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Avril Coleridge-Taylor continually experienced the weight of her family legacy. Being the child of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, among the most famous UK musicians of the 1900s, Avril’s identity was cloaked in the deep shadows of bygone eras.

The First Recording

Not long ago, I reflected on these memories as I made arrangements to record the world premiere recording of Avril’s piano concerto from 1936. Boasting impassioned harmonies, soulful lyricism, and valiant rhythms, this piece will provide audiences valuable perspective into how the composer – a composer during war who entered the world in 1903 – imagined her existence as a woman of colour.

Past and Present

But here’s the thing about the past. One needs patience to adjust, to see shapes as they really are, to tell reality from misrepresentation, and I felt hesitant to confront the composer’s background for a period.

I had so wanted her to be her father’s daughter. To some extent, that held. The pastoral English palettes of her father’s impact can be heard in numerous compositions, such as From the Hills (1934) and Sussex Landscape (1940). Yet it suffices to review the names of her family’s music to understand how he heard himself as not just a champion of English Romanticism but a representative of the African diaspora.

At this point Samuel and Avril began to differ.

American society evaluated Samuel by the mastery of his art as opposed to the colour of his skin.

Family Background

While he was studying at the Royal College of Music, the composer – the child of a parent from Sierra Leone and a Caucasian parent – started to lean into his background. At the time the African American poet this literary figure arrived in England in 1897, the aspiring artist was keen to meet him. He composed Dunbar’s African Romances to music and the following year incorporated his poetry for a musical work, Dream Lovers. This was followed by the choral work that put Samuel on the map: Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast.

Inspired by this American writer’s The Song of Hiawatha, the piece was an worldwide sensation, particularly among African Americans who felt shared pride as white America evaluated the composer by the quality of his art as opposed to the his background.

Principles and Actions

Success did not reduce Samuel’s politics. In 1900, he was present at the pioneering African conference in the UK where he met the prominent scholar this influential figure and saw a range of talks, including on the subjugation of the Black community there. He was an activist throughout his life. He sustained relationships with early civil rights leaders like this intellectual and Booker T Washington, gave addresses on ending discrimination, and even talked about matters of race with the American leader on a trip to the White House in the early 1900s. Regarding his compositions, the scholar reflected, “he made his mark so high as a musician that it will endure.” He passed away in 1912, in his thirties. But what would Samuel have reacted to his offspring’s move to be in this country in the mid-20th century?

Issues and Stance

“Offspring of Renowned Musician expresses approval to South African policy,” ran a headline in the African American magazine Jet magazine. Apartheid “seems to me the appropriate course”, the composer stated Jet. When pushed to clarify, she qualified her remarks: she was not in favor with apartheid “as a concept” and it “could be left to run its course, guided by well-meaning people of every background”. If Avril had been more attuned to her parent’s beliefs, or born in Jim Crow America, she might have thought twice about apartheid. However, existence had protected her.

Heritage and Innocence

“I hold a English document,” she said, “and the authorities never asked me about my background.” Therefore, with her “light” complexion (as described), she moved among the Europeans, lifted by their acclaim for her deceased parent. She gave a talk about her family’s work at the Cape Town university and led the national orchestra in Johannesburg, featuring the bold final section of her Piano Concerto, titled: “In remembrance of my Father.” Although a accomplished player personally, she never played as the lead performer in her piece. Instead, she invariably directed as the maestro; and so the orchestra of the era performed under her direction.

The composer aspired, in her own words, she “might bring a change”. Yet in the mid-1950s, circumstances deteriorated. After authorities became aware of her mixed background, she could no longer stay the country. Her citizenship didn’t protect her, the diplomatic official advised her to leave or risk imprisonment. She returned to England, embarrassed as the magnitude of her innocence dawned. “This experience was a difficult one,” she expressed. Adding to her disgrace was the release in 1955 of her unfortunate magazine feature, a year after her unceremonious exit from the country.

A Recurring Theme

Upon contemplating with these legacies, I perceived a known narrative. The story of identifying as British until it’s revoked – which recalls troops of color who fought on behalf of the English in the global conflict and survived only to be refused rightful benefits. And the Windrush generation,