Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms

Spotlighting Black musicians who performed works by canonical German composers in 19th- and 20th-century Germany and Austria, Thurman’s (history and Germanic languages, Univ. of Michigan) rich and illuminating work of scholarship adds another dimension to classical music history. In this interdisciplinary study, she examines Black singers and “the hidden racial logics that then erased their presence on German stages.” Many classical music lovers will have heard of Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, and Leontyne Price and their successes on European stages, but few are likely aware of the accomplishments of Hazel Harrison, Sissieretta Jones, Claudio Brindis de Salas, or a number of the other figures Thurman covers. In addition to her accounts of these artists, Thurman provides substantive discussions of national and cultural identity and stereotyping and implicit bias in the European arts scene of the last two centuries. A generous bibliography and extensive notes support an important work that will enlighten and energize scholars of music, culture, and Black and German history.