Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer and conductor, born on August 15, 1875, in Holborn, London, England, and he passed away on September 1, 1912, in Croydon, Surrey, England1. Of mixed-race descent, he achieved such success that he was referred to by white musicians in New York City as the “African Mahler” during his three tours of the United States in the early 1900s.
Coleridge-Taylor was known for his cantatas based on the epic 1855 poem “The Song of Hiawatha” by American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He premiered the first section in 1898, when he was just 23 years old. He married Jessie Walmisley, and both of their children, Hiawatha and Avril Coleridge-Taylor, pursued musical careers.
His early life was shaped by his mother, Alice Hare Martin, and his absent father, Daniel Peter Hughes Taylor, a Krio man from Sierra Leone. Alice named her son after the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge-Taylor’s musical ability became apparent early on, and his grandfather paid for him to have violin lessons. He studied at the Royal College of Music from the age of 15, changing from violin to composition under Charles Villiers Stanford.
After completing his degree, he became a professional musician, appointed a professor at the Crystal Palace School of Music, and began conducting the orchestra at the Croydon Conservatoire. His name is sometimes seen with a hyphen, which is said to be due to a printer’s error.
Coleridge-Taylor’s legacy includes a rich body of work that has influenced many and continues to be celebrated for its cultural significance and musical beauty.
