Comedy Overture on Negro Themes
Encyclopedia
The Comedy Overture on Negro Themes is a concert overture composed in 1910 by Henry F. Gilbert
; it was first performed in Central Park
, New York City
, by the Municipal Symphony on August 17, 1910. The piece derives its main melodic material from three black folk songs. The first is from the Bahamas, while the second ("I'se Gwine to Alabamy", a Mississippi
roustabout
song) and third ("Old Ship of Zion", used as the subject of a fugue
) are American
.
Henry F. Gilbert
Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert was an American composer and collector of folk songs. He is best remembered today for his interest in the music of African-Americans around the turn of the 20th century....
; it was first performed in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, by the Municipal Symphony on August 17, 1910. The piece derives its main melodic material from three black folk songs. The first is from the Bahamas, while the second ("I'se Gwine to Alabamy", a Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
roustabout
Roustabout
A roustabout is a labourer typically performing temporary, unskilled work. The term has traditionally been used to refer to traveling-circus workers, natural gas, or oil rig workers....
song) and third ("Old Ship of Zion", used as the subject of a fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
) are American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.