Harry T. Burleigh
Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Eminent African American baritone, composer, editor, and pioneer arranger. Protégé of Dvorák, he set to music poems by Dunbar, Hughes, Whitman, and others. Burleigh arranged “Deep River” and many other spirituals, which he championed as “America’s only original and distinctive style of music.” Through his successful career and work to advance social justice, he shaped the character of American music and culture. He was born on East 3rd St.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Born in Erie, Harry T. Burleigh rose to become one of the most influential figures in American music. A gifted baritone and composer, he studied under Antonín Dvořák and set the verse of poets like Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes to song. Above all, Burleigh transformed the spirituals of the enslaved into concert art, championing them as America's only truly original music.
Why it matters
By carrying the spiritual into the concert hall and working for racial justice, Burleigh helped define an authentically American musical voice rooted in the Black experience.
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Related people
- · Harry T. Burleigh
- · Antonín Dvořák
Themes & tags
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