Black String Musicians

Among instrumentalists, the one black superstar is Andre Watts (b. 1946), who burst on the music scene at sixteen and has since fully merited his worldwide acclaim; he has been for some years one of the four or five finest pianists in the world. But few realize that the plight of black players in recent decades has been worse than it was several generations ago. Several past notable violinists include Jose White (1836-1918), who was a concerto soloist with the New York Philharmonic more than once in the 1870s; Joseph Douglass (1871-1935), grandson of the legendary Frederick Douglass and the first black violinist to tour the United States as a recitalist; and Clarence Cameron White (1880-1960), who was active as a composer in addition to his concertizing. Only in the past few years have there been signs that things are looking better for black string players. Part of the evidence is a handful of recent recordings. In the world of the violin we have Sanford Allen (b. 1939), who entered the Juilliard School of Music at ten and by twenty was accomplished enough to play as a substitute violinist in the New York Philharmonic. In 1962 he became the first full-time black player in that orchestra. Over the years he gave occasional recitals, and in 1977 he courageously decided to give up his guaranteed income from the Philharmonic in favor of a career as a freelancer and soloist. Allen shows what he can do on the fourth of nine disks that Columbia Records issued in its Black Composers Series, a project that the firm unfortunately discontinued.' With the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, led

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