I was unaware of the Black influence on Classical Music and was introduced to this idea after watching the Hidden Colors documentary. I am beginning with Beethoven for the obvious reasons. His mother was a moor (meaning a black women, moor is a color not a person) and his direct African/Black affiliation is not emphasized.
As with anything concerning blacks, the depictions have been manipulated over time. Beethoven’s hair obtained so much attention because of it’s texture, indigenous to the characteristics of black people’s hair. Any African ancestry is barely mentioned in history texts and it was known that his mother was a Moor. I was not surprised at the difficulty of obtaining clues to the validity of his nationality and barely mentions his mother. I wonder why that is.
Classical music was derived from combining the concepts of the Harp, Xylophone and guitar to produce the piano. The Moors used “classical music” as we know it today but was considered soul music because it was used to heal the sick. The Moors would introduce music in the British colonies along with the Spanish. This style of music like many other was stripped from the Africans and passed off as British.
The Challenge 