Eileen Southern
Encyclopedia
Eileen Jackson Southern was an African American
musicologist, researcher, author and teacher.
. In childhood, as she developed as a pianist
, young Eileen was introduced to and became partial to the music of those she calls the "piano composers," including Johann Sebastian Bach
, Ludwig van Beethoven
, and Claude Debussy
. In addition, her piano teachers, mostly white, were concerned that she would know music by black composers and introduced her to R. Nathaniel Dett
's In the Bottoms, among other such compositions.
Southern majored in commercial art at Chicago
's Lindblom High School
. During the same period she won piano-performance and essay competitions, taught piano lessons, and directed musical activities at the Lincoln Community Center. She gave her first piano recital at the age of twelve and made her debut in Chicago Orchestra Hall at age eighteen, playing a Mozart
concerto with the symphony orchestra of the Chicago Musical College
.
She attended and received degrees from the University of Chicago
(B.A.
, 1940, and M. A.
, 1941) and New York University
(Ph.D.
, 1961). Her relationship with Cecil Smith encouraged her to further develop her interest in Negro
folk music
and he advised for her master's thesis. Southern also studied piano privately at Chicago Musical College, the Juilliard School of Music, and Boston University
.
. Her best known book is the seminal history The Music of Black Americans (1971). Her other work is Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians (1982). She founded The Black Perspective in Music in 1973, with her husband, Prof. Joseph Southern. It was the first musicological journal on the study of black music, and she was its editor until it ceased publication in 1990.
She also discovered Frank Johnson, a black Philadelphia bandleader who'd risen to fame at the end of the 18th century. He'd led Frank Johnson's Colored Band and by 1818 had taken his band as far south as Richmond, Virginia
, playing dances for white southerners. Johnson had played a command performance at Buckingham Palace
, where he received a silver bugle in appreciation.
She headed the Department of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University
from 1975 to 1979, and retired in 1987 as a professor emeritus to live in St. Albans, New York.
in 2001 for having "helped transform the study and understanding of American
music." She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of American Music in 2000.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
musicologist, researcher, author and teacher.
Early life
She attended public schools in her hometown, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in Sioux Falls, South DakotaSioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
. In childhood, as she developed as a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, young Eileen was introduced to and became partial to the music of those she calls the "piano composers," including Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, and Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
. In addition, her piano teachers, mostly white, were concerned that she would know music by black composers and introduced her to R. Nathaniel Dett
Robert Nathaniel Dett
Robert Nathaniel Dett , often known as R. Nathaniel Dett, was a composer in the United States and Canada...
's In the Bottoms, among other such compositions.
Southern majored in commercial art at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Lindblom High School
Lindblom math and science academy
Robert Lindblom Math & Science Academy is a public secondary school which is part of the Chicago Public School system. It is a selective enrollment, university-preparatory high school in the West Englewood neighborhood of Chicago...
. During the same period she won piano-performance and essay competitions, taught piano lessons, and directed musical activities at the Lincoln Community Center. She gave her first piano recital at the age of twelve and made her debut in Chicago Orchestra Hall at age eighteen, playing a Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
concerto with the symphony orchestra of the Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt UniversityIt was founded in 1867, less than four decades after the city of Chicago was incorporated...
.
She attended and received degrees from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, 1940, and M. A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, 1941) and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, 1961). Her relationship with Cecil Smith encouraged her to further develop her interest in Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and he advised for her master's thesis. Southern also studied piano privately at Chicago Musical College, the Juilliard School of Music, and Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
.
Career
She was the first black woman to be appointed a tenured full professor at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Her best known book is the seminal history The Music of Black Americans (1971). Her other work is Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians (1982). She founded The Black Perspective in Music in 1973, with her husband, Prof. Joseph Southern. It was the first musicological journal on the study of black music, and she was its editor until it ceased publication in 1990.
She also discovered Frank Johnson, a black Philadelphia bandleader who'd risen to fame at the end of the 18th century. He'd led Frank Johnson's Colored Band and by 1818 had taken his band as far south as Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, playing dances for white southerners. Johnson had played a command performance at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, where he received a silver bugle in appreciation.
She headed the Department of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
from 1975 to 1979, and retired in 1987 as a professor emeritus to live in St. Albans, New York.
Awards
Dr. Southern received a National Humanities MedalNational Humanities Medal
The National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.The award, given by the...
in 2001 for having "helped transform the study and understanding of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music." She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of American Music in 2000.