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John Rosamond Johnson (August 11, 1873 – November 11, 1954),〔(''Black Past'' )〕 most often referred to as J. Rosamond Johnson, was an American composer and singer during the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson is most notable as the composer of the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing" which has come to be known in the United States as the "Black National Anthem". His brother, the poet James Weldon Johnson, wrote the lyrics of the famous piece. It was first performed live by 500 Black American students from the segregated Stanton School (elementary/middle/junior high-level), Jacksonville, FL, in 1900.〔(Audio recording, Atlanta Music Festival. )〕 The song was published by the Edward B. Marks Music Company, formerly the Joseph W. Stern & Co., Manhattan, NY.〔(Edward B. Marks Music Company. )〕 ==Biography== He was born on August 11, 1873. He was the son of Helen Louise Dillet, a native of Nassau, Bahamas, and James Johnson. John's maternal great-grandmother, Hester Argo, had escaped from Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) during the revolutionary upheaval in 1802, along with her three young children, including (John Rosamond Johnson's grandfather), Stephen Dillet (1797-1880). Although originally headed to Cuba, their boat was intercepted by privateers and they were brought to Nassau, Bahamas instead. There they permanently settled. Stephen Dillet was the first man of color to win election to the Bahamian legislature in 1833 (ref. Along this Way, James Weldon Johnson's autobiography). Johnson was trained at the New England Conservatory and then studied in London. His career began as an interesting public school teacher in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. Travelling to New York, he began his show business career along with his brother and Bob Cole. As a songwriting team, they wrote works such as ''The Evolution of Ragtime'' (1903). Among the earliest works by the group, this was a suite of six songs of "Negro" music. They produced two successful Broadway operettas with casts of black actors: ''Shoo-Fly Regiment'' of 1906 and ''The Red Moon'' of 1908.〔.〕〔.〕〔.〕 They also created and produced several "white" musicals: ''Sleeping Beauty and the Beast'' in 1901, ''In Newport'' in 1904, and ''Humpty Dumpty'' in 1904. Johnson would also collaborate to create ''Hello Paris'' with J. Leubrie Hill in 1911. Johnson was active in various musical roles during his career. He toured Vaudeville and, after Cole's 1911 death, began a successful tour with Charles Hart and Tom Brown. In London, he wrote music for a theater review from 1912 to 1913 serving a long residency. After returning to the United States, New York's Music School Settlement for Colored — founded by the New York Symphony Orchestra's David Mannes — appointed him as director where he served from 1914 to 1919. With his own ensembles, The Harlem Rounders and The Inimitable Five, he toured as well, and performed in Negro spiritual concerts with Emmanuel Taylor Gordon, including Aeolian Hall in Manhattan. The London production of Lew Leslie's ''Blackbirds of 1936'' engaged Johnson as musical director. During the 1930s, Johnson also sang the role of Frazier in the original production of Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bess'', taking roles in other dramas as well. He reprised his role as Frazier on the 1951 studio recording of ''Porgy and Bess''. As an editor, he collected four important works. The first two of these song collections he compiled along with his brother James: ''The Book of American Negro Spirituals'' (1925) and ''The Second Book of Negro Spirituals'' (1926). In addition, Johnson edited ''Shoutsongs'' (1936) and the folksong anthology ''Rolling Along in Song'' (1937). He died on November 11, 1954. his widow died in 1969. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「J. Rosamond Johnson」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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