“We have this wonderful store of folk music—the melodies of an enslaved people, who pour out their longings, their griefs, and their inspirations in one great universal language. But this store will be of no value unless we utilize it, unless we treat it in such a manner that it can be presented in choral form, in lyric and operatic works, in concertos and suites and salon music—unless our musical architects take the rough timber of Negro themes and fashion from it music which will prove that we, too, have national feelings and characteristics, as have the European peoples whose forms we have zealously followed for so long.”

Urging the elevation of spirituals into sophisticated classical forms to affirm African American cultural identity · Musical America profile, 1918

• Creativity
• Heritage
• Music

“Suddenly it seemed I heard again the frail voice of my long departed grandmother calling across the years; and in a rush of emotion which stirred my spirit to its very center, the meaning of the songs which had given her soul such peace was revealed to me.”

Describing the pivotal moment when spirituals became the foundation of his compositional mission · Recollection of hearing Dvořák at Oberlin

• Heritage
• Inspiration
• Memory

“I am a musician whose ambition in life is the advancement of my people, and who believes absolutely in equality of opportunity for all peoples, regardless of race, creed, or color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Expressing a lifelong commitment to racial equality through music and education · Annual Report to Dr. Gregg, 1918

• Advocacy
• Ambition
• Equality