As part of our cooperation with the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation of the U.K., http://www.sctf.org.uk/, we present an appeal posted on LinkedIn by Hilary Burrage on behalf of the Foundation:

“SCTF is hoping soon to begin the proper exercise to catalogue online all of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's works by performances, recordings, available scores and who did what, when, etc. We'd be really grateful if people could let us have info on any of this - when you performed / recorded any of the music, if you have other material and so on.

“NB We're NOT asking to physically hold anything; we'd just like to share what we all know about where things are and how, hopefully, they can be accessed, in whatever is the best way - or even just who to approach for more info on a confidential basis. And the same of course for books, articles, pictures, programmes and whatever else.

“Please do get in touch if you can advise / help, either via this Group or, if you perfer, directly with me (always delighted to accept any of you as personal Contacts), or via the SCTF website Contact email address. We'll be very pleased of course to acknowledge your input, if you'd like that. Many thanks, as ever!

Hilary Burrage

This Is Surrey Today: 'Festival will mark life of composer' Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor]

Friday, August 5, 2011

This is Surrey Today

“THE world premiere of an opera composed by Croydon's "forgotten" black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is to be staged in the town next year. It will be the highlight of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the composer's death.”

“Jonathan Butcher, artistic director of Surrey Opera, said staging Frida, or Thelma as it has been more commonly known, at the Ashcroft Theatre next February would alone cost £50,000. Coleridge-Taylor composed the three-act opera between 1907 and 1909 but he failed to find any opera company prepared to take on what would have been a lavish production. After his death in 1912 at the age of 37, the work slipped into obscurity as the popularity of his compositions diminished over the years.

“The aim of the festival will be to bring his work back into the public eye and re-establish the outstanding reputation he had in his lifetime. He was described by Edward Elgar as 'far and away the cleverest fellow amongst the young men'. Mr Butcher said it was intended to hold at least one recital or lecture a month throughout 2012. Events already being lined up include a performance of Coleridge-Taylor's violin concerto by Croydon's resident orchestra, the London Mozart Players, churches putting on his religious music and a celebration service around his August 15 birthday at Croydon Minster.”

[AfriClassical.com profiles the Afro-British composer and conductor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation, http://www.sctf.org.uk/ is a partner in the efforts to commemorate the composer's life in 2012.]

Comment by email:
Bill, I just read your post five minutes ago. Fantastic news it is. I look forward to learning more about the festival. Thanks for being so on top of things! Africlassical is an indispensable resource. Best, JMW (Conductor John McLaughlin Williams)

Hilary Burrage: 'Perhaps you would like to visit the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation website'

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor]

Yesterday AfriClassical posted: “Research inquiry on film of 'life story' of Afro-British Composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912).” We brought the post to the attention of our friend Hilary Burrage, Executive Chair of the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation in the U.K. She has made this comment:

“Perhaps you would like to visit the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation website, to see some info about a number of those who are working on SC-T's life history: http://www.sctf.org.uk?

“You might also like to post an enquiry on the LinkedIn Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Group, which has in its membership (all welcome...) several people with knowledge of the films which have been made about Coleridge-Taylor.

Best wishes,

Hilary Burrage

(Exec Chair, SCTF)