From Spirituals to Symphonies: African-American. Walker-Hill**

University of Illinois Press

From Spirituals to SymphoniesAfrican-American Women Composers and Their Music\nAuthor(s): Helen Walker-Hill\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: University of Illinois Press, United States\nImprint: University of Illinois Press\nISBN-13: 9780252074547, 978-0252074547\nSynopsis\nExploding the assumption that black women's only important musical contributions have been in folk, jazz, and popHelen Walker-Hill's unique study provides a carefully researched examination of the history and scope of musical composition by African American women composers from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Focusing on the effect of race, gender, and class, From Spirituals to Symphonies notes the important role played by individual personalities and circumstances in shaping this underappreciated category of American art. The study also provides in-depth exploration of the backgrounds, experiences, and musical compositions of eight African American women including Margaret Bonds, Undine Smith Moore, and Jul.