Margaret Bonds
Margaret Bonds (1913–1972) Chicago-born composer, pianist, and activist, Margaret Bonds created over 200 works spanning orchestra, choir, solo voice, and theater. Her music wove together classical harmony, gospel, and jazz into a distinctly African American voice. Her major choral works — The Ballad of the Brown King (1954), Simon Bore the Cross (1965), and Credo (1965) — form the cornerstone of her legacy. Credo, setting text by W.E.B. Du Bois, is an uncompromising affirmation of Black identity. A close friendship with Langston Hughes inspired many of her most celebrated vocal compositions. The first African American woman to perform as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bonds remains one of the most important voices in American choral literature.
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