Burleigh, Henry Thacker
Burleigh, Henry Thacker
Burleigh, Henry Thacker, black American baritone and songwriter; b. Erie, Pa., Dec. 2, 1866; d. Stamford, Conn., Sept. 12, 1949. He studied at the National Cons, in N.Y. In 1894 he became baritone soloist at St. George’s Church in N.Y., retiring in 1946 after 52 years of service. He gained wide popularity for his arrangements of Heav’n, Heav’n, Deep River, and Go Down Moses. On May 16, 1917, the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People awarded him the Spingarn Medal for highest achievement by an American citizen of African descent during the year 1916. His works also included 6 Plantation Melodies for Violin and Piano (1901), Southland Sketches for Violin and Piano, From the Southland for Piano, Jubilee Songs of the United States of America (1916), and Old Songs Hymnal (1929).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire