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Article: One-hit wonder; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha was as popular in the 1900s as Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals are today. But, as the first release of the composer's violin concerto reveals, he never bettered it.
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 7, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: NORMAN LEBRECHT
ONE summer's morning in 1912, a man of 37 left home and walked to West Croydon railway station, where he bought a ticket to Crystal Palace.
Before the train could puff in, he collapsed on the platform. Unaided, he staggered home to St Leonard's Road, where a doctor diagnosed pneumonia and prescribed complete rest.
The patient worked in bed on the manuscript of an overdue violin concerto; he died four days later.
At the funeral, crowds lined the route four deep, for his was more than local celebrity. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was the first black composer to make an impact on English ears. His cantata, Hiawatha's ...