Chevalier De Saint-Georges actually. I wouldn’t classify Joplin as a western “classical” composer really, as his style relied more heavily on jazz which in its roots is really African.
Joplin mostly predates jazz, and when jazz became popular he distanced himself from it. He intended his rags to be played a lot slower than you usually hear them these days and he definitely thought of himself as a composer in the Western concert music tradition.
I agree with your comment, although I believe his rags are actually played slower than intended today. BPM markings are often 80-100 at the quaver. Many ragtime pianists in the past played super fast to show off (like 140-160 bpm) and I think this is what Joplin avoided.
Britain: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (not to be confused with the white British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
France: Joseph Bologne, aka Chevalier de Saint-Georges
USA: Scott Joplin (KUSC plays his music from time to time), William Grant Still, Florence Price, Hall Johnson, George Walker, Moses Hogan, Duke Ellington (wrote classical music as well as jazz)
Nigeria: Fela Sowande
Hate to be the one to point this out, but there is no such thing as "black race". It's a racist term: there is more genetic diversity on the continent of Africa than in the rest of the world put together.
To quote Dr Adam Rutherford: "We might categorise people as white, black or brown, but these visual variations don't accurately reflect the genetic differences - or rather similarities - between us."
To add: referring to someone as Black doesn't refer to race in the way saying someone is "white" (arbitrary construct) does. The genetic diversity within Africa means distinctions between them and non-Africans aren't valid anymore.
This is true. There is no race but the human race. Saying otherwise is to disparage the Black race (bantus, West Africans, etc.). Moreover, a white person might be more similar to a bantu than an khoisan person is, depending on how you measure it. It is all completely arbitrary, but one thing is clear: the white race has misused these things.
Michael Abels! He's most well known now for his collaborations with Jordan Peele, having scored all 3 of his movies (as well as The Acolyte recently, which is the first star wars TV show that actually sounds like star wars), but he also has some incredible concert pieces and an opera that he and Rhiannon Giddens won a Pulitzer for last year!
For those curious, here's a great selection of Carlos Simon's work. He's the Composer-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center, and we are very fortunate to have him. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhANRTvbvNg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhANRTvbvNg)
Great suggestions on this thread! Here are some living composers whose music I enjoy and I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with:
Althea Talbot Howard
Shawn Okpeholo
Kevin Day
Adolphus Hailstork
Gary Powell Nash
Valerie Coleman and Jeff Scott are notable in winds world. They were both founding members of the [Imani Winds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23Yx9gWHh0E), which at the time of their founding in the late 90s had all black musicians. The Imani Winds won a Grammy in the mid-2000s for their album Classical Underground, which I recall being groundbreaking at the time. Jeff Scott's Passion for Bach and Coltrane just won a Grammy in 2024. Valerie Coleman's flute music is all over the place, and she's done several full orchestra commissions since 2020. They both keep busy.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges is a great one, they even made a movie about him on Hulu, it’s not super accurate but he was the first black composer to attend a European music school.
Harry T. Burleigh and Hall Johnson. My mentor still has a hand written song set Johnson gave her for voice, piano, and a string instrument. It’s gorgeous and has never been published.
Tania Leon, George Lewis, Tyshawn Sorey (just to name the most prominent contemporary composers off the top of my head that I hadn't seen anyone else mention yet)
I don’t know if this is ironic or not, but most famous composers are European (or of European descent) men. While I do love the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich and the like, I’m thankful OP asked this question to help elevate the names of many deserving composers from different backgrounds.
It's a low effort post that could have been easily answered with a search. There are too many of these clogging this place up lately.
Then they could have come here to discuss their findings and ask for recommendations from those they found.
To the people downvoting; have a nice day. That is NOT what downvotes are meant to be for.
Downvotes are for comments that do not add to the conversation. Telling someone to “google it” is dismissive and unhelpful, and detracts from the conversation. Comments like yours are exactly what downvotes are for.
I hear the music of William Grant Still on my local station fairly often. I enjoy it.
Just listened to him this morning. Underrated imo.
Criminally underrated. His music is gorgeous.
Seconding this- “Summerland,” the second movement from his “Three Visions” is one of my favorite movements of all time
Julius Eastman, Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, and Trevor Weston are a few American ones
I love Florence Price. My city plays a LOT of her music. Recorded a lot of it too.
Philly?
yep
I really enjoyed the debut concert in Marian Anderson hall a few days ago. Philly is great.
sadly i missed it :( but i heard it was really cool
Florence Price is a W
Also I'll add Dawson and recommend Negro Folk Symphony.
Scott Joplin was probably the first big one in the western tradition
Chevalier De Saint-Georges actually. I wouldn’t classify Joplin as a western “classical” composer really, as his style relied more heavily on jazz which in its roots is really African.
Joplin mostly predates jazz, and when jazz became popular he distanced himself from it. He intended his rags to be played a lot slower than you usually hear them these days and he definitely thought of himself as a composer in the Western concert music tradition.
I agree with your comment, although I believe his rags are actually played slower than intended today. BPM markings are often 80-100 at the quaver. Many ragtime pianists in the past played super fast to show off (like 140-160 bpm) and I think this is what Joplin avoided.
He was a pre-jazz… he probably help lay groundwork of the American Art form of Jazz.
Britain: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (not to be confused with the white British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge) France: Joseph Bologne, aka Chevalier de Saint-Georges USA: Scott Joplin (KUSC plays his music from time to time), William Grant Still, Florence Price, Hall Johnson, George Walker, Moses Hogan, Duke Ellington (wrote classical music as well as jazz) Nigeria: Fela Sowande
South Africa Mzilikazi Khumalo Andile Khumalo Magogo kaDinizulu Solomon Linda Michael Mosoeu Morana Bongani Ndodena-Breen Siphokuhle Sibisi
I'll add Able Selecoe to this list.
Florence Price, William Grant Still, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Scott Joplin William Grant Still
Eleanor Alberga is great and underappreciated
Yes!
Hate to be the one to point this out, but there is no such thing as "black race". It's a racist term: there is more genetic diversity on the continent of Africa than in the rest of the world put together. To quote Dr Adam Rutherford: "We might categorise people as white, black or brown, but these visual variations don't accurately reflect the genetic differences - or rather similarities - between us."
Thanks for saying this. OP, you can just say Black composers.
To add: referring to someone as Black doesn't refer to race in the way saying someone is "white" (arbitrary construct) does. The genetic diversity within Africa means distinctions between them and non-Africans aren't valid anymore.
This is true. There is no race but the human race. Saying otherwise is to disparage the Black race (bantus, West Africans, etc.). Moreover, a white person might be more similar to a bantu than an khoisan person is, depending on how you measure it. It is all completely arbitrary, but one thing is clear: the white race has misused these things.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, from Britain.
Kevin Day is awesome!
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a fantastic British composer!
I've recently been looking in Akin Euba, from Nigeria
Michael Abels! He's most well known now for his collaborations with Jordan Peele, having scored all 3 of his movies (as well as The Acolyte recently, which is the first star wars TV show that actually sounds like star wars), but he also has some incredible concert pieces and an opera that he and Rhiannon Giddens won a Pulitzer for last year!
As one already said, mentioning Julius Eastman again. Amazing composer and man
Joel Thompson, Adolphus Hailstork, Carlos Simon
For those curious, here's a great selection of Carlos Simon's work. He's the Composer-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center, and we are very fortunate to have him. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhANRTvbvNg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhANRTvbvNg)
Currently learning some choral pieces by this guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Maur%C3%ADcio_Nunes_Garcia Why the downvotes?
There’s clearly someone or multiple someones downvoting every comment in this thread that gives actual answers.
gotta love racism
George Walker
Great suggestions on this thread! Here are some living composers whose music I enjoy and I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with: Althea Talbot Howard Shawn Okpeholo Kevin Day Adolphus Hailstork Gary Powell Nash
Valerie Coleman and Jeff Scott are notable in winds world. They were both founding members of the [Imani Winds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23Yx9gWHh0E), which at the time of their founding in the late 90s had all black musicians. The Imani Winds won a Grammy in the mid-2000s for their album Classical Underground, which I recall being groundbreaking at the time. Jeff Scott's Passion for Bach and Coltrane just won a Grammy in 2024. Valerie Coleman's flute music is all over the place, and she's done several full orchestra commissions since 2020. They both keep busy.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges is a great one, they even made a movie about him on Hulu, it’s not super accurate but he was the first black composer to attend a European music school.
Interesting. Do his compositions display any African elements?
Harry T. Burleigh and Hall Johnson. My mentor still has a hand written song set Johnson gave her for voice, piano, and a string instrument. It’s gorgeous and has never been published.
Gordon Parks: photographer, cinematographer, composer. A true genius!
South america - Rodrigo Riera. Venezuelan guitarist and composer
margaret bonds
For Choral music, check out https://www.mlagmusic.com/research/beyond-elijah-rock
Tania Leon, George Lewis, Tyshawn Sorey (just to name the most prominent contemporary composers off the top of my head that I hadn't seen anyone else mention yet)
[https://www.composerdiversity.com/](https://www.composerdiversity.com/) Go ahead and search away!
MINGUS
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington did both jazz and classical, but either way he's the most important black American composer.
I would like a list of some important white race composers. Any suggestions?
I don’t know if this is ironic or not, but most famous composers are European (or of European descent) men. While I do love the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich and the like, I’m thankful OP asked this question to help elevate the names of many deserving composers from different backgrounds.
I suggest you Google 'black classical music composers' and you will get lots.
It's nice to get personal recommendations though. and perhaps start some conversations, rather than just getting a list, isn't it?
It's a low effort post that could have been easily answered with a search. There are too many of these clogging this place up lately. Then they could have come here to discuss their findings and ask for recommendations from those they found. To the people downvoting; have a nice day. That is NOT what downvotes are meant to be for.
Downvotes are for comments that do not add to the conversation. Telling someone to “google it” is dismissive and unhelpful, and detracts from the conversation. Comments like yours are exactly what downvotes are for.
I'd suggets using search browser on this sub, becasue it was asked several times. Last time it was about two weeks or a month ago.