By the mid-1920s, the Harlem Renaissance was underway. As an effort to secure economic, social, and cultural equality with white citizens, the Renaissance years were a proving period for black composers and performers. Black Music in the Harlem Renaissance explores black music in the United States and England during the 1920s and its relationship to other arts of the time.
The first collection on the subject, Black Music in the Harlem Renaissance seeks to revise previous assumptions about music during this era. The book features essays on various subjects including musical theatre, Duke Ellington, black music and musicians in England, concert singers and the interrelationships between black painters and music. In addition, the book includes a music bibliography of works composed during the period.