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Published: Thursday, 02 January 2025 at 09:30 AM
New research uncovers forgotten British Abolition songs
The Guildhall School, in partnership with the British Library and Handel Hendrix House, is launching Abolition Song and its Legacies. The new research project and concert series investigates previously unknown British Abolition song and music associated with Britain’s Black communities from 1788 onwards.
Led by BBC Music Magazine critic Dr Berta Joncus, the two-year project began in October 2024 and will include the production of digitised scores with the British Library, six seminar days featuring scholars from across a range of disciplines, and six recorded performances featuring early career artists.
What is ‘Abolition song’?
‘Abolition song’ – a term created for the project – refers to roughly 65 airs promoting Abolitionism, composed from 1788 to 1830 for private and public concerts in Britain. As the protest song of its day, Abolition song argued for recognising enslaved peoples’ inalienable human rights. It emerged in parallel with Black virtuosi performing in Britain, and against the backdrop of Black communities making music here since the 16th century.
Dr Berta Joncus said:
‘Abolition Song and its Legacies provides a crucial opportunity to interrogate newly discovered 18th-century Abolitionist vocal music, and explore its place in the histories of the British trade in enslaved peoples, the abolitionist movement, Black writers in Britain, and the musical legacies of Black communities here.
‘In engaging project musicians to perform selected songs and keyboard music across six concerts, along with readings from 18th-century Black authors in Britain, we can lift these important artistic contributions off the page. Some of this work is challenging, and the musicians, joined by the project’s twelve-person team of scholars, will discuss their own reactions, insights, and aspirations with audiences after each concert.’
When will the concerts take place?
The first concert will take place in Handel Hendrix House on 9 January 2025, with the following two performances on 19 May and 8 September.