Early Life and Education
Burleigh was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. With the aid of a scholarship (obtained with the help of Francis MacDowell, the mother of composer Edward MacDowell), Burleigh was accepted to the prestigious National Conservatory of Music in New York, eventually playing double bass in the Conservatory's orchestra. In 1893, he assisted the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. Most of the work that Burleigh did for Dvořák was copy work, transferring the manuscript of Dvořák's 9th symphony for the parts for various instruments. However, Burleigh did have a role in introducing Dvořák to African American folk music. Despite the fact that much of the melodic material of the symphony can be traced to Dvořák's homeland, and that Dvořák himself perceived many of the 'American' tunes in it as being Native American, it has been claimed that "The first time a Negro song became a major theme in a great symphonic work... was in 1893, when Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony was played".
Though at first he was denied entrance to the Conservatory due to low grades, Mrs. MacDowell (the registrar) insisted that Burleigh try his entrance exam again. Days later, he received a scholarship. To help earn a small income during his years there, Burleigh was known to work for Mrs. MacDowell as a handyman, cleaning and working on anything she needed. According to some, Burleigh would sing spirituals while cleaning the halls of the Conservatory, which caught the attention of Dvořák, who invited Burleigh to sing to him. It has been alleged that this interaction with Burleigh inspired Dvořák to write down the spirituals, which he eventually incorporated into his “New World Symphony”. However, modern music historians doubt this account.
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