#ClassicsaDay #WeWriteSymphonies Week 3
Last month the Classics a Day team made #BlackLivesMatter the theme. Systemic racism in classical music has limited exposure to composers of color. So for August, the team opened up the focus even further.
#WeWriteSymphonies is a hashtag used by composers of color, and it seems like a logical extension of #BlackLivesMatter.
For my contributions to the feed, I found examples throughout music history. The problem isn’t new. There are talented composers of color underrepresented in every era — not just in contemporary music.
Here are my #ClassicsaDay posts for the third week of #WeWriteSymphonies
08/17/20 Ignatius Sancho 1729?-1780) – Minuets
Sancho was born on a slave ship crossing the Middle Passage. He ended up in England, eventually becoming renowned as an author and composer. As a landowner, he became the first black eligible to vote in the British general elections in the 1770s.
08/18/20 Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) – Cantata para América Mágica
Ginastera based this 1960 work on pre-Columbian legends. It’s composed for soprano and percussion ensemble (playing a total of 53 instruments).
08/19/20 Corie Rose Soumah – Limidites
Soumah is a Canadian composer of color. According to her bio, her music balances between aggressiveness and fragility. Much of her work is intended for performance in common public areas.
08/20/20 Tan Dun (1957 – )- Concerto for Zheng and String Orchestra
Chinese composer Tan Dun is best known for his film scores. His work blends Chinese traditional music with Western classical traditions. This concerto features the zheng, an Asian instrument whose origins date back to around 200 BC.
08/21/20 Mozart Camargo Guarnieri (1907-1993) Sinfonia No. 2 “Uirapuru”
Guarnieri was the second best-known Brazilian composer after Heitor Villa-Lobos. His “Uirapuru” is dedicated to Villa-Lobos and pays tribute to his tone poem of the same name.
