Musical Heritage

A note from Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, founder/artistic director

I founded The Nathaniel Dett Chorale in 1998, in response to a musical void in Canada. To the best of my - or anyone else's - knowledge, there had never before been a professional ensemble dedicated to the dissemination of Afrocentric choral music, and the response received in Canada and the United States of America since its inception has certainly given credence to the founding vision. I am indebted to Mary Lou Fallis and the Canada Council for the Arts for prompting and supporting this initiative, respectively.

When determining a name for the ensemble, I wanted to honour Canadian African musical heritage. I was inspired by the life and work of R. Nathaniel Dett in general, and in particular by his essay The Emancipation of Negro Music, for which he won the James Bowdoin literary prize from Harvard University in 1920. I am again indebted to Margaret Leask for first bringing Dr. Dett to my attention, and to the biographical works of Vivian Flagg McBrier - R. Nathaniel Dett: His Life and Works (1882-1943) - and Anne Key Simpson - Follow Me: The Life and Music of R. Nathaniel Dett - for expanding my awareness. With the acquisition of this information, it was an easy step to make Nathaniel Dett the ensemble's namesake.