For the month of February, the Classics a Day team once again chose Black History Month as the theme. Composers of color have made significant contributions to classical music throughout history.

And there’s a lot of great music still awaiting discovery. Here are my posts for #ClassicaDay for the first week of #BlackHistoryMonth.

02/06/23 Julius Eastman: Joy Boy

Eastman independently developed his own form of minimalism in the early 1970s. Joy Boy was composed in 1974 for four treble instruments.

02/07/23 William L. Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony

Dawson completed his symphony in 1934 (he would revise it many times thereafter). It was premiered at Carnegie Hall with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. So why isn’t this part of the orchestral repertoire?

02/08/23 Roque Cordero: Violin Concerto

Panamanian composer Roque Cordero studied with Ernst Krenek. He was the founding director of the National Symphony of Panama. His catalog includes four symphonies, as well as concertos for piano, violin, and viola.

02/09/23 Akin Euba: The Wanderer

Nigerian composer Euba was also an ethnomusicologist. His music blends Western techniques (such as 12-tone composition) with African, especially Yoruba musical traditions.

02/10/23 José Maurício Nunes Garcia: Requiem

Nunes Garcia was a contemporary of Mozart and Beethoven. He’s considered one of Brazil’s most important composers. And one of the most influential.

Tags: #BlackHistoryMonth, #ClassicsaDay, Akin Euba, Classical music, Julius Eastman, Nunes Garcia, Roque Cordero, Twitter, William L. Dawson