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Nanette Shaw
The life and music of legendary blues composer W.C. Handy will be celebrated at a day-long conference and ensuing concert to be held at The City University of New York Graduate Center on Friday, March 31. "W.C. Handy and American Music," which is free and open to the public, will feature talks on Handy’s compositions, influences, and legacy, and an evening concert of Handy’s music. The symposium portion will be held in the recently named Baisley Powell Elebash Recital Hall at The Graduate Center’s new campus at 365 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, and it will inaugurate an ongoing series of Baisley Powell Elebash programs. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Reservations can be made by calling 1-212-817-8215, or by e-mail to continuinged@gc.cuny.edu. The concert, which will be held in The Graduate Center’s Proshansky Auditorium, begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be performed by the CUNY Jazz Ensemble and All-Star Greats (Maurice Peress, Director) and Peter Muir and Friends. The program will feature "W.C. Handy’s Neglected Songs, Blues, and Stomps and Published Arrangements of his Music." The day-long symposium will kick off with opening remarks at 9:45 a.m., followed by a morning session beginning at 10 a.m. and an afternoon session starting at 2 p.m. Among the six different topics to be explored are "W.C. Handy’s Use of African American Folk Music and Blues Sources," given by David Evans (University of Memphis); "W.C. Handy in America’s Musical Life," by Richard Crawford (University of Michigan); and "W.C. Handy, ‘Jelly Roll’ Morton, and their Battle for Posterity," by Elliot Hurwitt (CUNY Graduate Center). William Christopher Handy (1873-1958), often called the "Father of the Blues," is a seminal figure in the development of American songwriting. His compositions assimilated folk tunes, blues, spirituals, minstrel songs, and elements of European music and forged a new sound in American popular commercial music. Born in Florence, Alabama, Handy began arranging music when in grade school. By the turn of the century, he had toured or was touring with a number of minstrel acts and bands. He became a leading bandleader in Memphis, Tennessee, and eventually wrote such classics as "The Memphis Blues" (1912), "The St. Louis Blues" (1914), and "Beale Street Blues" (1916). In addition to his songwriting, Handy also founded an important and influential music publishing concern, the Pace and Handy Music Company, in 1913. Finally, Handy’s books and writings, such as his autobiography, Father of the Blues (1941), and Blues: An Anthology (1926), comprise an important contribution to American culture. In 1979, New York City joined the list of institutions and municipalities to honor Handy by naming a stretch of West 52nd Street in Manhattan "W.C. Handy Place." The Graduate Center is the doctorate-granting institution of the largest urban university in the U.S. The only consortium of its kind in the nation, it draws its faculty of more than 1,600 members mainly from the CUNY senior colleges and cultural and scientific institutions throughout New York City. Established in 1961, the CUNY Graduate Center has grown to an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students in 31 doctoral programs and seven master's degree programs in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The Graduate Center also houses 24 research centers and institutes and administers the CUNY Baccalaureate Program. According to a recent National Research Council report, more than a third of The Graduate Center’s rated programs rank among the nation's top 20 at public and private institutions, nearly a quarter are among the top ten when compared to publicly supported institutions alone, and more than half are among the top five programs at publicly supported institutions in the northeast. The Ph.D. Program in Music is ranked fourth nationwide -- behind only Harvard, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Chicago — and first in New York City and State. Further information on The Graduate Center's programs and activities can be found on its Web site at: W. C. HANDY AND AMERICAN MUSIC FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2000 The Graduate Center, CUNY 365 Fifth Avenue New York City 9:45 a.m. Welcoming Remarks Frances Degen Horowitz, President, The Graduate Center, CUNY Allan W. Atlas, Executive Officer, Ph.D.-D.M.A. Programs in Music, The Graduate Center, CUNY John Graziano, Professor, The Graduate Center and The City College, CUNY 10:00 a.m. Morning Session Richard Crawford, University of Michigan "W. C. Handy in America’s Musical Life" David Evans, University of Memphis "W. C. Handy’s Use of African American Folk Music and Blues Sources" Lawrence Gushee, University of Illinois "Becoming Handy" 2:00 p.m. Afternoon Session Gayle Murchison, Tulane University "William Grant Still’s Association with W. C. Handy as Performer, Composer, Arranger, and Friend" Elliott Hurwitt, The Graduate Center, CUNY "W. C. Handy, ‘Jelly Roll’ Morton, and their Battle for Posterity" Wayne Shirley, The Library of Congress "W. C. Handy’s Published Arrangements of ‘The St. Louis Blues’" 4:30 p.m. Reception 7:30 p.m. Concert Harold M. Proshansky Auditorium, The Graduate Center " W. C. Handy’s Neglected Songs, Blues, and Stomps and Published Arrangements of his Music," performed by Peter Muir and Friends and the CUNY Jazz Ensemble and All-Star Greats, Maurice Peress, director Cosponsored by the Ph.D.-D.M.A. Programs in Music, The Graduate Center, CUNY with additional support from The Simon H. Rifkind Center for the Humanities and the Arts, The City College, CUNY |