Leonard de Paur's arrangements of spirituals, work songs, and African songs as contributions to choral music: A black choral musician in the mid-twentieth century

Abstract

This study discusses the artistic career of Leonard de Paur, particularly his work in choral music where he has been an important figure as an arranger, and founder and conductor of the de Paur Infantry Chorus and the de Paur Chorus. His arrangements of African-American and African folk music illustrate de Paur’s artistic links and progression from two of the important leaders of the African-American folk tradition, Frederick Work of the Fisk Jubilee tradition, and Hall Johnson. With his musical training from these men and from Columbia University, the Juilliard School of Music, and private study with Pierre Monteux, de Paur and his arrangements exhibit what W. E. B. Du Bois described in The Souls of Black Folk as the duality of the black American.

This study analyzes seven of de Paur’s spiritual and work songs arrangements, and four African song arrangements, and reveals the duality of Western and African musical elements in de Paur and his arrangements.