Ashley Danyew

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Music by Black Composers: Art Songs & Spirituals for Solo Voice

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been compiling repertoire lists by Black composers for use in worship and sacred settings. So far, I’ve published lists of sacred organ music, 2- and 3-part sacred choral anthems, and SATB sacred choral anthems.

Today, I’m sharing Part 4 in this series: art songs & spirituals for solo voice.

Here are some of the questions I’m pondering as we work to listen, learn, and find a way forward:

  • Which African-American composers have made the greatest contributions to our field?

  • What spirituals have been arranged by African-American composers?

  • What music has been written by African-American women?

This post includes familiar spirituals and new compositions by composers such as Harry T. Burleigh, Edward Boatner, Undine Smith Moore, Rosephanye Powell, Uzee Brown, Jr., H. Leslie Adams, Florence Price, and many more.

I hope this series encourages and inspires you as you choose music for worship in the months and years to come.


Music by Black Composers: Art Songs & Spirituals for Solo Voice

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Individual Pieces

  1. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain

  2. Go Down, Moses (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain

  3. My Lord, What a Mornin’ (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain

  4. Balm in Gilead (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain

  5. Deep River (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain

  6. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain

  7. Go Tell It on the Mountain (John W. Work)

  8. I Want Jesus to Walk with Me (Edward Boatner)

  9. This Little Light O’ Mine (John W. Work)

Collections

Art Songs and Spirituals by African American Women Composers (Undine Smith Moore)

  1. Calvary (Betty Jackson King)

  2. Come Down Angels (Undine Smith Moore)

  3. Dry Bones (Margaret Bonds)

  4. Free At Last (Zenobia Powell Perry)

  5. He's Got the Whole World In His Hand (Margaret Bonds)

  6. I Am in Doubt (Undine Smith Moore)

  7. I'm a Poor Li'l Orphan in This Worl' (Julia Perry)

  8. In the Springtime (Betty Jackson King)

  9. Is There Anybody Here That Loves My Jesus (Undine Smith Moore)

  10. It's Me, O Lord (Betty Jackson King)

  11. Lord, I Just Can't Keep from Cryin' (Margaret Bonds)

  12. Love Let the Wind Cry… How I Adore Thee (Undine Smith Moore)

  13. My Dream (Florence B. Price)

  14. My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord (Florence B. Price)

  15. Night (Florence B. Price)

  16. Song to the Dark Virgin (Florence B. Price)

  17. The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Margaret Bonds)

  18. Three Dream Portraits (Margaret Bonds)

  19. Watch and Pray (Undine Smith Moore)

The Deep River Collection (arr. Moses Hogan)

  1. Somebody’s Knockin’ At Your Door

  2. Give Me Jesus

  3. Deep River

  4. My Good Lord’s Done Been Here

  5. He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands

  6. Walk Together, Children

  7. Never Said A Mumblin’ Word

  8. Were You There?

  9. Let Us Break Bread Together

  10. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers (Various)

  1. For You There is No Song (Leslie Adams)

  2. Early in the Mornin' (David Baker)

  3. A Good Assassination Should Be Quiet (David Baker)

  4. Status Symbol (David Baker)

  5. Three Dream Portraits: Minstrel Man; Dream Variations; I, Too (Margaret Bonds)

  6. The Barrier (Charles Brown)

  7. Song Without Words (Charles Brown)

  8. Death of an Old Seaman (Cecil Cohen)

  9. Two Songs for Julie Ju (Noel da Costa)

  10. Cassandra's Lullaby (Mark Fax)

  11. Love (Mark Fax)

  12. A Charm at Parting (Adolphus C. Hailstork)

  13. I Loved You (Adolphus C. Hailstork)

  14. Absalom (Eugene Hancock)

  15. Nunc Dimittis (Eugene Hancock)

  16. Riding to Town (Thomas Kerr, Jr.)

  17. Compensation (Charles Lloyd, Jr.)

  18. If There Be Sorrow (Wendell Logan)

  19. Marrow of My Bone (Wendell Logan)

  20. Chanson Triste (Maurice McCall)

  21. Sweet Sorrow (Maurice McCall)

  22. Weary Blues (Dorothy Rudd Moore)

  23. Love Let the Wind Cry… How I Adore Thee (Undine Moore)

  24. Faithful One (Robert Owens)

  25. Genius Child (Robert Owens)

  26. A Child's Grace (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)

  27. Melancholy (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)

  28. Night (Florence B. Price)

  29. Song to the Dark Virgin (Florence B. Price)

  30. Velvet Shoes (Hale Smith)

  31. Grief (William Grant Still)

  32. A Death Song (Howard Swanson)

  33. I Will Lie Down in Autumn (Howard Swanson)

  34. The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Howard Swanson)

  35. Lament (George Walker)

  36. A Red, Red Rose (George Walker)

  37. Wry Fragments (Olly Wilson)

  38. Dancing in the Sun (John W. Work, Jr.)

  39. Soliloquy (John W. Work, Jr.)

The Spirituals of Harry T. Burleigh (Harry T. Burleigh)

  1. Ain't Goin' to Study War No More 

  2. Balm in Gilead 

  3. Behold That Star 

  4. By An' By 

  5. Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray 

  6. De Blin' Man Stood on de Road an' Cried 

  7. De Gospel Train 

  8. Deep River 

  9. Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel 

  10. Don't Be Weary Traveler

  11. Don't You Weep When I'm Gone 

  12. Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit 

  13. Give Me Jesus 

  14. Go Down In the Lonesome Valley 

  15. Go Down Moses 

  16. Go Tell It On de Mountains 

  17. Hard Trials 

  18. Hear de Lambs a-Cryin' Heav'n Heav'n 

  19. He's Just de Same Today 

  20. I Don't Feel No-Ways Tired 

  21. I Got a Home in a-Dat Rock 

  22. I Know de Lord's Laid His Hands on Me 

  23. I Stood On de Ribber ob Jerdon 

  24. I've Been in da Storm So Long 

  25. I Want To Be Ready 

  26. John's Gone Down On de Island 

  27. Joshua Fit de Battle ob Jericho 

  28. Let Us Cheer The Weary Traveler 

  29. Little David Play On Your Harp 

  30. My Lord What a Mornin' 

  31. My Way's Cloudy 

  32. Nobody Knows De Trouble I've Seen 

  33. Oh Didn't it Rain 

  34. Oh Wasn't Dat a Wide Ribber 

  35. Oh Peter Go Ring Dem Bells 

  36. O Rocks Don't Fall On Me 

  37. Ride On King Jesus 

  38. Sinner Please Doan Let Dis Harves' Pass 

  39. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child 

  40. Stan' Still Jordan 

  41. Steal Away 

  42. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 

  43. 'Tis Me O Lord 

  44. Wade In De Water 

  45. Weepin' Mary 

  46. Were You There 

  47. You May Bury Me in de Eas'

O Redeemed! A Set of African American Spirituals (Uzee Brown, Jr.)

  1. Welcome To The Dyin' Lamb 

  2. Amen 

  3. This River 

  4. Ain't A That Good News 

  5. There Are Angels Hovrin’ Roun' 

  6. Fix Me Jesus 

  7. O Mary What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby 

  8. O Redeemed

Tryin’ to Make Heaven My Home (Uzee Brown, Jr.)

  1. Done Made My Vow To de Lord 

  2. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning 

  3. I'm Trampin' 

  4. Gonna Shout All Over God's Heaven 

  5. I Want To Die Easy When I Die 

  6. My God Is So High 

  7. Great Day! 

  8. Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air 

25 Spirituals Arranged by Harry T. Burleigh (arr. Harry T. Burleigh)

  1. Steal Away 

  2. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 

  3. Deep River 

  4. Balm in Gilead 

  5. Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel 

  6. The Gospel Train 

  7. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child 

  8. By an’ By 

  9. Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray 

  10. Go Down, Moses (Let My People Go) 

  11. Go, Tell It on the Mountain 

  12. Oh, Didn't It Rain 

  13. Sinners, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass 

  14. 'Tis Me, O Lord 

  15. Weepin’ Mary 

  16. My Lord, What a Mornin' 

  17. Don't You Weep When I'm Gone 

  18. I Stood on the River of Jordan 

  19. Little David, Play on Your Harp 

  20. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen 

  21. O Rocks, Don't Fall on Me 

  22. Wade in the Water 

  23. Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler 

  24. You May Bury Me in the East 

  25. I Want to Be Ready

30 Spirituals for High Voice and Piano (arr. Hall Johnson)

  1. Belshazza' Had a Feasa'

  2. Dat Suits Me

  3. Done Written Down My Name

  4. Every Time I Feel the Spirit

  5. Glory Hallelu to de Newborn King

  6. The Gospel Train Is Coming

  7. Great Day!

  8. How Long Train Been Gone?

  9. I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray

  10. Keep A-Inchin' Along

  11. Leanin' on Dat Lamb

  12. Let de Heb'n-Light Sine on Me

  13. Mary Had a Baby

  14. My Lord, What a Morning

  15. O Freedom

  16. Oh, Graveyard

  17. Over Yonder

  18. Po' Mo'ner Got a Home at Las'

  19. Prayer Is de Key

  20. Religion Is a Fortune

  21. Ride On, King Jesus!

  22. Scandalize' My Name

  23. Sinner-Man So Hard to Believe

  24. Stan' Still, Jordan

  25. Standin' in the Need of Prayer

  26. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot!

  27. There Is a Balm in Gilead

  28. This Is de Healin' Water

  29. Were You There?

  30. When I Lay My Burden Down

Miss Wheatley’s Garden for Medium High Voice and Piano (Rosephanye Powell)

  1. I Want to Die While You Love Me

  2. A Winter Twilight

  3. Songs of the People

A New Anthology of Art Songs by African American Composers (selected by Margaret R. Simmons and Jeanine F. Wagner)

  1. Amazing Grace (H. Leslie Adams)

  2. Creole Girl from Nightsongs (H. Leslie Adams)

  3. Love Come and Gone from The Wider View (H. Leslie Adams)

  4. My Man from The Wider View (H. Leslie Adams)

  5. Seven Days from Child’s World (Mable Bailey)

  6. Birthday Song from Child’s World (Mable Bailey)

  7. Seasons from Child’s World (Mable Bailey)

  8. Black Sheep, Black Sheep (Charles S. Brown)

  9. Leisure Cruise (Charles S. Brown)

  10. Pied Beauty (Charles S. Brown)

  11. Three/Quarters Time from The Giovanni Songs (Wallace McClain Cheatham)

  12. Difficulties from Songs of Love and Justice  (Adolphus Hailstork)

  13. The Awakening from Five Dunbar Lyrics (Adolphus Hailstork)

  14. Good Night from Five Dunbar Lyrics (Adolphus Hailstork)

  15. Create in Me (Adolphus Hailstork)

  16. On Consciousness Streams: On Consciousness Streams; Thou Alone Canst Inspire; The Season of Remembrance (Jacqueline B. Hairston)

  17. Valentine’s Day from Five Songs for Soprano and Piano (William H. Henderson)

  18. How Should I Your True Love Know from Five Songs for Soprano and Piano (William H. Henderson)

  19. I’ll Not Forget from Five Art Songs for Voice and Piano (Jeraldine Saunders Herbison)

  20. We Met by Chance from Five Art Songs for Voice and Piano (Jeraldine Saunders Herbison)

  21. Theology (Betty Jackson King)

  22. Compensation (Betty Jackson King)

  23. Gramercy Park from Four Love Songs (William Foster McDaniel)

  24. Union Square from Four Love Songs (William Foster McDaniel)

  25. Lyric for Truelove (Undine Smith Moore)

  26. Daedalus, Fly Away Home from The Moods of My People  (Byron Motley and Barbara Sherrill)

  27. Mae’s Rent Party from The Moods of My People  (Byron Motley and Barbara Sherrill)

  28. Club Woman from The Moods of My People  (Byron Motley and Barbara Sherrill)

  29. Heart (Robert Owens)

  30. Girl (Robert Owens)

  31. Havana Dreams (Robert Owens)

  32. Clear Water (Nadine Shanti)

  33. Singing for the Sake of My Soul (Frederick Tillis)

  34. Velvet Shoes (Dolores White)

  35. Nails (Dolores White)

  36. That Black Reef (Dolores White)

  37. A Song (Julius P. Williams)

Art Songs and Spirituals by Contemporary African American Composers (ed. Kathy W. Bullock and Donna M. Cox)

  1. Dreams from Dream Cycle (Cedric Adderley)

  2. Dream Dust from Dream Cycle (Cedric Adderley)

  3. I Dream a World from Dream Cycle (Cedric Adderley)

  4. Sing Ye To the Lord from Biblical Women (Lettie Beckon Alston)

  5. God Hath Chosen from Biblical Women (Lettie Beckon Alston)

  6. Balm in Gilead (Shelton Becton)

  7. How Long, Not Long? (Shelton Becton)

  8. Autumn from Song of the Seasons (Valerie Capers)

  9. Sweetest Sound I Ever Heard (Roland Carter)

  10. Oh, Freedom (Roland Carter)

  11. What Does It Mean? (Roy Cotton)

  12. My Voice (Roy Cotton)

  13. The Awakening (Adolphus Hailstork)

  14. Tell Me Trees: What Are You Whispering? (Adolphus Hailstork)

  15. The Daffodils from Three Simple Songs (Adolphus Hailstork)

  16. He Sees All You Do from City Signs: Security System Engaged (Robert Morris)

  17. Sorrow is the Only Faithful One (Robert Morris)

  18. I’m Still Here (Byron Motley)

  19. A Song for the Heroes (Byron Motley)

  20. Confidence from Musings (Solomon’s Songs) (Eurydice Osterman)

  21. Curiosity from Musings (Solomon’s Songs) (Eurydice Osterman)

  22. Security from Musings (Solomon’s Songs) (Eurydice Osterman)

  23. My Only Love from Song Cycle of Love (Barbara Sherrill)

  24. My Beautiful Red Rose from Song Cycle of Love (Barbara Sherrill)

  25. My Love is Gone from Song Cycle of Love (Barbara Sherrill)

  26. Psalm 23 (Victor Simpson)

  27. Psalm 114 (Victor Simpson)

  28. Psalm 118 (Victor Simpson)

  29. Scandalize My Name (Evelyn Simpson-Curenton)

  30. Sinner, Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass (Evelyn Simpson-Curenton)

  31. Mary Had a Baby (Diane White-Clayton)

  32. Talk About A Chil’ (Diane White-Clayton)

  33. Wondering (Diane White-Clayton)

My Favorite Spirituals: 30 Songs for Voice and Piano (arr. Roland Hayes)

  1. I’ll Make Me a Man

  2. Let My People Go!

  3. Deep River

  4. Ezekiel Saw de Wheel

  5. Lit’l David Play on Your Harp

  6. Dry Bones

  7. Give-a Way, Jordan

  8. Two Wings

  9. Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?

  10. A Witness

  11. You’re Tired, Chile

  12. In-a-Dat Mornin'

  13. Plenty Good Room

  14. I’m Troubled

  15. Heaven

  16. Steal Away

  17. Po’ Pilgrim

  18. Good News

  19. You Mus’ Come in By an’ Thro’ de Lamb

  20. ‘Roun’ About de Mountain

  21. Prepare Me One Body

  22. Sister Mary Had-a But One Child

  23. Lit’l Boy

  24. Live a'Humble

  25. Hear de Lambs a’Cryin'?

  26. The Last Supper

  27. They Led My Lord Away

  28. He Never Said a Mumberlin’ Word

  29. Did You Hear When Jesus Rose?

  30. Were You There?


Other Resources


Other Posts in This Series:


Do you have any pieces to add to this list? Please leave a comment below!

See this gallery in the original post