Song of America · Ep 1American CharactersSong of America · Ep 2Stephen FosterSong of America · Ep 3Song of Walt WhitmanSong of America · Ep 4Many are the VoicesSong of America · Ep 5War CriesSong of America · Ep 6Ives the ChroniclerSong of America · Ep 7Champions of American SongSong of America · Ep 8Arthur Farwell, American PioneerSong of America · Ep 9“There is No Gender in Music”Song of America · Ep 10Emily Dickinson: Letter to the WorldSong of America · Ep 11Songs We’ve Always SungSong of America · Ep 12Langston Hughes and the Harlem RenaissanceSong of America · Ep 13Places That Sing to Us
Thomas Hampson PBS NewsHour
1My Days Have Been So Wondrous FreeThomas Hampson (baritone) & Wolfram Rieger (piano)1:28
2“The Circus Band” (from “Five Street Songs”)Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Craig Rutenberg (piano)3:11
3Ethiopia Saluting the ColorsThomas Hampson (baritone) & Wolfram Rieger (piano)6:20
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An Anthology of African and African Diaspora Songs
1Amazing GraceAlan Williams, bass-baritone; Kathryn Goodson, piano4:26
2Christmas LullabyChristine Amon, mezzo-soprano; Sara Chiesa, piano3:58
3“The Heart of a Woman” (from “Nightsongs”)Aria Minasian, mezzo-soprano; Sara Chiesa, piano2:32
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A Salute to Margaret Bonds (1913–1972)
1The Sea GhostNicole Jenkins, soprano; Lorna Griffitt, piano1:14
2“Minstrel Man” (from “Three Dream Portraits”)Thalia Moore, soprano; Amelia Hammond, piano2:04
3“Dream Variations” (from “Three Dream Portraits”)Thalia Moore, soprano; Amelia Hammond, piano2:07
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My Sister’s Keeper: Celebrating the 150th Birthday of Paul Laurence Dunbar
1We wear the maskAlexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano3:02
2“Dawn” (from “A Set of Three Dunbar Poems”)Minnita Daniel Cox, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano2:16
3“Theology” (from “A Set of Three Dunbar Poems”)Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:28
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Fires of Justice
1Martin Luther King, Jr.Anthony Léon, tenor; Leonard Hayes, piano2:51
2“I Who Would Encompass Millions” (from “The Black Experience”)Albert Lee, tenor; Kathryn Goodson, piano0:42
3“The Insurgent” (from “The Black Experience”)Albert Lee, tenor; Kathryn Goodson, piano3:36
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Celebrating 250 Years of American Song

Discover songs, composers, poets and writers, and more.

Artist, Movement & IdeaThomas MooreIrish poet and composer Thomas Moore used his gifts to champion the cause of Irish freedom, and his many volumes of Irish Melodies were influential across Europe and America.
BookMusic in America (1883)
Concert & Playlist“Singing Justice” Seminar RecitalThis concert was recorded live during the American Song Institute 2022, a four-day event which took place on the campus of the University of Michigan from Sept. 7–10, 2022 under the direction of Thomas Hampson. This particular concert was part of the Humanities Collaboratory “Singing Justice” seminar-recital research project, and all of the songs on this concert was composed by Black composers
Online ResourceBruce Duffie’s Transcribed InterviewsClassical Radio Announcer Bruce Duffie has posted many of his interviews, including those with singers and composers of songs. The webpage is updated as new items are added.
ComposerValerie CapersValerie Capers is a pianist and composer who is most well known for her contributions to the jazz world.
Poet & WriterLewis CarrollAuthor of the legendary Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, English writer Lewis Carroll is a favorite among American composers. There are dozens of musical settings of his texts, including settings by John Duke, Lee Hoiby, Robert G. Patterson, and Daniel Steven Crafts. Photo: Lewis Carroll, 1857, public domain