Part One of a series on tropes of Black composers’ lives: How it impacts who is considered “forgotten,” and who is included in mainstream classical music narratives.
Oak Bluffs became a major summer vacation spot for black Americans, and in Dorothy West’s memory there was one vacationer who precipitated that development: Harry T. Burleigh.
Whether with friends, colleagues, or family members, the image presented to us 21st century viewers, is one of a black man who is not only successful, but comfortable. We might forget, then, that Burleigh was two generations removed from being born into slavery
