The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN CELEBRATION OF HENRY THACKER ``HARRY'' BURLEIGH
______
HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the contributions of Henry Thacker ``Harry'' Burleigh of the great state of New York. The newly christened Harry T. Burleigh Place in Gramercy Park celebrates a man who dedicated his life to enhancing lives through music singing, composing and social justice. This well-
deserving recognition honors the indelible impact Mr. Burleigh, known widely as the Father of Spiritual Music, left on New York and communities around the world.
Born in 1866 and growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania as a young African-
American baritone singer, Harry Burleigh traveled to New York City and applied to the National Conservatory of Music to study with well-known Director and composer, Antonin Dvorak. His exceptional talent was recognized, and a scholarship awarded to Mr. Burleigh in 1892 enabled him to gain experience editing recordings and developing his classical spirituals. One of these was ``Deep River'' a spiritual composition from 1917 which is recognized all over the world to this day.
Tragically, Mr. Burleigh's life was spent under the heinous abuses of Jim Crow, and the systemic discrimination of ``separate but equal'' endemic to it. Yet in the face of these challenges to his rights and liberties, Mr. Burleigh always led with his talents and tireless work ethic, earning him many glowing accomplishments throughout his life. In 1894, Mr. Burleigh auditioned at St. George's Episcopal Church at 4 Rutherford Place in Manhattan, which still stands proudly today within my district and holds concerts celebrating Burleigh's compositions annually. Church member J.P. Morgan insisted that St. George's hire Mr. Burleigh, and so became the church's Choral Director. He would continue to introduce and play his classical spiritual music there for 52 years. Concurrently he integrated Temple Emanu-El, now Congregation Emanu-El, for a quarter of a century. In 1895, Mr. Burleigh made it a point to personally test the strength of newly passed civil rights laws in New York by asking for service at 25 establishments.
From 1908 onward, he sang for King Edward VII in London, performed on Mayor La Guardia's weekly radio show Talk to the People, and composed over 200 pieces encompassing the classical spiritual music genre. The renowned Dvorak' Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) credits the incorporation and soulfulness of Burleigh's spiritual works. Mr. Burleigh was also a distinguished chartered member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) bestowed with great public honors. He received the 1917 N.A.A.C.P. Spingarn Achievement Medal, and honorary Doctorate of Music from Howard University and Atlanta University in 1920. In addition, Mr. Burleigh mentored Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Roland Hayes and Enrico Caruso who would go on to make their own exciting contributions to our nation's musical story.
Mr. Burleigh's legacy of social justice lives on through The Harry T. Burleigh Society. Formed in 2017, the society continues Burleigh's important legacy of disrupting boundaries and challenging social norms to address issues of our time. The Center for Peace, Equity & Justice at Friends Seminary School in New York City, coordinated an education/
postcard campaign that was sent to Community Board Six in Manhattan, further highlighting his importance in American social justice to our beloved city.
The co-naming on September 12, 2021 at the South East comer of 16th Street and Third Avenue, Harry T. Burleigh Place, stands now as a testament to his important work as a baritone soloist, choral director, music arranger, editor, mentor, and a New York Community leader.
Harry Burleigh contributed so much to New York and the world, adding his sonorous and unique brand of spiritual signing to our ever-growing chorus of American culture. I am pleased to add my own voice to that chorus today in recognition and remembrance of this great man.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 179
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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