John Wesley Work Jr.
John Wesley Work Jr. | |
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Frederick Jerome Work (brother) |
John Wesley Work Jr. (August 6, 1871 – September 7, 1925) was a musicologist, who was the first
Early life
Work was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Samuella and John Wesley Work,[1] who was director of a church choir, some of whose members were also in the original Fisk Jubilee Singers.[2] John Wesley Work Jr. attended Fisk University, where he organized singing groups and studied Latin and history, graduating in 1895. He also studied at Harvard University.
Career
Work then taught in Tullahoma, Tennessee and worked in the library at Fisk University, before taking an appointment as a Latin and history instructor at Fisk in 1904.[2][1] His colleague, instructor and registrar Minnie Lou Crosthwaite, later commented on his deep interest in the "progress and welfare of his students", though he had conflicts with others in the Fisk music department.[3]
With his wife and his brother,
As the director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, he was responsible for taking them on tour each year. However, because of negative feelings toward black folk music at Fisk, he was forced to resign his post there in 1923. He then served as president of
Personal life and death
Work married Agnes Haynes in 1899. They had six children, of whom John Wesley Work III (1901–67) also worked as the director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and as a song collector and composer.
Work died on September 7, 1925.
References
- ^ a b c d Emory Libraries MARBL: John Wesley Work Papers Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d The Hymns and Carols of Christmas: John Wesley Work Jr.
- ISBN 9781617036750.
External links
- Works by John Wesley Work Jr. at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University: John Wesley Work papers