b. 1902d. 1967

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes
Missouri-born Langston Hughes used his poetry, novels, plays, and essays to champion his people and voice his concerns about race and social justice. He was a central figure of the flowering of African-American culture in 1920's and 30's known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Listen

“Daybreak in Alabama” (from “Only Heaven”)
Trevor Scott, tenor; John Morefield, piano3:52

Ricky Ian Gordon

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

Dream Variations
Samantha Rose Williams, mezzo-soprano; Sara Chiesa, piano2:30

Brandon Spencer

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

Dream Variations
Tyrese Byrd, tenor; Joshua Marzan, piano2:33

Brandon J. Spencer

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

I Dream a World
Cornelius Johnson, tenor; Gwynne Kuhner, piano3:29

Uzee Brown

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

“I, Too” (from “Three Dream Portraits”)
Tyrique McNeal, baritone; Joshua Marzan, piano1:59

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

“I, Too, Sing America” (from “Dream Variations)
Darryl Taylor (tenor) & Richard Thompson (piano)2:52

Richard Thompson

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Used with the permission of the composer

“In Time of Silver Rain” (from “Shades of Hues: Green”)
Alan Williams, bass-baritone; Kathryn Goodson, piano2:24

Sylvia T. Hollifield

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

“Minstrel Man” (from “Three Dream Portraits”)
Amber Merritt, soprano; Joshua Marzan, piano1:53

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

Prayer
Paul Leland Hill, bass; Kathryn Goodson, piano3:13

Carlos Simon

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

“Troubled Woman” (from “Beyond the Rim of Day”)
Samantha Rose Williams, mezzo-soprano; Sara Chiesa, piano1:49

Hale Smith

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

The Founding Fathers
Students of Dr. Louise Toppin's Winter 2021 Course; Kathryn Goodson, piano4:42

Langston Hughes, Toy Harper & LaVilla Tullos

Composer

Langston Hughes, Toy Harper & LaVilla Tullos

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.

This is My Land
Students of Dr. Louise Toppin's Winter 2021 Course; Kathryn Goodson, piano6:34

Langston Hughes, Toy Harper & LaVilla Tullos

Composer

Langston Hughes, Toy Harper & LaVilla Tullos

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.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Vlad Iftinca (piano)5:11

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2011

Date

Minnesota Marine Art Museum

Location

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Samantha Rose Williams, mezzo-soprano; Sara Chiesa, piano4:15

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Andrew Smith, bass-baritone; John Morefield, piano5:37

Howard Swanson

Composer

Langston Hughes

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.

“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (from “Dream Variations)
Darryl Taylor (tenor) & Richard Thompson (piano)5:19

Richard Thompson

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

Used with the permission of the composer

“Dream Variation” (from From the Dark Tower)
Daveda Karanas, mezzo-soprano; Michael Ippolito, piano; Karla Hamelin, cello1:58

Dorothy Rudd Moore

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 10am concert ("In Memorium – Dorothy Rudd Moore 1940–2022") on Saturday, October 15, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Song for a Dark Girl” (from “Sonnets on Love, Rosebuds, and Death”)
Lisa Edwards Burrs, soprano; Stacie Haneline, piano; Naima Burrs, violin1:12

Dorothy Rudd Moore

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 10am concert ("In Memorium – Dorothy Rudd Moore 1940–2022") on Saturday, October 15, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

Hold Fast to Dreams
Charles Moore, tenor; Kaitlyn Rittner, piano1:53

Florence Price

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 10am concert ("In Memorium – Dorothy Rudd Moore 1940–2022") on Saturday, October 15, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“When Summer Goes” (from “A Journey in Love”)
Jacob Lay, baritone; Eileen Downey, piano1:28

Khyle Wooten

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 10am concert ("In Memorium – Dorothy Rudd Moore 1940–2022") on Saturday, October 15, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Dream Variations” (from “Three Dream Portraits”)
Thalia Moore, soprano; Amelia Hammond, piano2:07

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 5:30pm concert ("A Salute to Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)") on Saturday, October 15, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

“Minstrel Man” (from “Three Dream Portraits”)
Thalia Moore, soprano; Amelia Hammond, piano2:04

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 5:30pm concert ("A Salute to Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)") on Saturday, October 15, 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, Too” (from “Three Dream Portraits”)
Thalia Moore, soprano; Amelia Hammond, piano1:50

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 5:30pm concert ("A Salute to Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)") on Saturday, October 15, 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 Negro Speaks of Rivers
Darian Clonts, tenor; Katie Franklin Ledsinger, piano4:27

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 5:30pm concert ("A Salute to Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)") on Saturday, October 15, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

Birth
Frances Young Bennett, soprano; Nina Scolnik, piano0:51

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2022

Date

University of California, Irvine, Winifred Smith Hall

Location

This recording was part of a 5:30pm concert ("A Salute to Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)") on Saturday, October 15, 2022 during the 25th Anniversary African American Art Song Alliance Conference. The concert venue was Winifred Smith Hall at the University of California, Irvine.

Audio

“Heart” (from “Four Songs”)
Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Malcolm Martineau (piano)1:54

Jean Berger

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2001

Date

Salzburg Festival

Location

“Lied Für Ein Dunkles Mädchen” (“Song For a Dark Girl”) (from “My Dark Hands”)
Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Malcolm Martineau (piano)2:17

Hermann Reutter

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

“Lonely People” (from “Four Songs”)
Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Malcolm Martineau (piano)3:22

Jean Berger

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2001

Date

Salzburg Festival

Location

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Vlad Iftinca (piano)5:11

Margaret Bonds

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

2011

Date

Minnesota Marine Art Museum

Location

“Trommel” (“Drum”) (from “My Dark Hands”)
Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Malcolm Martineau (piano)1:11

Hermann Reutter

Composer

Langston Hughes

Poet(s)/Writer(s)

About

Langston Hughes’s childhood was marked by poverty, the separation of his parents (his father emigrated to Mexico, where Hughes would later visit), a matriarchal, church-going education, and a nomadic series of moves. Eventually the young man arrived in New York City in 1921. There, with some money sent by his father, he enrolled in Columbia University, wrote his first verse, and began to publish in The Crisis, the historic magazine of the N.A.A.C.P., founded by W.E.B. Du Bois.

When funds for college dried up, Hughes moved to Harlem at the height of its golden era. For the remainder of the decade he would associate with all her prominent figures–Du Bois, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Alain Locke, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Jean Toomer, Arna Bontemps, and Carl Van Vechten. He would receive patronage from the formidable but controlling Charlotte Mason, make voyages of self-discovery to Africa and Europe, and return to the United States with a freer, more confident vision of his own identity as an African-American, an artist, a leftist (he would later spend some time in Russia and answer for it during the McCarthy hearings), and a homosexual.

Hughes’s prolific literary career was launched in 1926 with a volume of jazz poems called The Weary Blues, written for performance with musical accompaniment in the famous Harlem clubs of the era. It captured both the Opportunity Prize and the prestigious Spingarn Award, and financed for Hughes the completion of his education, at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Among his many poetry collections, The Negro Mother (1931), The Dream Keeper (1932), and Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951) argue passionately for his belief in human equality, his wish for color-blind brotherhood, and his growing disillusionment with the American dream. His novel Tambourines to Glory (1958) appeared as a musical play (1963), and his two volumes of autobiography, The Big Sea and I Wonder as I Wander, together with his essay about his involvement with the N.A.A.C.P. and the civil rights movement, “Fight for Freedom,” chart Hughes’s long commitment to comradeship and equality. As those dreams began to bear fruit in the tumultuous 60’s, Hughes was lionized with increasing frequency. He continued to devote his pen to the ideals of his youth, and took an increasing interest in the movement toward Afrocentric values for black Americans. Hailed as “the Negro Poet Laureate,” Hughes died in his beloved Harlem on May 22, 1967.

–Thomas Hampson and Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold, PBS I Hear America Singing

Photo: Academy of American Poets

Related Information

Lieder.net

lieder.net/lieder/get_author_texts.html?AuthorId=1274

Poetry Foundation

poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes

Poets.org

poets.org/poetsorg/poet/langston-hughes

Modern American Poetry

modernamericanpoetry.org/poet/langston-hughes

Songs

A Black Pierrot1949William Grant StillLangston HughesA Black Pierrot2004 · Dream VariationsRichard ThompsonLangston HughesAmerican Pierrot: A Langston Hughes Songbook2012Robert G. PattersonLangston HughesAngel Wings1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesApril Rain Song2009 · Daybreak in AlabamaJohn StoneLangston HughesBallad of the Landlord2002 · Old AddressesWilliam BolcomLangston HughesBewildermentFlorence PriceLangston HughesBorder Line1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesBorder Line, Op. 241970Robert OwensLangston HughesBound No’th Blues2001 · Dreamer: 7 Poems of Langston HughesErik SantosLangston HughesCarolina Cabin1951 · Four SongsJean BergerLangston HughesComment on War1997 · Evidence of Things Not SeenNed RoremLangston HughesClimbing: Poems by African-Americans2000Tom CipulloCountee Cullen, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Robert Hayden, Langston Hughes, Phillis WheatleyCould Be1987 · Shadow of the BluesJohn MustoLangston HughesDaybreak in Alabama2009John StoneLangston HughesDaybreak in Alabama1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesDaybreak in Alabama2009 · Daybreak in AlabamaJohn StoneLangston HughesDeath of an Old Seaman1932Cecil CohenLangston HughesDelinquent1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesDemand1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesDesire, Op. 131975Robert OwensLangston HughesDown Where I Am2001 · Dreamer: 7 Poems of Langston HughesErik SantosLangston HughesDream1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesDream Dust / Hold Fast to DreamsDave BrubeckLangston HughesDream Variation1959 · Three Dream PortraitsMargaret BondsLangston HughesDream Variation1972 · From the Dark TowerDorothy Rudd MooreLangston HughesDream Variations1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesDream Variations2004Richard ThompsonLangston HughesDream Variations2004 · Dream VariationsRichard ThompsonLangston HughesDreamer: 7 Poems of Langston Hughes2001Erik SantosLangston HughesDrum1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesDrumSergius KagenLangston HughesDrum1957 · My Dark HandsHermann ReutterLangston HughesDrums of Tragedy1961 · NightsongsH. Leslie AdamsLangston HughesEvidence of Things Not Seen1997Ned RoremW. H. Auden, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Stephen Crane, Mark Doty, Robert Frost, Paul Goodman, A. E. Housman, Langston Hughes, Jane Kenyon, Rudyard Kipling, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Paul Monette, William Penn, Theodore Roethke, Walt Whitman, John Woolman, William Butler YeatsFaithful One1969Robert OwensLangston HughesFantasy in PurpleFive Art SongsFlorence PriceLangston HughesFeet o’ Jesus1930Florence PriceLangston HughesFinal Curve / SearchDave BrubeckLangston HughesFour Negro Songs1927John Alden CarpenterLangston HughesFour SongsJean BergerLangston HughesGeorgia Dusk2009 · Daybreak in AlabamaJohn StoneLangston HughesGenius Child1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesGenius Child1969Robert OwensLangston HughesGenius Child: A Cycle of 10 Songs1995Ricky Ian GordonLangston HughesHarlem Sweeties1990 · Flowers of DarknessDorothy Rudd MooreLangston HughesHarlem Night Song1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesHeart1951 · Four SongsJean BergerLangston HughesHeart on the Wall1968Robert OwensLangston HughesHold Fast to DreamsDave BrubeckLangston HughesHold Fast To Dreams1945 · Five Art SongsFlorence PriceLangston HughesI Dream A World2005Uzee Brown, Jr.Langston HughesI Dream a World (op. 53, no. 3)1996 · Three Dream Songs, op. 53Lowell LiebermannLangston HughesI Dream a World2021Damien SneedLangston HughesHomesick Blues1988 · The Wider ViewH. Leslie AdamsLangston HughesI, Too1959 · Three Dream PortraitsMargaret BondsLangston HughesI, Too, Sing America2004 · Dream VariationsRichard ThompsonLangston HughesIn Time of Silver Rain1951 · Four SongsJean BergerLangston HughesIn Time of Silver Rain1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesIn Time of Silver Rain1992George WalkerLangston HughesIsland1987 · Shadow of the BluesJohn MustoLangston HughesJazz-Boys1927 · Four Negro SongsJohn Alden CarpenterLangston HughesJoy1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesJoy1946Howard SwansonLangston HughesKid in the Park1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesLate Last Night1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesLitany1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesLitany1987 · Shadow of the BluesJohn MustoLangston HughesLitany2006Scott WheelerBilly CollinsLonely People1951 · Four SongsJean BergerLangston HughesLovely, Dark, and Lonely One1935Henry T. BurleighLangston HughesLuck1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesMadam To You1964Elie SiegmeisterLangston HughesMadam and the Census Man1964 · Madam To YouElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesMadam and Daughter1964 · Madam To YouElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesMadam and the Fortune Teller1964 · Madam To YouElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesSong For a Dark Girl1957 · My Dark HandsHermann ReutterLangston HughesMadam and the Minister1964 · Madam To YouElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesMadam and the Number Runner1964 · Madam To YouElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesSong for Billie Holiday2009 · Daybreak in AlabamaJohn StoneLangston HughesMadam and the Rent Man1964 · Madam To YouElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesMadam and the Wrong Visitor1964 · Madam To YouElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesMinstrel Man1959 · Three Dream PortraitsMargaret BondsLangston HughesMinstrel Man1957 · My Dark HandsHermann ReutterLangston HughesMonotony2004 · Dream VariationsRichard ThompsonLangston HughesMother to Son1970Hall JohnsonLangston HughesMr. Sandman / Birth2001 · Dreamer: 7 Poems of Langston HughesErik SantosLangston HughesMy Dark Hands1957Hermann ReutterLangston Hughes, Arna BontempsMy Dream1935Florence PriceLangston HughesMy People1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesNew Moon2002Ricky Ian GordonLangston HughesNight: Four Songs1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesNightsongs1961H. Leslie AdamsLangston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Clarissa Scott Delany, James Weldon Johnson, Leslie Morgan CollinsOfficial Notice1966 · The Face of WarElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesOld Addresses2002William BolcomMark Doty, Langston Hughes, Kenneth Koch, Ezra Pound, A.D. Winans, Arnold WeinsteinOnly Heaven1997Ricky Ian GordonLangston HughesPeace1966 · The Face of WarElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesPersonal2000 · Climbing: Poems by African-AmericansTom CipulloLangston HughesPoème d’Automne1955 · Songs of the SeasonsMargaret BondsLangston HughesPort Town1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesPrayer1961 · NightsongsH. Leslie AdamsLangston HughesPrayer1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesShadow of the Blues1987John MustoLangston HughesShake Your Brown Feet, Honey!1927 · Four Negro SongsJohn Alden CarpenterLangston HughesSilhouette1987 · Shadow of the BluesJohn MustoLangston HughesSong For a Dark Girl1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesSongs of the Seasons1955Margaret BondsLangston HughesSongs of Our Time2005Ricky Ian GordonGwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Stanley Kunitz, W. S. Merwin, Howard Moss, Frank O’HaraSong to the Dark Virgin1941Florence PriceLangston HughesStars1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesStrange Hurt: Long Version1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesStrange Hurt: Short Version1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesThat Soothin’ Song1927 · Four Negro SongsJohn Alden CarpenterLangston HughesThe Breath of a Rose1928William Grant StillLangston HughesThe Cryin’ Blues1927 · Four Negro SongsJohn Alden CarpenterLangston HughesThe Dream KeeperDave BrubeckLangston HughesThe Dream Keeper / Bouquet2001 · Dreamer: 7 Poems of Langston HughesErik SantosLangston HughesThe Face of War1966Elie SiegmeisterLangston HughesThe Founding Fathers1945Langston HughesThe Negro Speaks of Rivers1941Margaret BondsLangston HughesThe Negro Speaks of Rivers1942Howard SwansonLangston HughesThe Negro Speaks of Rivers2004 · Dream VariationsRichard ThompsonLangston HughesThe Wider View1988H. Leslie AdamsPaul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, R. H. Grenville, James Dillet FreemanThis is My Land1945Langston HughesTo Artina2001 · Dreamer: 7 Poems of Langston HughesErik SantosLangston HughesThree Dream Portraits1959Margaret BondsLangston HughesThree Dream Songs, op. 531996Lowell LiebermannLangston HughesTo Be Somebody1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesTroubled Woman1995 · Genius Child: A Cycle of 10 SongsRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesWar1966 · The Face of WarElie SiegmeisterLangston HughesWhen Sue Wears Red1997 · Only HeavenRicky Ian GordonLangston HughesWhen Sue Wears Red1957 · My Dark HandsHermann ReutterLangston HughesSong for a Dark Girl1976 · Sonnets on Love, Rosebuds and DeathDorothy Rudd MooreLangston HughesWhen Summer Goes2018Khyle WootenLangston HughesBirth2021Margaret BondsLangston Hughes

Video

Records

1938

Paul Robeson – The Complete EMI Sessions

Charles Wakefield Cadman, Henry T. Burleigh, Benjamin Carr, Will Marion Cook, Stephen Foster, Langston Hughes, Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Ethelbert Nevin, Oscar Rasbach, Oley Speaks

Listen via IDAGIOBuy via Amazon (CD & MP3)

Books

Before and Beyond Harlem: A Biography of Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

Buy via alibrisBuy via AbeBooks

Sheet Music

An Anthology of African and African Diaspora Songs – 60 Songs

H. Leslie Adams, David N. Baker, Margaret Bonds, Charles Brown, H. T. Burleigh, Valerie Capers, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Arthur Cunningham, Harriette Davison Watkins, William Dawson, Mark Fax, Bruce Forsythe, Antônio Carlos Gomes, Adolphus Hailstork, Jacqueline Hairston, Maud Cuney Hare, Jeraldine Herbison, Jonathan Holland, Sylvia Hollifield, Langston Hughes, J. Rosamond Johnson, Thomas Kerr, Lena McLin, Undine Smith Moore, Andre Myers, Camille Nickerson, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Eurydice Osterman, Robert Owens, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Zenobia Powell Perry, Rosephanye Powell, Florence Price, Dave Ragland, Nadine Shanti, Carlos Simon, Hale Smith, Irene Britton Smith, Brandon Spencer, Hilbert Stewart, Howard Swanson, George Walker, Aurelia Young
Amazing Grace (H. Leslie Adams)
Christmas Lullaby (H. Leslie Adams)
Sence You Went Away (H. Leslie Adams)
The Heart of a Woman (H. Leslie Adams)
The Alarm Clock (David N. Baker)
The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Margaret Bonds)
Caring (Charles Brown)
Desire (Charles Brown)
Your Eyes So Deep (H. T. Burleigh)
Your Lips Are Wine (H. T. Burleigh)
Autumn (Valerie Capers)
Elëanore (Samuel Coleridge-Taylor)
The Willow Song (Samuel Coleridge-Taylor)
Minakesh (Arthur Cunningham)
Stars (Harriette Davison Watkins)
Out in the Fields (William Dawson)
The Refused (Mark Fax)
With Rue My Heart Is Laden (Bruce Forsythe)
Suspiro d’alma (Antônio Carlos Gomes)
If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking (Adolphus Hailstork)
Longing (Adolphus Hailstork)
Loveliest of Trees (Adolphus Hailstork)
Dormi, Jesu (Jacqueline Hairston)
Gardé Piti Mulet Là (Maud Cuney Hare)
I’ll Not Forget (Jeraldine Herbison)
Little Elegy (Jonathan Holland)
In Time of Silver Rain (Sylvia Hollifield)
The Founding Fathers (Langston Hughes)
This is My Land (Langston Hughes)
L’il Gal (J. Rosamond Johnson)
Soliloquy (Thomas Kerr)
Amazing Grace (Lena McLin)
The Year’s at the Spring (Lena McLin)
I Am in Doubt (Undine Smith Moore)
I Want to Die While You Love Me (Undine Smith Moore)
For a Poet (Andre Myers)
Chere, Mo Lemmé Toi (Camille Nickerson)
Gué, Gué, Solingaie (Camille Nickerson)
Mshila (Fred Onovwerosuoke)
Entreaty (I Am the Rose of Sharon) (Eurydice Osterman)
Could I but Ride Indefinite (Robert Owens)
Die Nacht (Robert Owens)
From the Dark Tower (Robert Owens)
The Lynching (Robert Owens)
The Secret (Robert Owens)
Madrigal (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
O Children of Men (Zenobia Powell Perry)
I Want to Die While You Love Me (Rosephanye Powell)
Spring (Florence Price)
The Sum (Florence Price)
Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dave Ragland)
Mangez, Boulez (Eat, Drink, Be Merry) (Nadine Shanti)
Prayer (Carlos Simon)
Troubled Woman (Hale Smith)
Why Fades a Dream? (Irene Britton Smith)
Dream Variations (Brandon Spencer)
Spring Song (Hilbert Stewart)
One Day (Howard Swanson)
I Went to Heaven (George Walker)
Norris Swamp (Aurelia Young)
36 Songs are for High Voice - Medium to High Voice<br>24 Songs are for Medium - Medium to Low Voice
Buy via Classical Vocal Reprints

American Pierrot: A Langston Hughes Songbook

Robert G. Patterson
Buy via Sheet Music Plus

Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, Compiled by Willis C. Patterson

H. Leslie Adams, David Baker, Margaret Bonds, Charles Brown, Cecil Cohen, Noel de Costa, Mark Fax, Adolphus C. Hailstork, Eugene Hancock, Thomas Kerr, Jr., Charles Lloyd, Jr., Wendell Logan, Maurice McCall, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Undine Smith Moore, Robert Owens, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Florence Price, Hale Smith, William Grant Still, Howard Swanson, George Walker, Olly Wilson, John Work, Jr.
For You There is No Song (H. Leslie Adams)
Early in the Mornin' (David Baker)
A Good Assassination Should Be Quiet (David Baker)
Status Symbol (David Baker)
Three Dream Portraits: Minstrel Man; Dream Variations; I, Too (Margaret Bonds)
The Barrier (Charles Brown)
Song Without Words (Charles Brown)
Death of an Old Seaman (Cecil Cohen)
Two Songs for Julie Ju (Noel da Costa)
Cassandra's Lullaby (Mark Fax)
Love (Mark Fax)
A Charm at Parting (Adolphus C. Hailstork)
I Loved You (Adolphus C. Hailstork)
Absalom (Eugene Hancock)
Nunc Dimittis (Eugene Hancock)
Riding to Town (Thomas Kerr, Jr.)
Compensation (Charles Lloyd, Jr.)
If There Be Sorrow (Wendell Logan)
Marrow of My Bone (Wendell Logan)
Chanson Triste (Maurice McCall)
Sweet Sorrow (Maurice McCall)
Weary Blues (Dorothy Rudd Moore)
Love Let the Wind Cry...How I Adore Thee (Undine Moore)
Faithful One (Robert Owens)
Genius Child (Robert Owens)
A Child's Grace (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
Melancholy (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson)
Night (Florence Price)
Song to the Dark Virgin (Florence Price)
Velvet Shoes (Hale Smith)
Grief (William Grant Still)
A Death Song (Howard Swanson)
I Will Lie Down in Autumn (Howard Swanson)
The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Howard Swanson)
Lament (George Walker)
A Red, Red Rose (George Walker)
Wry Fragments (Olly Wilson)
Dancing in the Sun (John Work, Jr.)
Soliloquy (John Work, Jr.)
Buy via Classical Vocal Reprints

Climbing: Poems by African-Americans

Tom Cipullo
Buy via Classical Vocal Reprints

Drum

Hermann Reutter
Buy via Schott Music

Evidence of Things Not Seen

Ned Rorem
Buy via Boosey & Hawkes

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

Dorothy Rudd Moore: Flowers of Darkness

Dorothy Rudd Moore
tenor
Buy via American Composers Alliance

Four Negro Songs

John Alden Carpenter
1. Shake Your Brown Feet, Honey!
2. The Cryin' Blues
3. Jazz-Boys
4. That Soothin' Song
View via WorldCat

Genius Child

Ricky Ian Gordon
1. Winter Moon
2. Genius Child
3. Kid in the Park
4. To Be Somebody
5. Troubled Woman
6. Strange Hurt: Long Version
7. Strange Hurt: Short Version
8. Prayer
9. Border Line
10. My People
11. Joy
Buy via Hal Leonard

Genius Child

Robert Owens
Baritone
Buy via Classical Vocal Reprints

Madam To You

Elie Siegmeister
Buy via Sheet Music Plus

Minstrel Man

Hermann Reutter
Buy via Schott Music

Mother to Son

Hall Johnson
Buy via Carl Fischer Music

Only Heaven

Ricky Ian Gordon
Harlem Night Song
Daybreak In Alabama
When Sue Wears Red
Late Last Night
Port Town
Angel Wings
Luck
Delinquent
Dream Variations
In Time Of Silver Rain
Song For A Dark Girl
Drum
Litany
Dream
Night: Four Songs
Demand
Stars
Buy via Hal Leonard

Shadow of the Blues

John Musto
1. Silhouette
2. Litany
3. Island
4. Could Be
Buy via Hal Leonard

Song for a Dark Girl

Hermann Reutter
Buy via Schott Music

Songs of Our Time

Ricky Ian Gordon
Virginia Woolf
Friend
Little Horse
Spell against Sorrow
The Light Comes on by Itself
Pont Mirabeau
A Poem of Unrest
This Room
If You Can
Aspen Tree
Three Floors
The Crazy Woman
Child
Dreams / Feet o' Jesus
Buy via Carl Fischer Music

Songs of Separation

William Grant Still
Buy via William Grant Still Music

The Breath of a Rose

William Grant Still
High
Buy via Sheet Music Plus

The Face of War

Elie Siegmeister
Low
Find it at your Local Library

When Sue Wears Red

Hermann Reutter
Buy via Schott Music