Margaret Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs

Featuring

Malcolm J. Merriweather
Laquita Mitchell
Lucia Bradford
Noah Stewart
Ashley Jackson
The Dessoff Choirs

The Dessoff Orchestra
Margaret Allison Bonds

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Composition History

The Ballad of the Brown King, a cantata by Margaret Bonds, was dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. and its premiere was a benefit for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Composer's Artistic Vision

Margaret Bonds stated that her primary goal with The Ballad of the Brown King was to tell Negroes how great they are, aiming to encourage a 'true concept of Brotherhood toward people of color'.

Recording & Production

This album realizes Margaret Bonds' 1960 goal of getting a recording of 'one good performance' of The Ballad of the Brown King, 60 years after she expressed it.

Composer Biography

Margaret Bonds, a black female composer, experienced 'Whites Only' discrimination at Northwestern University, where she was prohibited from using the school's swimming pool facilities.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Margaret Bonds' music, particularly her settings of Langston Hughes' poetry, aimed to challenge negative perceptions of black identity and celebrate black beauty.

Composer Biography

Margaret Bonds' debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933 marked the first time an African-American pianist was a soloist with the world-renowned ensemble.