Margaret Bonds (1913–1972), an American composer and pianist, emerged as a prominent figure in the mid-20th-century classical music scene. Living in a time of profound social change, Bonds made significant contributions to the African American art music tradition, with her compositions reflecting both her classical training and her engagement with African American spirituals and folk music.
The “Credo” by Bonds exemplifies her commitment to blending traditional European forms with African American musical idioms. This choral work, setting the Nicene Creed to music, showcases Bonds’ harmonic richness and innovative use of text, drawing inspiration from her collaborator, poet Langston Hughes.
In the context of mid-20th-century American music, Bonds’ “Credo” stands as a significant contribution to the genre of choral music, combining the spiritual and the classical. Comparisons with contemporaries such as William Grant Still and Florence Price reveal Bonds’ distinct voice, as she navigated a musical landscape that was both shaped by tradition and evolving with the currents of modernism.
As an African American woman composer, Margaret Bonds’ “Credo” serves as a testament to her trailblazing spirit, contributing to the broader narrative of American classical music by infusing it with the richness of her cultural heritage.
Composer biography:
https://oxfordsong.org/composer/margaret-bonds
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