Arthur Cunningham Explained

Arthur Cunningham (November 11, 1928, Piermont, New York – March 31, 1997, Nyack, New York) was an American composer^[1] and educator. His students included singer Kate Davidson, producer/engineer Peter Francovilla, pianist John Ellis, and Berklee Press editor-in-chief Jonathan Feist.

Biography

Cunningham began composing music at the age of 12, which he performed with his jazz band. He attended Fisk University (BA, 1951), Juilliard (1951–1952), and Columbia University's Teachers College, where he earned his Master’s degree in 1957. In 1951, the National Association of Negro Musicians held a concert featuring his works. Cunningham served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957, during which time he composed music for army bands and television.

Between 1963 and 1973, Cunningham wrote seven large-scale stage works, incorporating a wide range of popular musical styles, including jazz, gospel, and rock. Some of his compositions bear similarities to, and even predate, the concept of rock opera.

Musical Compositions and Stage works

• Patsy Patch and Susan’s Dream (rock musical for children; libretto by Cunningham; first performed in Orangeburg, New York, 27 April 1963)
• The Beauty Part (musical show with improvised piano accompaniment; libretto by S. J. Perelman; first performed in Blauvelt, New York, at Rockland County Playhouse, 13 August 1963)
• Violetta (1963; musical based on J. Audiberti's Le mal court)
• Ostrich Feathers (rock musical play for children; libretto by B. Brenner; first performed in New York, at the Martinique Theatre, 16 November 1965)
• Concentrics (orchestral piece commissioned and premiered by the Symphony of the New World on 2 February 1969, at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center) ^[2]
• His Natural Grace (1969; rock opera, libretto by Cunningham)
• Honey Brown (1972; for solo male quartet or men's chorus, TTBB; libretto by Cunningham). From Cunningham's forward: "The jubilee song is the unique invention of the black American and has accurately reflected his life experience for over a hundred years. It is my wish to continue that tradition and spirit of the jubilee song and to extend its boundaries to include contemporary compositional techniques."
• Night Song (1973; theatre piece, unperformed; texts in Swahili, Gullah, and English)
• House by the Sea (libretto by Cunningham; incomplete)

References

• Wright, Josephine. "Cunningham, Arthur". The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.
• Kozinn, Allan. "Arthur Cunningham, Jazz Pianist and Roving Composer, Dies at 68". The New York Times, April 3, 1997.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Arthur Cunningham, African American Composer & Pianist . Chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com . 2012-08-30.
2. Web site: Source Material for Wikipedia. 11 January 2014.