| The Lamplighter
Book Proposal I
want to introduce you to a great American hero -- and the subject of my new historical
novel: The Lamplighter: The Life & Music of Harry T. Burleigh. During
the first half of the Twentieth Century -- a time of tremendous racial turmoil
in the United States -- an African-American man named Harry T. Burleigh shined
as a world-famous composer, arranger, internationally respected editor, and courageous
artistic pioneer. The grandson of a slave, Burleigh overcame
formidable obstacles to become a leader in the musical world of his day. He is
best known for his artistic arrangements of the Negro Spirituals. His life and
work bridged the gap between two races and two cultures and paved the way for
the emergence of a truly American style of music. He was a
friend of the great Bohemian composer Antonin Dvorak, and influenced the writing
of "The New World Symphony." He was also a personal friend of Booker T. Washington,
James Weldon Johnson, and J.P. Morgan. He sang before President Teddy Roosevelt
and King Edward VII of England at a time when African-Americans endured grueling
persecution in the U.S. For 52 years he served as the baritone
soloist at the prestigious St. George Episcopal Church in Manhattan -- the first
black person to hold that position. During the first quarter
of this century, his popular songs were performed by the greatest artists of the
day. He was also an editor at the renowned music-publishing house G. Ricordi and
Sons in New York City. Because of his outstanding achievements as an African-American,
he became only the third person to receive the Spingarn Medal from the N.A.A.C.P.
But his legacy remains his artistic arrangements of the hauntingly
beautiful Negro Spirituals -- many of which are still in use today. Burleigh's
popularity is growing with the advent of the Internet. Several web pages are devoted
to his life and work. His portrait was recently hung in the National Portrait
Gallery in Washington, D.C. with other great African-American leaders. With
the recent observance of the fiftieth anniversary of his death, I believe the
time has come to share Harry T. Burleigh's dramatic story with the world. Several
people have written about Dr. Harry T. Burleigh since his death, but to my knowledge
this is the first narrative account of his life. While this is a work of fiction,
I have tried to ensure that it is as true to the historical record as possible
-- while striving to tell an entertaining story. Several people
have written about Dr. Harry T. Burleigh since his death, but to my knowledge
this is the first narrative account of his life. While this is a work of fiction,
I have tried to ensure that it is as true to the historical record as possible
-- while striving to tell an entertaining story. Book Idea
THE LAMPLIGHTER chronicles the ascent of the great African-American
composer Harry T. Burleigh from poverty to international musical acclaim in the
midst of the grueling oppression of Jim Crow segregation in the late 19th and
early 20th Centuries. Like Alex Hailey's Roots, this novel
describes one family's rise from slavery to success in America. It is a legacy
that follows Burleigh's ancestors from a plantation on Maryland's Easter Shore
to freedom in Pennsylvania on the shores of Lake Erie. We watch as they participate
in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad. The family rejoices
in emancipation, and groans under segregation and bigotry.
We follow Harry T. Burleigh through the Gilded Age, the Harlem Renaissance, two
economic depressions and two world wars. It is a classic American story of a family
overcoming daunting obstacles to achieve their most fantastic dreams -- as a result
of hard work, education, strong family ties, and faith in God. As
THE LAMPLIGHTER tells Burleigh's story, it also describes the birth of American
music in the person of Harry T. Burleigh. At the height of
his career, Dr. Burleigh gained the reputation as the "Dean of the Negro Spiritual,"
publishing more than 100 arrangements and saving some from obscurity. This book
shows how Harry first learned the plantation songs from his grandfather, a former
slave who purchased his freedom and then worked as an abolitionist to help others
to freedom. At an early age Harry was also trained in classical
European music by his mother, who learned it from her Scotch-Indian mother. The
melding of these to disparate forms of music in the person of Harry T. Burleigh
came to a culmination when he won a scholarship to the National Conservatory in
New York City. It was there that he met the great Bohemian composer, Antonin Dvorak,
and influenced the writing of the New World Symphony. Dvorak firmly believed that
African-American plantation songs, and the spirituals in particular, could be
the foundation for American music, and he encouraged Burleigh to, "…give them
to the world." Many musical historians believe that this was the beginning of
a distinctive American style of music -- a foundation that birthed the Blues,
Gospel, Jazz, and Rock and Roll. But this book is also about
the struggle of an African-American man overcoming racial prejudice and obtaining
true equality. From the O.J. Simpson trial to the 2000 presidential
election in Florida, strained race relations in America have been at the center
of our national consciousness. While great strides were made by Martin Luther
King and others during the Civil Rights Movement, recent events like the dragging
death of James Byrd Jr. in Texas, and the Rodney King affair in Los Angeles, show
that much distrust remains between the black and white communities in America.
This novel shows how one man rose above the racial divide and became a bridge
of understanding during the darkest years of segregation at the beginning of the
20th Century. Even today, at the dawn of the 21st Century,
some would say that there is little hope for healing between the races in America.
But this story gives a dramatic example of understanding and good will between
blacks and whites, that occurred because one man believed the Scriptural admonition
that, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there
is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
Intended Audience The main audience
for THE LAMPLIGHTER is middle and upper class, college educated people in both
the African-American and Caucasian communities, both in America, and also in other
Western nations that have struggled with the aftermath of African slavery. This
book would be of particular interest to the African-American religious community,
the Evangelical Christian community, and the musical world. The
novel is 477 pages long, double-spaced on standard 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Click here for author bio The Competition With the
unprecedented success of such Christian fiction books as the "Left Behind" series
by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, along with books by authors like Frank Peretti,
Jan Karon, Janette Oke, Max Lucado, and Francine Rivers, Christian fiction has
emerged as an exciting segment of the Christian book market. And historical fiction
is one of the most popular sections in bookstores today. THE
LAMPLIGHTER is in this category and meets the demand of today's book buyer for
compelling fiction from a Christian perspective. THE LAMPLIGHTER is similar to
Ken Wales' "Sea of Glory" in that it is a true story, about real people and real
events. Just as Sergeant Wesley Adams had to exchange the bitterness of the past
for the promise of the future in Wales' book, so Harry Burleigh has to overcome
the stings of bigotry and prejudice in his time to attain the success that eventually
came to him. Like "The Infidel" by Joe Musser, THE LAMPLIGHTER
grapples with the issue of African slavery and its deep-rooted wounds. In both
books the main characters encounter God's grace -- and leave a legacy of song
that still blesses people around the world today. In Al Lacy
& Joanna Lacy's "Let Freedom Ring," readers are taken back to the 19th Century
to follow the mass exodus of immigrants into America from around the world. In
the same way, THE LAMPLIGHTER goes back to 1832 to follow one family in a journey
from slavery to freedom in the 19th and 20th centuries. THE
LAMPLIGHTER is different from these and other Christian books on the market today,
however, in that it examines racial tension in America as a result of slavery,
and offers the only way to true reconciliation -- forgiveness through the grace
of God and the beauty of spiritual songs. Readers will be
inspired by the life of Harry T. Burleigh, and by the hauntingly beautiful spirituals
that are laced throughout the novel. "The spirituals," Burleigh once said, "are
inspirational in character, and they stand today as permanent evidence of the
race's spiritual ascendancy over oppression and humiliation. The cadences of sorrow
invariably turn to joy, and the message is ever manifest, that eventually deliverance
from all that hinders and oppresses the soul will come, and man, every man, will
be free." That is why THE LAMPLIGHTER will be a blessing to those who read it.
Information Sources In writing
the novel I utilized the following resources: "Hard Trials:
The Life and Music of Harry T. Burleigh," a biography by Anne K. Simpson, Scarecrow
Press, 1990; "Harry T. Burleigh and the Creative Expression
of Bi-musicality," a Ph.D. dissertation by Jean Snyder, University of Pittsburgh,
1992; "Classification of the Vocal Works of Harry T. Burleigh
(1866-1949)," a Ph.D. dissertation by Roland Allison, Indiana University, 1965;
The Harry T. Burleigh Collection at the Erie County Historical
Society, Erie, Pennsylvania; The Harry T. Burleigh Collection
at Mercyhurst College, Erie, Pennsylvania; and The Schomberg
Library, New York City. In the course of my research I also
interviewed some of Burleigh's personal acquaintances. I visited the home of Aida
Lawrence of Erie, Pennsylvania, Burleigh's hometown. When Burleigh came to Erie
he always stayed in the Lawrence home, and Aida remained in touch with him until
his death in 1949. I also had the cooperation and encouragement
of one of Harry's proteges', Mrs. Josephine Harreld Love, Director of the Heritage
Museum and Fine Arts Center For Youth in Detroit. Mrs. Love is a graduate of Juilliard
and a life-long admirer of Harry T. Burleigh. I visited Mrs. Love's home and museum
in Detroit. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the book and a valuable
source of information. Of course the Internet is now bursting
with information on the life and music of Harry T. Burleigh. Some of those sites
include: http://www.uni.edu/taylord/burleigh.bio.html
http://gigue.peabody.jhu.edu/~jstuckey/spirit.html#Burleigh
http://users.aol.com/themensch/delerma.html http://www.afrovoices.com/burleigh.html
; and http://www.jass.com/spirituals.html As
the grandson of a slave, Harry T. Burleigh knew poverty and disappointment and
the world's indifference - but having tasted unprecedented success, he never forgot
his roots. He schooled himself to sing not only in English, but also in Hebrew,
Latin, Italian, French, and German. Yet he believed that music had no race and
speaks no language, but is in itself a universal language. THE LAMPLIGHTER tells
the story of how he looked on music as a force that may one day unite men of all
races and creeds; a great light to illuminate the way to world peace.
Thank you for allowing me to introduce you to this remarkable American citizen.
I believe the time is right to share his story with the world. Please contact
me at the number or e-mail address listed below if you are interested in reading
the manuscript. (757)
620-2082 craig@vonbuseck.com Sample Chapters of The Lamplighter Chapter
1: Nobody Knows De Trouble I's Seen Chapter 17: Wade In de
Water More information on Craig's books Contact Craig
von Buseck
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