Ella Sheppard facts for kids
Ella Sheppard (born February 4, 1851 – died June 9, 1914) was an amazing American musician. She was a soprano singer, a pianist, and a composer. Ella also arranged many Negro Spirituals, which are powerful songs. She was a key leader of the first Fisk Jubilee Singers from Nashville, Tennessee. Besides piano, she played the organ and guitar. Ella Sheppard was also a close friend of important African-American leaders like Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass.
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Ella's Early Life and Education
Ella Sheppard was born on a plantation called The Hermitage. Her father, Simon, worked hard to earn money. He was a liveryman and hack driver in Nashville. This allowed him to buy his own freedom.
Ella's mother, Sarah Hannah Sheppard, was also promised freedom. But the slave owner broke this promise. Sarah was very upset. She even threatened to jump into the river with Ella rather than see her child enslaved. An older enslaved woman stopped her. She told Sarah that Ella was meant for great things.
Fearing for the child, the slave owner allowed Simon to buy Ella's freedom. He paid $350 for his daughter. Later, Ella's mother was sold to a plantation far away. Ella stayed with her father in Nashville. He later bought the freedom of another enslaved woman he married.
In 1856, there was a race riot in Nashville. This made life harder for free Black people. Simon could not work and fell into debt. To protect his family from being sold, he moved them to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ella showed a great talent for music. Her father bought her a piano. He also paid a German woman to teach Ella music lessons. Ella went to a school for Black children in Cincinnati. She also secretly studied with a white American teacher.
After her father died in 1866, Ella had to support herself. She also cared for her stepmother and half-sister. She played music at local events and worked as a maid. She also taught music in Gallatin, Tennessee.
After five months, she had saved only about $6. Her poor Black students could not always pay for lessons. With that small amount, she enrolled at the Fisk Free Colored School in Nashville in 1868. Her $6 lasted only three weeks there.
Ella's Music Career
Ella Sheppard taught music in Nashville to pay for her studies. After two years, she was asked to teach music at the Fisk School. She was the only Black staff member at Fisk until 1875.
The treasurer of Fisk, George L. White, heard students singing old "plantation songs." These were traditional songs, not usually sung in public. He was deeply moved by their beautiful melodies. He decided to arrange them for concert performances. Ella Sheppard did most of this important arranging work. She helped turn these songs into four-part harmonies.
The first tours were very successful. In 1871, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were officially formed. They began a national tour. Ella was the main vocal coach and director for the group. She collected over one hundred songs for them to sing. She also played piano, led rehearsals, and conducted performances.
The group sang for famous people like Mark Twain and President Ulysses S. Grant. They also performed for kings, queens, and other important leaders. Queen Victoria of England heard them sing. She said the Fisk Jubilee Singers sang so beautifully they must be from "Music City of the United States."
The original Jubilee Singers stopped touring in 1878. Their travel schedule was very hard. Ella Sheppard said, "Our strength was failing under the ill treatment at hotels, on railroads, poorly attended concerts, and ridicule." Also, it became unsafe for women to travel with the group in the South. A male group called the Fisk Jubilee Quartet was then formed. They continued to perform the Spirituals.
Ella's Family Life
In 1882, Ella Sheppard married George Washington Moore. He was a well-known minister. Ella later found her mother in Mississippi. She brought her back to Nashville to live in her home. Ella and George had two sons, George Sheppard Moore, who became a doctor, and Clinton.
Ella Sheppard's Legacy
Ella Sheppard's musical spirit lives on. On November 17, 2009, the Ella Sheppard School of Music was founded. George Cooper, a former Fisk Jubilee Singer, started the school. He had the blessing of Ella Sheppard's great-granddaughter, Beth Howse.
This school provides free music lessons to children. It helps hundreds of kids aged 2–14 learn music on Chicago's West Side. It continues Ella Sheppard's dedication to music and education.
