Rudolph Dunbar
Encyclopedia
Rudolph Dunbar was a Guyanese
conductor, clarinetist, and composer
.
Dunbar was born in Nabaclis, British Guiana
. He studied at the Institute of Musical Art (now Juilliard). While in New York he was also involved with the Harlem
jazz
scene. In 1925 Dunbar moved to Paris
where he studied conducting with Philippe Gaubert
, composition with Paul Vidal
, and the clarinet with Louis Cahuzac
. He published Treatise on the Clarinet in 1939 which became a standard text about the instrument.
Dunbar became the first black man to conduct the London Philharmonic in 1942 at a concert in the Royal Albert Hall, London. In September 1945 he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic at the invitation of music director Leo Borchard
, performing William Grant Still
's Afro-American Symphony before Allied servicemen. He also conducted orchestras in Russia and Poland. He championed the music of other black composers, particularly Still. Dunbar had played alongside Still in the Harlem Orchestra around 1924, and the autograph of Still's Festive Overture of 1944 is dedicated "To my dear friend, Rudolph Dunbar".
He lived most of his later life in London
, which is where he died.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
conductor, clarinetist, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Dunbar was born in Nabaclis, British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
. He studied at the Institute of Musical Art (now Juilliard). While in New York he was also involved with the Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
scene. In 1925 Dunbar moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he studied conducting with Philippe Gaubert
Philippe Gaubert
Philippe Gaubert was a French musician who was a distinguished performer on the flute, a respected conductor, and a composer, primarily for the flute....
, composition with Paul Vidal
Paul Vidal
Paul Antoine Vidal was a French composer, conductor and music teacher.Paul Vidal was born in Toulouse. He studied at the conservatoires in Toulouse and in Paris, under Jules Massenet in the latter. He won the Prix de Rome in 1883, one year before Claude Debussy did...
, and the clarinet with Louis Cahuzac
Louis Cahuzac
Louis Cahuzac was a French clarinetist and composer. Cahuzac was an outstanding performer and one of the few clarinetists who made a career as a soloist in the first part of the 20th century....
. He published Treatise on the Clarinet in 1939 which became a standard text about the instrument.
Dunbar became the first black man to conduct the London Philharmonic in 1942 at a concert in the Royal Albert Hall, London. In September 1945 he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic at the invitation of music director Leo Borchard
Leo Borchard
Lew Ljewitsch "Leo" Borchard was a Russian conductor and briefly musical director of the Berlin Philharmonic....
, performing William Grant Still
William Grant Still
William Grant Still was an African-American classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions. He was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major...
's Afro-American Symphony before Allied servicemen. He also conducted orchestras in Russia and Poland. He championed the music of other black composers, particularly Still. Dunbar had played alongside Still in the Harlem Orchestra around 1924, and the autograph of Still's Festive Overture of 1944 is dedicated "To my dear friend, Rudolph Dunbar".
He lived most of his later life in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which is where he died.
External links
- A Short Biography on Rudolph Dunbar on the blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
On An Overgrown Path