Weary Traveller

Donald Macleod follows Coleridge-Taylor on his adventures across Britain and America.

At the turn of the 20th century, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor could have been described as the most famous Black person in Britain. His cantata trilogy, the Song of Hiawatha, was an overnight success, and by the age of 25 he had packed out the Royal Albert Hall with a thousand performers, let alone the audience. His fame took him all around Britain and America as choral societies from Worcester to Washington DC all wanted to sing his music, and Coleridge-Taylor became a role-model, especially for African Americans. But tragically, just over a decade later, he would be dead. He remained a household name into the 1930s, only for his flame to flicker out much sooner than he deserved. All this week, Donald re-visits his fascinating story, with recordings predominantly released in the last five years, showing how excited today's performers are to rediscover his delightful music.

Today, Coleridge-Taylor is living out of a suitcase. To earn his keep, he’s constantly travelling up and down Britain, conducting his music and getting into some rather quirky situations as a competition adjudicator. But when a Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Society of Black choral singers is set up in the USA, and they invite him over the pond, his most powerful public encounters are yet to come.

Canoe Song
Elizabeth Llewellyn, soprano
Simon Lepper, piano

Ballade in C minor
Elena Urioste, violin
Tom Poster, piano

Nonet (3rd and 4th movements)
Kaleidoscope Chamber Ensemble

Romance of the Prairie Lilies (arr. P.E. Fletcher for orchestra)
RTE Orchestra
Adrian Leaper, conductor

The Bamboula for piano
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano

African Suite (iv. African Dance, orch. Chris Cameron)
Chineke! Orchestra
Kevin John Edusei, conductor

Don’t be weary, traveller
Pilgrim’s Song
Frances Walker, piano

Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Cardiff