Two Black Artists.
One Historic Collaboration.
Still Resonant Today.
In 1897, composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar created African Romances, Op. 17 — recognized in Makeda Hampton’s research as the earliest published art-song collection by a Black composer set to the words of a Black poet.
More than a century later, Makeda Hampton restores this remarkable work to sound, bringing a foundational chapter of Black art-song history into contemporary conversation.
Seven songs. A powerful story.
A wider understanding of our musical history.
The Music
Rooted in her doctoral research into Black art song, Makeda Hampton preserves Coleridge-Taylor’s seven songs as published, joined by pianist Aurelien Eulert, while Zimbabwean musician-scholar Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa frames the cycle with an improvised mbira prelude and postlude. The result is a recording that brings African sonic traditions, European art song and Black American poetry into a wider diasporic conversation.
Living repertoire.
Listen to the Album
Experience the beauty, depth and timelessness ofAfrican Romances, Op. 17.
Track List
- Prelude
- An African Love Song
- A Prayer
- A Starry Night
- Dawn
- Ballad
- Over the Hills
- How Shall I Woo Thee?
- Postlude
Inside African Romances
Behind the Recording
Meet Makeda Hampton
Soprano | Recording Artist | Scholar
Makeda Hampton is an award-winning soprano, recording artist, scholar and educator whose work illuminates Black vocal literature through performance, research and storytelling. She has appeared on stages including the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall, and her ensemble work with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus has earned a GRAMMY Award and additional nomination. Her doctoral research into Black art song provides the foundation for African Romances, her debut solo recording.
Learn More About Makeda →