Episode 1
Dinah Bowman and the Black Bachs?
Episode 1 Transcript
Hey Y’all, welcome to classical queens; a podcast where I Jessica Joy will be bringing you the history of the brilliant Black classical royalty you have probably never heard about. I’ll share with you their stories, information on how these women helped shape music in america and we’ll end utilizing this history by considering how their experiences instill us with knowledge that assists in pushing the boundaries of culture in our own orchestra’s, bands, choirs, schools, and communities. I am so hugely passionate about this topic. These histories remain relevant, as the evolution from slavery to a legislated oppression isn’t as vast a difference as many seem to think. this is my way of helping shift that understanding, in a realm that I have participated in my whole life, classical music. I hope you join me as we uncover forgotten artists- unpacking the hardship, resilience, and joy of their existences. My name is Jessica Joy, and imma show you how these queens have been breaking their chains, and slaying, seen and unseen, for hundreds of years.
INTRO
Hey ya’ll!
I just want to start off by speaking about how amazing it feels to be finally release this first episode, this has been some time in the making! Ive been doing lots of research and presenting this information in various forms, but I’m glad to be finally sharing this in a way that interests me because I love a podcast. So, thank you for joining! My name is Jessica Joy, I am a violinist, and I really love classical music. But to say that my love for this music extends to its longstanding culture, is just really not correct. This particular understanding is why I am here. So let me tell you a bit about my own journey.
A few years ago, I decided to go back to school to get my masters and figure out how exactly this long standing classical tradition, effects my experience in a professional orchestra. I figured that if I could learn from the lives and careers of the black musical queens that came before me, I would better understand the endless frustrations that I have been met with in the music world, and hopefully create space to move more freely for myself and those of the BIPOC community who are currently working or who will surely follow me.
What I found in my research was so brilliant, influential, and inspiring, that I had to share what I’ve discovered of these women and their lives. Together, lets delve into how these women helped shape music in America and then consider how their experience can help us make new moves, and push the boundaries of culture in our own orchestra’s, bands, schools, and communities.
Lets get started!, And Imma show you how these queens have been breaking their chains, and slaying, seen and unseen, for hundreds of years.
TERM DROP
Each episode, I plan to start off with defining or dropping a few terms you are going to hear throughout. So as we delve into each topic, y’all have a few details on what we are discussing. That way, no matter the amount of experience you have with black classical music, or even classical music, you’ll be able to be right there with those of us who have been considering these topics for some time.
Explanation: There are many useful terms that historians and artists have used to categorize music, so in each episode I will leave an explanation of these terms that I have gathered in my research that directly relate to each of these stories, or important parts of black American classical music history, and leave all the sited information, in the notes for you to peruse. Something to remember about classical music, is that most of this research or perspective is from the European cultural lens. I am working to try to share more than just one perspective on this research so please bare with me as I try to balance differing culture perspectives.
1st term: (drip sound effect)
Black Idiom: this word points to the origins of black american music. So when we see this word, it is helpful to think of the kinds of music that were brought from the African diaspora, through European slavery. We must remember that traditional music from Africa didn’t just come from one tribe, in one specific place in Africa, but from many differing tribes, many separate cultures, and spaces. Which means that early American continent was filled with Slaves who each brought their unique knowledge and identities surrounding music. So when we see the word Black Idiom we can think of ancient aural tradition of music, with the use of instruments, varied rhythms, varying timber, vocal usage (but please don’t think of European arias and choirs), dance, and improvisations of all the above as well. Each dependent on the region and tribes one came from.
2nd term: (drip sound effect)
Functionality: Historian Richard Crawford defines functionality as music that is used throughout daily life. European culture placed music in a specific space, music was either secular or sacred, there was no room for anything in between. However in African and Native American culture, music making was for anything. A quote from Richard Crawford’s book ‘American’s Musical Life’ explains this difference in a helpful way “Humankind, nature, and divine beings make up a sacred whole, which encompasses what Westerners take to be the secular world” With this concept in mind it helps us understand how music was so encompassed in Africa culture. It was used to express emotion, share messages, work out differences, and was a way for this vast group of humans to connect and communicate, as a means to survive the horrors that this country decided to place upon their lives.
Thus, functionality.
Let’s meet this weeks Queen- Dinah Bowman
Today’s Queen- Dinah Bowman (she lived from 1744-1837)
Mini Synopsis: Ms. Bowman is considered to be the first black woman in American music history, known to be a pianist. She lived from 1744- 1837. Born a slave in Massachusetts, Dinah did not receive her freedom until her husband purchased her, so they could be married. This transaction occurred on June 12th, 1763, for the sum of 500 pounds. We know her to have had about 13 children (however I have read accounts that say they had 15) either way- Bless her! Together, she and her husband worked in Dracut Massachusetts, where they performed together for their towns music occasions, formal and informal. they were highly regarded in the Dracut mass. Community, and did very well for themselves and their family. From what I discovered, music became a necessary family tradition, a trait of their heritage, a career path, that birthed over four generations of artists. Her contribution to American music is beautiful to me. She was musician and mother, with each of these facets of life, in complement of the other.
Questions of our Queen
(Sound Effect) Where is information on Dinah Bowman found?
Sometimes, I wish all historical information leftover from someone’s life, was from the person in questions perspective. Sadly, much of the history we have on early black Americans is seen through everything but their eyes. However disheartening, this does give us a vast understanding of the world around them. They weren’t really given the tools or room to speak. So what we know of Dinah Bowman, is through her husbands and children’s records. Her slave bill, their wedding papers, her husbands military paper work, pension, and such. She was also written about, by her children. All the information available on this woman, is through the lives of others. Because of this, there is only so much we can understand about her. We cannot assume to truly know her and her intentions, because there is nothing left, in her voice. So as we study her, as we study history, to not assume a persons experience and create fictional scenarios on their lives. I of course wish I knew even more of this woman, because what she was able to accomplish in her life, is truly amazing, and there are not many black women during her lifetime that had the same opportunity as she, to not only have been able to raise a family with a spouse, but to also create a musical legacy for that family.
How was Dinah able to receive training?-
It is fairly well known that as a common practice, slave owners, would train their slaves for musical services as their slave duties. This is the only way Dinah Bowman could have received her piano training. There is no information either way, but because she was in service her whole life till she married. It’s really the only logical conclusion we have left.
Now before we continue, I must note something, because too often, I have heard slavery justified, and I think it’s important to state a few things regarding her enslavement. Even if her duties were primarily musical ones, she was still a slave, she was still forced to exist this way for white entertainment. We must be careful to not see her experience to mean ‘slavery is easy’ at least she wasn’t laboring in a field. It was neither pleasant, nor easy, because she was a slave, and she didn’t have a right to choose. I feel the need to say this so as to help us all remember to take history as it is. To remember that slavery cannot be justified as easy or manageable, because it wasn’t “that bad”. Because it was bad. She was someone’s property.
How did her husband have the means to purchase her for 500 pounds?
So I had this pretty fabulous classmate, who taught me to realize the importance of understanding finances when studying history, and then relating that back to the present, so we have a greater understanding of the meaning of certain purchases. If we take a look at the cost of Dinah’s freedom, 500pds in 1763, in 2020, we are looking at the equivalent to be $99,845 pounds if use an average of 2.08% average inflation. Which is around $121, 471, American dollars. I don’t know about you, but my first question was, how did Barzillia Lew in 1763 America have that kind of money?
This lead me to understand an integral part about how Dinah Bowman was able to live the life she did. It had to do with her husband Barzailli Lew. This man was not born a slave in america. He was a free man, with a great musical talent. He worked as a fife, fiddle, and drum player for the military, and served in the 1760 French and Indian War, as well as the revolutionary war, at the battle of bunker hill. Because of his freedom, location (for they lived in the north), and employment, he was not only able to remain free but able to purchase his wife Dinah’s freedom due tot his situation. Also worthy to note, most blacks did not receive their pensions from these wars, and the WW’s that would eventually follow. More unique circumstances. Then together they purchased a plot of farmland in Massachusetts. Understanding this unique set of circumstances, taught me to remember how most of African life was in america in the mid 1700’s to early 1800’s.
What did we learn from this week’s Queen?
It is written that Dinah and Brazilian Lew, after the revolutionary war, were extremely active within their community of Dracut Massachusetts. In multiple texts I have read that they performed together for almost every formal occasion, they played for the church, and they raised their children with musical an military careers in mind. Musically what I see of such importance is that in the mid 1700’s they were able to raise a family, and create generations of musicians. This was not a norm for most blacks in america during their time.
Slavery was such a brutal practice. Families were torn apart, and rarely allowed to stay together in service. These women and men were not always lucky enough to be able to see their children grow, to know their grandchildren. Many were separated from their spouses. For American’s white economic growth was more important that keeping black families together.
Dinah and Brazili Lew were able to exist in a way that most Black people in america could not. A quote from dinah’s daughter points out that she was “bleached by the sun”. I sometimes wonder if her ability to ‘pass’ was what first allowed her to be able to learn piano in the first place. Whatever the case, she lived a big life. It is said “that no other family in middlesex county from Lowell to Cambridge could produce so much good music”.
Also, I am not the only interested musician who has found the lives of these two inspiring. The music you hear now was written by Duke Ellington, who actually happened to be a major proponent of African American History. Although this is not about Dinah, I thought I would share this. This piece is entitled Brazzaville Lew,
Current Takeaway
Now that we have learned about Dinah Bowman’s life, I want to spend time in this last segment (learn from our royalty) as a chance to take away something meaningful from these women’s life. What can we learn from Dinah’s life that could positively effect our lives and careers, as well as how we move in our schools, work places, community’s? In this first episode, I will be sharing my personal takeaway. Which involves a little back story…
I was in grad school. I was my second semester and I was in this very in depth seminar about Handle and Bach. So I was in the thick of it, trying to understand everything I could about these famous German composers. To balance however, research that I had to do, and what I as interested in, I was at the time, reading everything I could on black women composers. Right after I discovered Dinah Bowman, I was instantly intrigued by this woman who received less than a paragraph of time in Richard Crawfords American history text. She was the first woman spoken about during her particular time period, and I was so surprised to see this tiny paragraph, so I started digging! The more I found out about her, the more I couldn’t get the thought out of my head, omg she was like the Bach’s, she created generations of black American musicians, just like the Bach’s did in Germany! They even lived during the same time. I was obsessed with this idea of their similarity! It was so meaningful to me, because I had never heard of a black family existing as musicians like she was able, that early in american history. Well, it was then that I realized I needed to check myself.
I kept thinking about her family and how they lived similarly to the Bach’s, and initially relating Dinah to the Bach’s helped me understand her impact on Massachusetts culture, as her and her husband were apart of every social function, the Bach’s too were integral to their own towns. However, with more thought, I realized that I cannot compare these experiences. Not at all. The German Bach’s were free to move about their lives highly educated, with much opportunity, and royal financial support. Dinah and her husband were able to create their experience amidst slavery, racism, war, and being black in a space that didn’t value blackness, AT ALL. It taught me to be more aware of all the ways the classical music world, leans into the tokenization of musicians of color. I think I’m so used to the culture and how it moves, that I just have allowed things to be. I allowed tokenization in my initial research thought process, I did that, and I’m black.
I then started to consider what tokenization looks like in the classical culture. I came to fine some instances where tokenization stood out to me. Very simply it happens in programming all the time, as organizations and musicians have been putting musicians of color in comparison to white ones for quite some time.Or women in comparison to men. As if to prove that the minority can live up to the majority, and within that, prove that the minority has worth.
So as I continue to write, speak, and perform works by musicians of color, I have learned from Dinah Bowman to meet these histories and this music where it is. To work to not impose upon it interpretation and thought process solely of European culture. But to understand what comes from traits we see in the Black Idiom and what comes from European culture, and then, through the histories decipher what motivated and moved each musician and composer I come across. So each have the ability to show their worth on their own terms, not those imposed upon them by a history of white men, with privilege and power. (Smash Glass Sound)
Conclusion
Well, yall, I hope you enjoyed our travel through history. If you have any suggestions on black women in classical music you would like me to research, drop me a DM on my instagram @ClassicalQueens. I would love to hear from you all, and understand the ways you have been able to implement information such as this into your spaces.
For now this is a bi-weekly podcast, and if you like it, you should leave a five star rating and a review! . Next episode, we’ll delve into the life of Amelia Tillman- who did just such brilliant things as a means to showcase the excellence of her people. Till then-
See ya, Queen’s!
Cited Work
America’s Musical Life: A History by Richard Crawford- pg. 104-106.
“Value of 1763 pounds today|UK inflation calculator.” Official inflation data, Alioth Finance, 20, May, 2020 https:// www.officialdata.org/uk/inlfation/1763
African American’s in the Military by Catherine Reef pg. 143-144
Music for Black American’s: A History By Eileen Southern
pg 63-70 (blacks in the revolutionary war -music)
Pg 53-58 (Pinkerton celebrations) music as a means of survival
Duke Ellington Archives| https://sova.si.edu/record/NMAH.AC.0301 Barzillia Lew
https://archive.org/details/profilesincourage More Information on the generations of Lews
Black Instrumental Music Traditions in the Ex-Slave Narratives Author(s): Robert B. Winans
Source: Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring, 1990), pp. 43-53
Published by: Center for Black Music Research - Columbia College Chicago and University of Illinois Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/779531
