Bernice Johnson Reagon Collection of African American Sacred Music

  1. Resources
  2. View Resource

ArchivalResource

Bernice Johnson Reagon Collection of African American Sacred Music

circa 1822-1994

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8bbe93fc4-7c52-4442-bc61-ecb16e21a0b2

The collection documents the customs and culture of black gospel song and its performance in 19th- and 20th-century America. Dr. Reagon collected photographs, sheet music, and other primary and secondary sources chronicling the development and legacy of this medium, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement, from blues to Gospel to classical to jazz. Among the subjects included in this collection are trailblazers such as Charles Tindley, Thomas A. Dorsey, Rosetta Tharpe, Duke Ellington, and Nathaniel Dett. Noted performers are the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the Harmonizing Four, the Hampton University Choir, and the Chick Webb Orchestra.

6.55 Cubic feet (17 boxes)

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 11662140

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center

Related Entities

There are 2 Entities related to this resource.

Reagon, Bernice Johnson, 1942-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64n9xgg (person)

Born on October 4, 1942, Bernice Johnson Reagon grew up in Albany, Georgia, where she became involved in the civil rights movement. As a student at Albany State College in 1961, Reagon was arrested for participating in a SNCC demonstration. She spent the night in jail singing songs and after her arrest joined the SNCC Freedom Singers to use music as a tool for civic action. Reagon earned her B.A. in history from Spelman College in 1970. In 1973, she founded Sweet Honey in the Rock, an award-winn...

Richardson, Deborra

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6nx09wd (person)