John Wesley Work Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Wesley Work Jr.
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| Born | August 6, 1871 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Died | September 7, 1925 (aged 54) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Education | Fisk University Harvard University |
| Spouse(s) | Agnes Haynes |
| Children | 6 |
John Wesley Work Jr. (August 6, 1871 – September 7, 1925) was a very important African-American musician and educator. He was the first person to collect many folk songs and spirituals. He also directed choirs and wrote songs. Sometimes he is called John Wesley Work II. This helps people tell him apart from his son, John Wesley Work III.
Early Life and Education
John Wesley Work Jr. was born in Nashville, Tennessee. His father, John Wesley Work, led a church choir. Some members of this choir were also in the original Fisk Jubilee Singers. John Wesley Work Jr. went to Fisk University. He studied Latin and history there. He also organized singing groups. He graduated in 1895. Later, he continued his studies at Harvard University.
Career and Music
After college, Work taught in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He also worked in the library at Fisk University. In 1904, he became a Latin and history teacher at Fisk. His colleague, Minnie Lou Crosthwaite, said he cared deeply about his students.
John Wesley Work Jr., his wife, and his brother, Frederick Jerome Work, started collecting slave songs and spirituals. They published these songs in two books. The first was New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901). The second was New Jubilee Songs and Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907). This second book included the first published version of "Go Tell It on the Mountain". He might have helped write this famous song.
He also wrote other songs, like "Song of the Warrior" and "Negro Lullaby". He even started a music publishing company called Work Brothers and Hart.
Work also directed the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers. He took them on tour every year. However, some people at Fisk did not like black folk music. Because of this, he had to leave his job there in 1923. After leaving Fisk, he became the president of Roger Williams University in Nashville. He worked there until he passed away.
Family and Legacy
John Wesley Work Jr. married Agnes Haynes in 1899. They had six children together. One of their children, John Wesley Work III (1901–1967), also became a director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He also collected songs and wrote music, just like his father.
John Wesley Work Jr. passed away on September 7, 1925. His work helped save many important African-American folk songs and spirituals.
