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Wondering why #beethovenwasblack was trending today and I... 
People, if you're really interested in Black classical composers and performers, there are - and have been - quite a few of them.
THREAD 1/9
People, if you're really interested in Black classical composers and performers, there are - and have been - quite a few of them.
THREAD 1/9
John Blanke (early 16th century) was a trumpeter in the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. This is thought to be his image from the Westminster Tournament Roll.
@WhoIsJohnBlanke is raising awareness about him and he's one of the subjects in #BlackTudors by @MirandaKaufmann 2/9
@WhoIsJohnBlanke is raising awareness about him and he's one of the subjects in #BlackTudors by @MirandaKaufmann 2/9
#IgnatiusSancho (1729-1780) is known for his many letters and being the first know Black person to vote in a British parliamentary election. He also wrote and published music.
@ignatius_sancho wrote a play about him https://www.oberonbooks.com/sancho.html 3/9
@ignatius_sancho wrote a play about him https://www.oberonbooks.com/sancho.html 3/9
George Bridgetower (1778-1860). Violinist. Child prodigy, adopted into the British Royal Family, close friend (for a while) of #Beethoven, received his BMus from Cambridge and ended up living in #Peckham. Had at least one brother (Fredrick- cellist & composers, died Dublin). 4/9
Amanda Aldridge (1856-1956). Singer and composer. Daughter of the New York-born Shakespearean actor, Ira Aldridge, as well as sister to opera singer Luranah Aldridge and composer/pianist Frederick Ira Aldridge. 5/9
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912). Born in Holborn to become Britain's most famous Black composer. Father was a Sierra Leonean doctor and mother was a white English woman. 6/9
Fela Sowande (1905-1987) One of the many composers of African Art Music, which developed as a hybrid of West African traditional and European classical musical styles. During the 1940s, his many BBC Radio performances included accompanying Adelaide Hall and Dame Vera Lynn. 7/9
My research @plainsightsound focuses on historical Black musicians but UK composers today incl:
@ErrollynWallen
@dan_kidane
@HannahKendall_
@Eleanor_Alberga
And more that I haven't played yet.
Check this lot out but for the history, see my site: https://bit.ly/3eeDLRV 8/9
@ErrollynWallen
@dan_kidane
@HannahKendall_
@Eleanor_Alberga
And more that I haven't played yet.
Check this lot out but for the history, see my site: https://bit.ly/3eeDLRV 8/9
I'm obviously not the only one doing this work. For other non-UK focussed work into Black composers, also see:
@AfriClassical @MBComposers and https://www.africancomposers.com/
End of thread
@AfriClassical @MBComposers and https://www.africancomposers.com/
End of thread
OK., that wasn't quite the end... Also see the amazing work of @kira_thurman. She definitely knows! https://twitter.com/kira_thurman/status/1273666531138945025
Also see:
https://mobile.twitter.com/imanimosley/status/1273637931777998849
Everyone is tired of this
https://mobile.twitter.com/imanimosley/status/1273637931777998849
Everyone is tired of this
In case anyone else is tempted to reply or DM me about William Grant Still or Chevalier de Saint-Georges, please read the whole thread and maybe actually click on the links... 
