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FROM THE ARCHIVES
By Eva Philips Staff writer
This week in Mercyhurst history, the Archives give us a look back at a renowned Black composer from the Erie area.
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Harry T. Burleigh was born in Erie in 1866 and went on to become an influential musician and composer.
His work helped shape American classical music as it developed stylistically.
He also influenced the work of Antonin Dvorak, who credited Black music as foundational for American classical music.
On Feb. 11, 1991, Mercyhurst established the Harry T. Burleigh Memorial Center in the Hammermill Library to preserve and promote information about the life of Harry Burleigh.
Today, those materials are housed in the Mercyhurst Archives as the Harry T. Burleigh Collection, paying tribute to an accomplished individual whose talent forever altered the landscape of American music.
