The composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 1875 - 1912
The composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 1875 - 1912
Samuel Coleridge Taylor was born in Holborn in 1875 to Alice Hare Martin, an English woman and Dr Daniel Taylor a Creole of mixed European and African descent. It may be said that for his time he was blessed with an amazing mixed race heritage. His musical talents seemed to originate from his mother's family as her brother was a professional musician.
His father had returned to Africa by 1875 and was unaware that he had a son born in London. His mother and grandfather called the boy Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. His middle name Coleridge was a tribute to the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was brought up in Croydon by his mother and his grandfather.
Coleridge-Taylor studied at the Royal College of Music. He quickly developed skills as a conductor and was soon appointed a professor at the Crystal Palace School of Music.
His best known piece of music was an arrangement of Hiwatha's Wedding Feast. This piece of music sold hundreds of thousands of copies but Coleridge-Taylor sold the rights for the sum of 15 Guineas. He later retained his rights for pieces of music he arranged and earned royalties for other compositions after achieving wide renown.
He died at the age of 37 of pneumonia at his house in St Leonards Road in Croydon, after callopsing at West Croydon station. Following his death in 1912, musicians were concerned that he and his family had received no royalties from his arrangement of Hiwatha's Wedding Feast, one of the most successful and popular works written in the previous 50 years. This case contributed to their formation of the Performing Rights Society, in an effort to gain revenues for musicians, through performance, as well as publication and distribution of music.
Coleridge-Taylor was often an adjicator at competetive music festivals, were he was very popular. This was because of the sincerity of his judgement, the unaffected modesty with which the judgement was given, and the constant sympathy that he showed with the efforts of the competitors.
Sanderstead Singers have performed an arrangement of The Magnificat by Coleridge-Taylor at Canterbury Cathedral in August 2014. This is the only known recording of this piece.
Samuel Coleridge Taylor was born in Holborn in 1875 to Alice Hare Martin, an English woman and Dr Daniel Taylor a Creole of mixed European and African descent. It may be said that for his time he was blessed with an amazing mixed race heritage. His musical talents seemed to originate from his mother's family as her brother was a professional musician.
His father had returned to Africa by 1875 and was unaware that he had a son born in London. His mother and grandfather called the boy Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. His middle name Coleridge was a tribute to the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was brought up in Croydon by his mother and his grandfather.
Coleridge-Taylor studied at the Royal College of Music. He quickly developed skills as a conductor and was soon appointed a professor at the Crystal Palace School of Music.
His best known piece of music was an arrangement of Hiwatha's Wedding Feast. This piece of music sold hundreds of thousands of copies but Coleridge-Taylor sold the rights for the sum of 15 Guineas. He later retained his rights for pieces of music he arranged and earned royalties for other compositions after achieving wide renown.
He died at the age of 37 of pneumonia at his house in St Leonards Road in Croydon, after callopsing at West Croydon station. Following his death in 1912, musicians were concerned that he and his family had received no royalties from his arrangement of Hiwatha's Wedding Feast, one of the most successful and popular works written in the previous 50 years. This case contributed to their formation of the Performing Rights Society, in an effort to gain revenues for musicians, through performance, as well as publication and distribution of music.
Coleridge-Taylor was often an adjicator at competetive music festivals, were he was very popular. This was because of the sincerity of his judgement, the unaffected modesty with which the judgement was given, and the constant sympathy that he showed with the efforts of the competitors.
Sanderstead Singers have performed an arrangement of The Magnificat by Coleridge-Taylor at Canterbury Cathedral in August 2014. This is the only known recording of this piece.
The following is a recording of coleridge-Taylor's arrangement of The Magnificat sung at Canterbury Cathedral on 24th August 2014. The conductor was Fred Irvine and the Organist was Dan Soper. The recording is a Dartworth recording.
The following is a recording of coleridge-Taylor's arrangement of The Magnificat sung at Canterbury Cathedral on 24th August 2014. The conductor was Fred Irvine and the Organist was Dan Soper. The recording is a Dartworth recording.
Acknoledgement: The information about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, his life and his music has been taken from Wikipedia and an obituary published in The Times on September 2nd 1912.
Copyright © Sanderstead Singers
. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Sanderstead Singers
. All rights reserved.