Racial Uplift and American Music, 1878-1943

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Theory & Criticism, History & Criticism, Reference, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies
Cover of the book Racial Uplift and American Music, 1878-1943 by Lawrence Schenbeck, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lawrence Schenbeck ISBN: 9781617032301
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: February 3, 2012
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Lawrence Schenbeck
ISBN: 9781617032301
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: February 3, 2012
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

Racial Uplift and American Music 1878-1943 traces the career of racial uplift ideology as a factor in elite African Americans' embrace of classical music around the turn of the previous century, from the collapse of Reconstruction to the death of composer/conductor R. Nathaniel Dett, whose music epitomized "uplift."

After Reconstruction many black leaders had retreated from emphasizing "inalienable rights" to a narrower rationale for equality and inclusion: they now sought to rehabilitate the Race's image by stressing class distinctions, respectable middle-class behavior, and service to the masses. Musically, the black intelligentsia resorted to European models as vehicles for cultural vindication. Their response to racism was to create and promote morally positive, politically inoffensive art that represented the Race in idealized terms.

By incorporating black folk elements into the dignified genres of art song, symphony, and opera, "uplifters" demonstrated worthiness through high achievement in acknowledged arenas. Their efforts were variously opposed, tolerated, or supported by a range of white elites with their own notions about black culture. The resulting conversation--more a stew of arguments than a dialogue--occupied the pages of black newspapers and informed the work of white philanthropists. Women also played crucial roles. Racial Uplift and American Music 1878-1943 examines the lives and thought of personalities central to musical uplift-- Dett, Sears CEO Julius Rosenwald, author James Monroe Trotter, sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois, journalist Nora Douglas Holt, and others--with an eye to recognizing their contributions and restoring their stature.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Racial Uplift and American Music 1878-1943 traces the career of racial uplift ideology as a factor in elite African Americans' embrace of classical music around the turn of the previous century, from the collapse of Reconstruction to the death of composer/conductor R. Nathaniel Dett, whose music epitomized "uplift."

After Reconstruction many black leaders had retreated from emphasizing "inalienable rights" to a narrower rationale for equality and inclusion: they now sought to rehabilitate the Race's image by stressing class distinctions, respectable middle-class behavior, and service to the masses. Musically, the black intelligentsia resorted to European models as vehicles for cultural vindication. Their response to racism was to create and promote morally positive, politically inoffensive art that represented the Race in idealized terms.

By incorporating black folk elements into the dignified genres of art song, symphony, and opera, "uplifters" demonstrated worthiness through high achievement in acknowledged arenas. Their efforts were variously opposed, tolerated, or supported by a range of white elites with their own notions about black culture. The resulting conversation--more a stew of arguments than a dialogue--occupied the pages of black newspapers and informed the work of white philanthropists. Women also played crucial roles. Racial Uplift and American Music 1878-1943 examines the lives and thought of personalities central to musical uplift-- Dett, Sears CEO Julius Rosenwald, author James Monroe Trotter, sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois, journalist Nora Douglas Holt, and others--with an eye to recognizing their contributions and restoring their stature.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book The Artist's Sketch by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Anywhere But Here by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Emmett Till by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Angola to Zydeco by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Arrowheads and Spear Points in the Prehistoric Southeast by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Asian Comics by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Yodeling and Meaning in American Music by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Neil Jordan by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Soldier's Son by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Swapping Stories by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book The Properties of Violence by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Tracing Your Mississippi Ancestors by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book A Comics Studies Reader by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Reconsidering Laura Ingalls Wilder by Lawrence Schenbeck
Cover of the book Race and the Obama Phenomenon by Lawrence Schenbeck
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy