Danse Negre, Op. 35, No. 4

The Medical College of Wisconsin Orchestra
Spring 2023 Concert
Danse Negre, Op. 35, No. 4 
By Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Conducted by: Alexander Mandl, DMA
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912): Danse Negre, Op. 35, No. 4 
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a noted Afro-English composer whose works thrived mostly around the decades surrounding the turn of the 20th century. Born and raised near London, he was educated at the Royal College of Music, studying composition with Charles Villiers Stanford. “Danse Negre” is originally the final movement of the larger African Suite (1898), a series of short movements inspired by the writings of African-American poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar. It resembles a short but festive overture in its mood, returning to the second half of its opening material following a somewhat gentler middle section.