Matthew Washington Kennedy facts for kids
Matthew Washington Kennedy (born March 10, 1921 – died June 5, 2014) was an American classical pianist, teacher, and music director. He was also a composer and arranger of Negro Spirituals, which are a type of religious folk song. He is best known for leading the historic Fisk Jubilee Singers in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1957 to 1986.
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Early Life and Education
Matthew Kennedy was born in Americus, Georgia. He was the fourth child of Royal Clement Kennedy and Mary Magdalene Dowdell. His father worked for the post office and passed away when Matthew was very young, only 15 months old. Matthew's grandparents on his father's side had been slaves on a plantation in Georgia. His mother, Mary, was a public school teacher.
Matthew was a child prodigy, meaning he was very talented at a young age. He could play the melodies of hymns and Spirituals he heard his mother sing on the piano. He even wrote his first piano piece, called “The Bells,” when he was just six years old. A teacher named Kate Land gave him piano lessons. In return, Matthew and his cousin helped clean her house.
When he was 11, Matthew had his own radio show. He also played the organ to accompany silent films at a movie theater. This theater was segregated, meaning Black and white people had to sit in separate areas. At the theater, he was given the stage name “Sunshine” and wore a bellhop uniform. In 1932, Matthew and his mother sat in the segregated balcony to watch a live concert by the famous Russian pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Because of the segregation in the South, Matthew's mother decided to move with him to New York City. Soon after they arrived, Matthew tried out for the Juilliard School, a famous music school. He was accepted because he could play just like Rachmaninoff. A teacher named Lois Adler gave him a special scholarship. He studied at Juilliard and also graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1940.
His teacher, Lois Adler, suggested Matthew go back to the South for his college degree. She helped him get a scholarship to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1940, Henrietta Myers, who directed the Fisk Jubilee Singers, asked Matthew to be the piano accompanist for the group.
During his time at Fisk, Matthew was drafted into the military for World War II. He served in North Africa and Southern France. After the war, he returned to Fisk University and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947 with honors. He then earned his Master of Arts degree from Juilliard in 1950. He also took classes for his Ph.D. at George Peabody College in Nashville.
Career and Achievements
In 1947, Matthew Kennedy started working at Fisk University as an instructor. By 1954, he became an associate professor in the music department. In 1956, he married another pianist, Anne Gamble.
Matthew Kennedy was chosen to direct the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1957. He led and guided many young students for the next 23 years. In 1958, he performed his first solo piano concert at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City. Over the years, Kennedy traveled the world as a concert pianist and with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He was also the acting chairman of the Fisk University Music Department in 1975. He retired from Fisk University in 1986.
Kennedy was involved in many important music and arts groups. He served on panels for the Tennessee Arts Commission and on the boards of the Nashville Symphony Association. He received awards for his achievements from groups like the National Black Music Caucus. He also received distinguished service awards from the National Association of Negro Musicians and the Fisk University Alumni Association.
He was a lifetime member of the NAACP, a civil rights organization. He was also a member of the Nashville Fine Arts Club, where he served as president. In 2003, Kennedy released his first album, Familiar Favorites. In 2006, Fisk University gave him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
In September 2006, Jim Cooper, a representative from Tennessee, made a special statement honoring Dr. Matthew Kennedy. This statement was recorded in the Congressional Record, which is a daily record of what happens in the United States Congress.
Matthew Kennedy continued to play the piano for his church, First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill in Nashville, even into his 90s. He passed away on June 5, 2014, at the age of 93.
Appearances in Film
In 2007, Matthew Kennedy's daughter, Nina Gamble Kennedy, who is also a concert pianist, directed a documentary film about him. The film was called Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey. It won an award for Best Film by a Black Filmmaker at the 2007 Nashville Film Festival.
He also appeared in a short video from 2006 called Matthew Kennedy: The Nashville Student Sit-Ins. This video was produced by The Visionary Project.
Selected Music Recordings
- Matthew Kennedy: One Man’s Journey - Soundtrack CD, Kennedy Music Group, 2008
- Familiar Favorites, Kennedy Music Group, 2002
- Fisk Jubilee Singers In Performance, Matthew Kennedy, Director. Century Records
- "Ol' Man River by Hammerstein and Kern, performed by the Jubilee Singers, direction: Mrs. James A. Myers,” Pathé Records, 1947
