John Wesley Work Jr. (August 6, 1871 – September 7, 1925) was the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
collector of
folk song
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...
s and
spirituals, and also a choral director, educationalist and songwriter. He is now sometimes known as John Wesley Work II, to distinguish him from his son,
John Wesley Work III
John Wesley Work III (July 15, 1901 – May 17, 1967) was a composer, educator, choral director, musicologist and scholar of African-American folklore and music.
Biography
He was born on July 15, 1901, in Tullahoma, Tennessee, to a family of pr ...
.
Early life
Work was born in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, the son of Samuella and John Wesley Work,
[Emory Libraries MARBL: John Wesley Work Papers](_blank)
who was director of a church choir, some of whose members were also in the original
Fisk Jubilee Singers
The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American ''a cappella'' ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditiona ...
.
[ The Hymns and Carols of Christmas: John Wesley Work Jr.]
/ref> John Wesley Work Jr. attended Fisk University
Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
, where he organized singing groups and studied Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and history, graduating in 1895. He also studied at Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.
Career
Work then taught in Tullahoma, Tennessee and worked in the library at Fisk University, before taking an appointment as a Latin and history instructor at Fisk in 1904.[ His colleague, instructor and registrar Minnie Lou Crosthwaite, later commented on his deep interest in the "progress and welfare of his students", though he had conflicts with others in the Fisk music department.]
With his wife and his brother, Frederick Jerome Work, Work began collecting slave songs and spirituals, publishing them as ''New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers'' (1901) and ''New Jubilee Songs and Folk Songs of the American Negro'' (1907). The latter book included the first publication of " Go Tell It on the Mountain", which he may have had a hand in composing.[ His other songs included "Song of the Warrior", "If Only You Were Here", "Negro Lullaby", and "Negro Love Song". He also established the music publishing company, Work Brothers and Hart.][
As the director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, he was responsible for taking them on tour each year. However, because of negative feelings toward black folk music at Fisk, he was forced to resign his post there in 1923. He then served as president of Roger Williams University in Nashville, until his death in 1925.][
]
Personal life and death
Work married Agnes Haynes in 1899. They had six children, of whom John Wesley Work III (1901–67) also worked as the director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and as a song collector and composer.
Work died on September 7, 1925.
References
External links
*
*Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University
John Wesley Work papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Work, John Wesley Jr.
1871 births
1925 deaths
African-American songwriters
American musicologists
People from Nashville, Tennessee
American folklorists
Fisk University alumni
Singers from Tennessee
Fisk University faculty
Harvard University alumni
Songwriters from Tennessee
20th-century African-American people
19th-century musicologists