Harry Thacker Burleigh

American musician

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Born:: December 2, 1866, Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Died:: September 12, 1949, Stamford, Connecticut (aged 82)

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Harry Thacker Burleigh (born December 2, 1866, Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died September 12, 1949, Stamford, Connecticut) was an American baritone and composer, a noted arranger of African American spirituals.

Burleigh studied under Antonín Dvořák at the National Conservatory of Music, New York City, and through his singing acquainted Dvořák with the traditional Black vocal music of the United States. He was a soloist in New York City at St. George’s Church (1894–1946) and at Temple Emanuel (1900–25). He composed more than 200 songs and became widely known for such arrangements as that for “Deep River.”

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