b. 1872d. 1906

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar
Considered the first important African-American poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote in a vernacular style in most of his poetry. He was equally accomplished writing in standard English, publishing traditional novels, short stories, essays as well as poems of this style. Photo: Paul Laurence Dunbar, half-length portrait; Illus. in: Lyrics of sunshine and shadow / by Paul Laurence Dunbar. New York : Dodd, Mead & Company, 1905, frontispiece; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Listen

“A Love Song” (from “A Love Cycle”)
Andrew Smith, bass-baritone; John Morefield, piano2:39

Marques L. A. Garrett

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Location

This recording was part of a concert during the American Song Institute 2022, which took place on the campus of the University of Michigan.

“A Negro Love Song” (from “Jump Back!”)
Barbara Hill Moore (soprano) & Richard Gordon (piano)1:56

Simon Sargon

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Used with the permission of the composer

“A Prayer” (from “Jump Back!”)
Barbara Hill Moore (soprano) & Richard Gordon (piano)2:30

Simon Sargon

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Used with the permission of the composer

“A Song” (from “Jump Back!”)
Barbara Hill Moore (soprano) & Richard Gordon (piano)1:44

Simon Sargon

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Used with the permission of the composer

“Compensation” (from “Jump Back!”)
Barbara Hill Moore (soprano) & Richard Gordon (piano)2:15

Simon Sargon

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Used with the permission of the composer

“Florida Night” (from “Jump Back!”)
Barbara Hill Moore (soprano) & Richard Gordon (piano)3:50

Simon Sargon

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Used with the permission of the composer

Li’l Gal
Alan Williams, bass-baritone; Kathryn Goodson, piano3:06

J. Rosamond Johnson

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2021

Date

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Location

This recording was made possible by a grant from the University of Michigan, as part of the "Black Composer Speaks" Project.

“Longing” (from “Four Romantic Love Songs”)
Bo Shimmin, tenor; Sara Chiesa, piano4:30

Adolphus Hailstork

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2021

Date

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Location

This recording was made possible by a grant from the University of Michigan, as part of the "Black Composer Speaks" Project.

On Emancipation Day
Len Spencer & Vess Ossman (banjo)2:45

Will Marion Cook

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Historic recording from the Library of Congress (http://loc.gov/jukebox/)

“Sympathy” (from “The Shadow of Dawn”)
Frances Young Bennett, soprano; Lorna Griffitt, piano5:03

Richard Thompson

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

Irvine, California

Location

This recording was part of a 3pm concert ("Soul & Reconciliation") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

The Sum
Chase Warren, soprano; Kathryn Goodson, piano2:47

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2021

Date

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Location

This recording was made possible by a grant from the University of Michigan, as part of the "Black Composer Speaks" Project.

“Why Fades a Dream?” (from “Dream Cycle”)
Tyrese Byrd, tenor; Sara Chiesa, piano3:00

Irene Britton Smith

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2021

Date

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Location

This recording was made possible by a grant from the University of Michigan, as part of the "Black Composer Speaks" Project.

We wear the mask
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano3:02

B. E. Boykin

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Dawn” (from “A Set of Three Dunbar Poems”)
Minnita Daniel Cox, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano2:16

Betty Jackson King

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Theology” (from “A Set of Three Dunbar Poems”)
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:28

Betty Jackson King

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

“Compensation” (from “A Set of Three Dunbar Poems”)
Minnita Daniel Cox, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano3:29

Betty Jackson King

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Over the Hills” (from “Dream Cycle”)
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:13

Irene Britton Smith

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Sunset” (from “Dream Cycle”)
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano2:02

Irene Britton Smith

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“By the Pool” (from “Dream Cycle”)
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:42

Irene Britton Smith

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Why Fades a Dream” (from “Dream Cycle”)
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano3:23

Irene Britton Smith

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

Day
Marcía Porter, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:17

Lena McLin

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Silence” (from “Songs of Love”)
Marcía Porter, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:00

Lena McLin

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“The Unlucky Apple” (from “Songs of Love”)
Marcía Porter, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano0:53

Lena McLin

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

The Poet and His Song
Minnita Daniel Cox, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano3:31

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

Because
Minnita Daniel Cox, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano2:19

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

Dreamin’ Town
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano3:12

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

What’s the Use?
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:13

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Sympathy” (from “Five Art Songs”)
Marcía Porter, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano2:32

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

I Grew a Rose
Marcía Porter, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano3:29

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

My Neighbor
Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano2:32

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

Beside the Sea
Marcía Porter, soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano2:09

Florence Price

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Spring Song” (from “Cycle of Songs on Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar”)
Minnita Daniel Cox and Marcía Porter, sopranos, Alexis Davis-Hazell, mezzo-soprano and Rosalyn Wright Floyd, piano1:59

Zenobia Powell Perry, arranged by Khyle Wooten

Composer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 8pm concert ("My Sister’s Keeper") on Friday, October 14, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

About

Born in Dayton, Ohio to ex-slave parents (his father was also a veteran of the Civil War), Dunbar was encouraged to pursue an education through his parents’ love of learning. He is responsible for starting the first African-American newspaper in Dayton.

While Dunbar’s first volume of poetry, Oak and Ivy (1892), brought attention to his work with his ability to write well in both dialect and standard English, Dunbar did not achieve national fame until his second volume of poetry, Majors and Minors of 1895. Dunbar moved to Washington D. C. and attended Howard University following the publication of Lyrics of Lowly Life, which combined his first two volumes.

A good friend of Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass, Dunbar did not only publish prolifically in all genres, but he also wrote lyrics for the musical In Dahomey, which appeared on Broadway in 1903. The musical, which achieved great success, was a comedy written and performed entirely by African-Americans. Dunbar also collaborated with composer Carrie Jacobs-Bond.

His travels to England in 1897 brought him into contact with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an exceptional black composer, whom Dunbar influence greatly. In 1898, upon returning to the United States, Dunbar married the young black writer Alice Ruth Moore, with whom he collaborated on companion books of poetry. Dunbar took a job at the Library of Congress, but died tragically at the age of 33 from tuberculosis.

–Christie Finn

Related Information

Lieder.net

lieder.net/lieder/get_author_texts.html?AuthorId=6314

Poetry Foundation

poetryfoundation.org/poets/paul-laurence-dunbar

Library of Congress

loc.gov/rr/program/bib/dunbar

National Park Service

nps.gov/daav/planyourvisit/paul-laurence-dunbar-house-historic-site.htm

National Park Service

nps.gov/people/paul-laurence-dunbar.htm

University of Dayton

udayton.edu/artssciences/academics/music/dunbar/index.php

Modern American Poetry

modernamericanpoetry.org/poet/paul-laurence-dunbar

Songs

A Negro Love Song (Jump Back)1965 · Jump Back!Simon SargonPaul Laurence DunbarA Prayer1965 · Jump Back!Simon SargonPaul Laurence DunbarA Set of Three Dunbar Poems2018Betty Jackson KingPaul Laurence DunbarA Song1965 · Jump Back!Simon SargonPaul Laurence DunbarAn African Love Song1901Ethelbert NevinPaul Laurence DunbarBecauseFlorence PricePaul Laurence DunbarBeside the SeaFlorence PricePaul Laurence DunbarBy the Pool1947 · Dream CycleIrene Britton SmithPaul Laurence DunbarClimbing: Poems by African-Americans2000Tom CipulloCountee Cullen, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Robert Hayden, Langston Hughes, Phillis WheatleyCycle of Songs on Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar1983Zenobia Powell PerryPaul Laurence DunbarCompensation1973 · A Set of Three Dunbar PoemsBetty Jackson KingPaul Laurence DunbarCompensation1965 · Jump Back!Simon SargonPaul Laurence DunbarDawn2000 · Climbing: Poems by African-AmericansTom CipulloPaul Laurence DunbarDawn1973 · A Set of Three Dunbar PoemsBetty Jackson KingPaul Laurence DunbarDawn1999 · The Shadow of Dawn: Five Poems by Paul Laurence DunbarRichard ThompsonPaul Laurence DunbarDream Cycle1947Irene Britton SmithPaul Laurence DunbarDreamin’ Town1934Florence PricePaul Laurence DunbarDrizzle1983 · Cycle of Songs on Poems of Paul Laurence DunbarZenobia Powell PerryPaul Laurence DunbarFlorida Night1965 · Jump Back!Simon SargonPaul Laurence DunbarForeverFlorence PricePaul Laurence DunbarFour Romantic Love Songs1994Adolphus C. HailstorkPaul Laurence DunbarI Grew a RoseFlorence PricePaul Laurence DunbarInvitation to Love1994 · Four Romantic Love SongsAdolphus C. HailstorkPaul Laurence DunbarJump Back!1965Simon SargonPaul Laurence DunbarLi’l Gal / My Man1988 · The Wider ViewH. Leslie AdamsPaul Laurence DunbarLife1983 · Cycle of Songs on Poems of Paul Laurence DunbarZenobia Powell PerryPaul Laurence DunbarLove’s Apotheosis1999 · The Shadow of Dawn: Five Poems by Paul Laurence DunbarRichard ThompsonPaul Laurence DunbarMy Heart to Thy Heart1994 · Four Romantic Love SongsAdolphus C. HailstorkPaul Laurence DunbarMy NeighborFlorence PricePaul Laurence DunbarOn a Clean Book1983 · Cycle of Songs on Poems of Paul Laurence DunbarZenobia Powell PerryPaul Laurence DunbarOn Emancipation Day1902Will Marion CookPaul Laurence DunbarOne Life1999 · The Shadow of Dawn: Five Poems by Paul Laurence DunbarRichard ThompsonPaul Laurence DunbarOver the Hills1947 · Dream CycleIrene Britton SmithPaul Laurence DunbarParted1949 · Songs of SeparationWilliam Grant StillPaul Laurence DunbarPrologue: Ships That Pass in the Night2001 · A Great Hope Fell: Songs From Civil WarJake HeggiePaul Laurence DunbarResponseGeorge WalkerPaul Laurence DunbarRiding to Town1943Thomas H. KerrPaul Laurence DunbarSpring Song1983 · Cycle of Songs on Poems of Paul Laurence DunbarZenobia Powell PerryPaul Laurence DunbarSunset1983 · Cycle of Songs on Poems of Paul Laurence DunbarZenobia Powell PerryPaul Laurence DunbarSunset1947 · Dream CycleIrene Britton SmithPaul Laurence DunbarSympathyFive Art SongsFlorence PricePaul Laurence DunbarSympathy1999 · The Shadow of Dawn: Five Poems by Paul Laurence DunbarRichard ThompsonPaul Laurence DunbarThe Awakening2010Adolphus C. HailstorkPaul Laurence DunbarThe Poet and His SongFlorence PricePaul Laurence DunbarThe Shadow of Dawn: Five Poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar1999Richard ThompsonPaul Laurence DunbarThe Wider View1988H. Leslie AdamsPaul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, R. H. Grenville, James Dillet FreemanTheology1973 · A Set of Three Dunbar PoemsBetty Jackson KingPaul Laurence DunbarTo the Road!1988 · The Wider ViewH. Leslie AdamsPaul Laurence DunbarWe Wear the Mask1999 · The Shadow of Dawn: Five Poems by Paul Laurence DunbarRichard ThompsonPaul Laurence DunbarWhat’s the Use?1937Florence PricePaul Laurence DunbarWhy Fades a Dream1947 · Dream CycleIrene Britton SmithPaul Laurence DunbarWe wear the mask2020B. E. BoykinPaul Laurence DunbarDay1987Lena J. McLinPaul Laurence DunbarSilence1987 · Songs of LoveLena J. McLinPaul Laurence DunbarThe Unlucky Apple1987 · Songs of LoveLena J. McLinPaul Laurence Dunbar

Records

2022

My Sister’s Keeper: Celebrating the 150th Birthday of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar, B. E. Boykin, Betty Jackson King, Irene Britton Smith, Lena J. McLin, Florence Price, Zenobia Powell Perry

Watch for Free on YouTubeListen for Free on Song of America

Video

Books

The Collected Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Buy via AmazonBuy via Powell's Books

Sheet Music

A Set of Three Dunbar Poems

Betty Jackson King
Buy via Jacksonian Press

An African Love Song

Ethelbert Nevin
Free via IMSLP

Climbing: Poems by African-Americans

Tom Cipullo
Buy via Classical Vocal Reprints

Florence Price: Five Art Songs (Dr. Rae Linda Brown, ed.)

Florence Price
1. Hold Fast to Dreams (Langston Hughes)
Key D Major - d minor
2. Travel's End (Mary Folwell Hoisington)
Key B Major (Low voice)
3. To My Little Son (Julia Johnson Davis)
Key B Major (Medium voice)
4. Fantasy in Purple (Langston Hughes)
Key f minor (Medium voice)
5. Sympathy (Paul Laurence Dunbar)
Key E-flat (Medium-High voice)
plus a transposed higher key, G Major (High voice)
Medium/High
Buy via Classical Vocal Reprints

“On Emancipation Day”

Will Marion Cook
View via Library of Congress

Songs of Separation

William Grant Still
Buy via William Grant Still Music