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

July 10, 2020 Ashley Danyew

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

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain
Go Down, Moses (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain
My Lord, What a Mornin’ (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain
Balm in Gilead (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain
Deep River (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (arr. Harry T. Burleigh) - public domain
Go Tell It on the Mountain (John W. Work)
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me (Edward Boatner)
This Little Light O’ Mine (John W. Work)

Collections

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

Calvary (Betty Jackson King)
Come Down Angels (Undine Smith Moore)
Dry Bones (Margaret Bonds)
Free At Last (Zenobia Powell Perry)
He's Got the Whole World In His Hand (Margaret Bonds)
I Am in Doubt (Undine Smith Moore)
I'm a Poor Li'l Orphan in This Worl' (Julia Perry)
In the Springtime (Betty Jackson King)
Is There Anybody Here That Loves My Jesus (Undine Smith Moore)
It's Me, O Lord (Betty Jackson King)
Lord, I Just Can't Keep from Cryin' (Margaret Bonds)
Love Let the Wind Cry… How I Adore Thee (Undine Smith Moore)
My Dream (Florence B. Price)
My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord (Florence B. Price)
Night (Florence B. Price)
Song to the Dark Virgin (Florence B. Price)
The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Margaret Bonds)
Three Dream Portraits (Margaret Bonds)
Watch and Pray (Undine Smith Moore)

The Deep River Collection (arr. Moses Hogan)

Somebody’s Knockin’ At Your Door
Give Me Jesus
Deep River
My Good Lord’s Done Been Here
He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands
Walk Together, Children
Never Said A Mumblin’ Word
Were You There?
Let Us Break Bread Together
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers (Various)

For You There is No Song (Leslie Adams)
Early in the Mornin' (David Baker)
A Good Assassination Should Be Quiet (David Baker)
Status Symbol (David Baker)
Three Dream Portraits: Minstrel Man; Dream Variations; I, Too (Margaret Bonds)
The Barrier (Charles Brown)
Song Without Words (Charles Brown)
Death of an Old Seaman (Cecil Cohen)
Two Songs for Julie Ju (Noel da Costa)
Cassandra's Lullaby (Mark Fax)
Love (Mark Fax)
A Charm at Parting (Adolphus C. Hailstork)
I Loved You (Adolphus C. Hailstork)
Absalom (Eugene Hancock)
Nunc Dimittis (Eugene Hancock)
Riding to Town (Thomas Kerr, Jr.)
Compensation (Charles Lloyd, Jr.)
If There Be Sorrow (Wendell Logan)
Marrow of My Bone (Wendell Logan)
Chanson Triste (Maurice McCall)
Sweet Sorrow (Maurice McCall)
Weary Blues (Dorothy Rudd Moore)
Love Let the Wind Cry… How I Adore Thee (Undine Moore)
Faithful One (Robert Owens)
Genius Child (Robert Owens)
A Child's Grace (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
Melancholy (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
Night (Florence B. Price)
Song to the Dark Virgin (Florence B. Price)
Velvet Shoes (Hale Smith)
Grief (William Grant Still)
A Death Song (Howard Swanson)
I Will Lie Down in Autumn (Howard Swanson)
The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Howard Swanson)
Lament (George Walker)
A Red, Red Rose (George Walker)
Wry Fragments (Olly Wilson)
Dancing in the Sun (John W. Work, Jr.)
Soliloquy (John W. Work, Jr.)

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

Ain't Goin' to Study War No More
Balm in Gilead
Behold That Star
By An' By
Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
De Blin' Man Stood on de Road an' Cried
De Gospel Train
Deep River
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel
Don't Be Weary Traveler
Don't You Weep When I'm Gone
Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit
Give Me Jesus
Go Down In the Lonesome Valley
Go Down Moses
Go Tell It On de Mountains
Hard Trials
Hear de Lambs a-Cryin' Heav'n Heav'n
He's Just de Same Today
I Don't Feel No-Ways Tired
I Got a Home in a-Dat Rock
I Know de Lord's Laid His Hands on Me
I Stood On de Ribber ob Jerdon
I've Been in da Storm So Long
I Want To Be Ready
John's Gone Down On de Island
Joshua Fit de Battle ob Jericho
Let Us Cheer The Weary Traveler
Little David Play On Your Harp
My Lord What a Mornin'
My Way's Cloudy
Nobody Knows De Trouble I've Seen
Oh Didn't it Rain
Oh Wasn't Dat a Wide Ribber
Oh Peter Go Ring Dem Bells
O Rocks Don't Fall On Me
Ride On King Jesus
Sinner Please Doan Let Dis Harves' Pass
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Stan' Still Jordan
Steal Away
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
'Tis Me O Lord
Wade In De Water
Weepin' Mary
Were You There
You May Bury Me in de Eas'

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

Welcome To The Dyin' Lamb
Amen
This River
Ain't A That Good News
There Are Angels Hovrin’ Roun'
Fix Me Jesus
O Mary What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby
O Redeemed

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

Done Made My Vow To de Lord
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
I'm Trampin'
Gonna Shout All Over God's Heaven
I Want To Die Easy When I Die
My God Is So High
Great Day!
Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air

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

Steal Away
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Deep River
Balm in Gilead
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel
The Gospel Train
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
By an’ By
Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
Go Down, Moses (Let My People Go)
Go, Tell It on the Mountain
Oh, Didn't It Rain
Sinners, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
'Tis Me, O Lord
Weepin’ Mary
My Lord, What a Mornin'
Don't You Weep When I'm Gone
I Stood on the River of Jordan
Little David, Play on Your Harp
Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
O Rocks, Don't Fall on Me
Wade in the Water
Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler
You May Bury Me in the East
I Want to Be Ready

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

Belshazza' Had a Feasa'
Dat Suits Me
Done Written Down My Name
Every Time I Feel the Spirit
Glory Hallelu to de Newborn King
The Gospel Train Is Coming
Great Day!
How Long Train Been Gone?
I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
Keep A-Inchin' Along
Leanin' on Dat Lamb
Let de Heb'n-Light Sine on Me
Mary Had a Baby
My Lord, What a Morning
O Freedom
Oh, Graveyard
Over Yonder
Po' Mo'ner Got a Home at Las'
Prayer Is de Key
Religion Is a Fortune
Ride On, King Jesus!
Scandalize' My Name
Sinner-Man So Hard to Believe
Stan' Still, Jordan
Standin' in the Need of Prayer
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot!
There Is a Balm in Gilead
This Is de Healin' Water
Were You There?
When I Lay My Burden Down

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

I Want to Die While You Love Me
A Winter Twilight
Songs of the People

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

Amazing Grace (H. Leslie Adams)
Creole Girl from Nightsongs (H. Leslie Adams)
Love Come and Gone from The Wider View (H. Leslie Adams)
My Man from The Wider View (H. Leslie Adams)
Seven Days from Child’s World (Mable Bailey)
Birthday Song from Child’s World (Mable Bailey)
Seasons from Child’s World (Mable Bailey)
Black Sheep, Black Sheep (Charles S. Brown)
Leisure Cruise (Charles S. Brown)
Pied Beauty (Charles S. Brown)
Three/Quarters Time from The Giovanni Songs (Wallace McClain Cheatham)
Difficulties from Songs of Love and Justice (Adolphus Hailstork)
The Awakening from Five Dunbar Lyrics (Adolphus Hailstork)
Good Night from Five Dunbar Lyrics (Adolphus Hailstork)
Create in Me (Adolphus Hailstork)
On Consciousness Streams: On Consciousness Streams; Thou Alone Canst Inspire; The Season of Remembrance (Jacqueline B. Hairston)
Valentine’s Day from Five Songs for Soprano and Piano (William H. Henderson)
How Should I Your True Love Know from Five Songs for Soprano and Piano (William H. Henderson)
I’ll Not Forget from Five Art Songs for Voice and Piano (Jeraldine Saunders Herbison)
We Met by Chance from Five Art Songs for Voice and Piano (Jeraldine Saunders Herbison)
Theology (Betty Jackson King)
Compensation (Betty Jackson King)
Gramercy Park from Four Love Songs (William Foster McDaniel)
Union Square from Four Love Songs (William Foster McDaniel)
Lyric for Truelove (Undine Smith Moore)
Daedalus, Fly Away Home from The Moods of My People (Byron Motley and Barbara Sherrill)
Mae’s Rent Party from The Moods of My People (Byron Motley and Barbara Sherrill)
Club Woman from The Moods of My People (Byron Motley and Barbara Sherrill)
Heart (Robert Owens)
Girl (Robert Owens)
Havana Dreams (Robert Owens)
Clear Water (Nadine Shanti)
Singing for the Sake of My Soul (Frederick Tillis)
Velvet Shoes (Dolores White)
Nails (Dolores White)
That Black Reef (Dolores White)
A Song (Julius P. Williams)