She performed her compositions for royalty and mingled with dignitaries and revolutionaries across Africa...yet today's audiences have rarely even heard her name.
Famous from a young age, Harlem's Philippa Schuyler (1931-1967) fearlessly traveled the globe, performing in nearly eighty countries and developing a second career in freelance journalism before her tragic early death in the Vietnam War. The biracial child prodigy, concert pianist, composer, war correspondent, and humanitarian documented her unique life through her musical compositions, which fell into obscurity after her untimely passing in 1967.
Throughout her unconventional childhood, failed romances, and personal struggles, Schuyler searched for identity and belonging through her music, continuing to write pieces in the midst of world tours and war zones. Schuyler's diverse musical inspirations included Haitian Vodou melodies, medieval French folk tunes, Ugandan hunting songs, and even an oratorio about Catholic martyrs in Africa. Combining these varied materials with tales from local history and her own systems of encryption, Schuyler created complex musical mosaics and miniatures - snapshots depicting a forgotten life of adventure.
Based on years of research into Schuyler's unpublished manuscripts, sketches, letters, personal audio recordings, and other documents, Snapshots of Forgotten Adventures: Rediscovering the Piano Music of Philippa Schuyler introduces audiences to the music of this fascinating yet overlooked composer.
"With her captivating new book, Sarah Masterson shines light on the incredible life and compositions of Philippa Schuyler. Masterson's research, writing and analysis inspire the reader to further explore Schuyler's fascinating career and work. What a delight for women composer advocates and music lovers alike - Brava Dr. Masterson!"
-Julia Mortyakova, DMA
Artistic Director, Music by Women Festival
Professor and Chair, Department of Music, Mississippi University for Women
