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The composer Avril Coleridge-Taylor always felt the pressure of her parent’s reputation. Being the child of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, one of the prominent British artists of the 1900s, the composer’s name was shrouded in the lingering obscurity of history.

The First Recording

Earlier this year, I reflected on these memories as I got ready to produce the first-ever recording of Avril’s concerto for piano composed in 1936. With its impassioned harmonies, soulful lyricism, and confident beats, Avril’s work will offer audiences valuable perspective into how this artist – an artist in conflict originating from the early 1900s – conceived of her reality as a female composer of color.

Shadows and Truth

Yet about legacies. It can take a while to acclimate, to recognize outlines as they actually appear, to distinguish truth from distortion, and I felt hesitant to face the composer’s background for a period.

I deeply hoped her to be following in her father’s footsteps. In some ways, this was true. The rustic British sounds of parental inspiration can be heard in several pieces, including From the Hills (1934) and Sussex Landscape (1940). Yet it suffices to examine the headings of her family’s music to see how he heard himself as not only a flag bearer of English Romanticism and also a voice of the Black diaspora.

It was here that father and daughter appeared to part ways.

White America evaluated Samuel by the brilliance of his compositions rather than the colour of his skin.

Family Background

During his studies at the prestigious music college, Samuel – the offspring of a parent from Sierra Leone and a British mother – turned toward his African roots. Once the Black American writer this literary figure came to London in that era, the young musician actively pursued him. He composed the poet’s African Romances to music and the next year adapted his verses for a stage piece, Dream Lovers. Then came the choral composition that put Samuel on the map: Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast.

Inspired by this American writer’s The Song of Hiawatha, Samuel’s Hiawatha was an worldwide sensation, especially with the Black community who felt shared pride as white America judged Samuel by the excellence of his art rather than the his race.

Activism and Politics

Fame did not temper his activism. In 1900, he attended the pioneering African conference in the UK where he encountered the African American intellectual WEB Du Bois and saw a variety of discussions, covering the mistreatment of African people in South Africa. He was a campaigner until the end. He sustained relationships with early civil rights leaders including the scholar and this leader, delivered his own speeches on ending discrimination, and even talked about racial problems with President Theodore Roosevelt during an invitation to the presidential residence in 1904. Regarding his compositions, the scholar reflected, “he made his mark so notably as a creative artist that it will long be remembered.” He passed away in that year, at 37 years old. Yet how might the composer have made of his child’s choice to be in this country in the 1950s?

Controversy and Apartheid

“Offspring of Renowned Musician expresses approval to S African Bias,” declared a title in the community journal Jet magazine. The system “seems to me the appropriate course”, Avril told Jet. Upon further questioning, she qualified her remarks: she did not support with this policy “fundamentally” and it “ought to be permitted to work itself out, guided by well-meaning residents of every background”. Had Avril been more attuned to her parent’s beliefs, or born in segregated America, she may have reconsidered about this system. But life had protected her.

Identity and Naivety

“I possess a British passport,” she said, “and the authorities failed to question me about my ethnicity.” Thus, with her “fair” appearance (as Jet put it), she traveled within European circles, supported by their admiration for her late father. She delivered a lecture about her family’s work at the Cape Town university and directed the South African Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra in the city, programming the heroic third movement of her concerto, subtitled: “In memory of my Father.” Although a accomplished player herself, she did not perform as the featured artist in her concerto. On the contrary, she always led as the maestro; and so the segregated ensemble followed her lead.

She desired, according to her, she “may foster a transformation”. But by 1954, circumstances deteriorated. Once officials became aware of her Black ancestry, she was forced to leave the land. Her UK document didn’t protect her, the British high commissioner advised her to leave or risk imprisonment. She went back to the UK, deeply ashamed as the scale of her innocence was realized. “This experience was a difficult one,” she stated. Compounding her disgrace was the 1955 publication of her unfortunate magazine feature, a year after her unceremonious exit from the country.

A Familiar Story

Upon contemplating with these memories, I sensed a known narrative. The account of being British until you’re not – that brings to mind troops of color who defended the UK throughout the global conflict and lived only to be refused rightful benefits. Including those from Windrush,