Origins & Early Life

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 1875 – 1 September 1912) was a British composer and conductor. He was particularly known for his three cantatas on the epic 1855 poem The Song of Hiawatha by American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Coleridge-Taylor premiered the first section in 1898, when he was 23. Of mixed-race descent, Coleridge-Taylor achieved such success that he was referred to by white musicians in New York City as the "African Mahler" when he had three tours of the United States in the early 1900s.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He married an Englishwoman, Jessie Walmisley, and both their children had musical careers. Their son, Hiawatha, adapted his father's music for a variety of performances. Their daughter, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, became a composer and conductor. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born at 15 Theobalds Road in Holborn, London, to Alice Hare Martin (1856–1953), an Englishwoman, and Daniel Peter Hughes Taylor, a Creole man from Sierra Leone who had studied medicine in London and later became an administrator in West Africa. They were not married, and Daniel had returned to Africa without learning that Alice was pregnant.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

(Alice's parents had not been married at her...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Albert Schweitzer — Contemporary (Born in 1875) (1875): German polymath renowned for theology, music, and 'Reverence for Life'
• Aleister Crowley — Contemporary (Born in 1875) (1875): Founder of Thelema, a major occultist, poet, and ceremonial magician.
• Alfred P. Sloan — Contemporary (Born in 1875) (1875): Pioneered modern corporate structure and the annual model cycle at General Motors.
• A. E. van Vogt — Contemporary (Born in 1912) (1912): Influential Canadian-American science fiction writer known for bizarre narratives.
• Adolf Galland — Contemporary (Born in 1912) (1912): German Luftwaffe general and celebrated flying ace of World War II.
• Alan Turing — Contemporary (Born in 1912) (1912): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• Anthony of Padua — Shared historical date (08-15 · Born) (1195): Portuguese Catholic saint and Franciscan friar, renowned for his preaching.
• Ben Affleck — Shared historical date (08-15 · Born) (1972): Esteemed American actor and filmmaker known for dramatic roles and directorial efforts.
• A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada — Shared historical date (09-01 · Born) (1896): Pioneering global spread of Krishna consciousness teachings and the Hare Krishna mantra.
• Abraham Isaac Kook — Shared historical date (09-01 · Died) (1935): Pioneering Orthodox Rabbi and Father of Religious Zionism.
• 1875 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1875
• August 15 (08-15) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 15
• 1912 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1912
• September 1 (09-01) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on September 1