<I>Black Composers Series</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1986
name: label: Published by
content: CBS Records International, 1961 - 1991
label: Composed by
content: Chevalier de Saint-Georges, French, 1745 - 1799
label: Composed by
content: William Grant Still, American, 1895 - 1978
label: Composed by
content: Ulysses Simpson Kay, American, 1917 - 1995
label: Composed by
content: George Theophilus Walker, American, 1922 - 2018
label: Composed by
content: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, British, 1875 - 1912
label: Composed by
content: José Maurício Nunes Garcia, Brazilian, 1767 - 1830
label: Composed by
content: Roque Cordero, Panamanian, 1917 - 2009
label: Composed by
content: Olly Woodrow Wilson Jr., American, Washington University in St. Louis, 1937 - 2018
label: Composed by
content: Fela Sowande, Nigerian, 1905 - 1987
label: Composed by
content: Thomas Jefferson Anderson, Jr., American, born 1928
label: Composed by
content: Talib-Rasul Hakim, American, 1940 - 1988
label: Composed by
content: David Nathaniel Baker Jr., American, born 1931
label: Composed by
content: Hale Smith, American, 1925 - 2009
label: Composed by
content: Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork, American, born 1941
label: Composed by
content: José Silvestre de los Dolores White Lafitte, Cuban, 1835 - 1918
label: Published by
content: The College Music Society, American, founded 1958
label: Illustrated by
content: David C. Driskell, American, 1931 - 2020
notes: label: Caption
content: Originally packaged in brown sleeves, the packaging and presentation of recorded music was transformed when an art director at Columbia Records, created the first album cover using graphic design in 1939. By the late 1940s, the first commercially available vinyl 12” long-playing record was introduced by Columbia Records and featured colorful paper and cardboard covers in both 10" and 12" sizes. The name "album" was used to describe the new music format and the creation of artistic album covers continued as well.
label: Description
content: This object is comprised of eight discs (a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h) of the long-playing record Black Composers Series, an album box liner (i), and box (j) and lid (k) . The vinyl discs (a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h) has a round red label with yellow text on the left-hand side that reads “CBS/ SPECIAL/ PRODUCTS.” There is a yellow line around the border. The rest of the text is black. The album box liner (i) is a booklet of seventeen pages with biographies of each of the composers featured on the album. The cover of the booklet has a white background with a square in the center that has a print of collage artwork by David Driskell. This illustration shows an abstract depiction of a man. The man’s head and left hand are collage additions to a painted surface. The man wears a hat and a billowing shirt of multiple floral patterns and colors with a long white ruffled sleeve. His head is tilted against his right shoulder and his eyes are closed. He appears to be cradling an instrument in his right hand. The artist’s signature is visible on the man’s ruffled left sleeve cuff. Above the collage near the top margin is black text that reads “CBS Records’/ BLACK COMPOSERS SERIES.” Below the collage text reads “THE COLLEGE MUSIC SOCIETY.” The flyleaf of the booklet has a short essay titled “In Appreciation” regarding the reissue of this album set and the parties who made it possible. The facing page is the title page. The following two pages contain the Table of Contents of the booklet and the Program Contents of the albums. The subsequent pages contain the composers’ biographies, each accompanied by a black and white portrait. The box (j) is black cardboard. The lid (k) is matching black cardboard with a white top. On the top surface is a reproduction of the booklet cover. This features a white background with a square in the center that has a print of collage artwork by David Driskell. This illustration shows an abstract depiction of a man. The man’s head and left hand are collage additions to a painted surface. The man wears a hat and a billowing shirt of multiple floral patterns and colors with a long white ruffled sleeve. His head is tilted against his right shoulder and his eyes are closed. He appears to be cradling an instrument in his right hand. The artist’s signature is visible on the man’s ruffled left sleeve cuff. Above the collage near the top margin is black text that reads “CBS Records’/ BLACK COMPOSERS SERIES.” Below the collage text reads “THE COLLEGE MUSIC SOCIETY.” There are several small brown spots on the lower right side of the lid. Album release number P 19426.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Classical (Music)
label: Topic
content: Composers (Musicians)
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Record Albums
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2015.189.57a-k
objectType: label: Type
content: record covers
label: Type
content: long-playing records
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © 1986 The College Music Society; © CBS Inc
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: (a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h): vinyl with ink on paper (fiber product)
label: Medium
content: (i): ink on paper (fiber product)
label: Medium
content: (j,k): ink on paper (fiber product) on cardboard
label: Dimensions
content: Diameter (a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h. disc): 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (i. liner notes booklet): 11 1/2 × 11 1/2 in. (29.2 × 29.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (j,k. box, lid): 12 3/8 × 12 3/8 × 1 in. (31.4 × 31.4 × 2.5 cm)