Craig von Buseck

This is a biography of Harry Burleigh, one of the first African Americans to manage to overcome late 19th/ early 20th century American bigotry sufficiently to be recognized in traditional artistic/musical circles. He eventually sang for US Presidents and Kings and Queens in Europe. His story is one of serious talent and remarkable determination. He changed the world of American music by bringing the Spirituals, those marvelous songs passed down from those in slavery, into the mainstream of American musical consciousness. Dvorak's "New World Symphony" was largely the result of exposure to the Spirituals when Burleigh was a student and Dvorak was head of the American Conservatory.

This book was worthwhile because of the subject matter, but I really didn't care for how it was written. There was too much jumping around working in the family background story, especially in the first half of the book. The second half was more linear, but I felt the author took too many artistic liberties in the way he wrote this biography. I can't believe that all the dialogue in quotations could have been documented as what was actually said at the time by the parties involved.… (meer)