Eileen Jackson Southern (February 19, 1920 – October 13, 2002) was an American
musicologist
Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...
, researcher, author, and teacher.
Southern's research focused on
black American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
musical styles, musicians, and composers; she also published on
early music
Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...
.
Early life
Eileen Jackson grew up around many musicians in her family; her father was a violinist; an uncle, a trumpetist; and her mother, a choir singer.
According to music scholar Samuel A. Floyd, Jr., "In childhood, as she developed as a
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
, young Eileen was introduced to and became partial to the music of those she calls the 'piano composers,' including
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
,
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
, and
Claude Debussy
Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...
. In addition, her piano teachers, mostly white, were concerned that she wouldn't know music by black composers and introduced her to
R. Nathaniel Dett's ''In the Bottoms'', among other such compositions."
Jackson attended
public schools in her hometown, Minneapolis, Minnesota, in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...
, and in
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. She majored in commercial art at
Lindblom High School in Chicago. During the same period, she won piano-performance and essay competitions, taught piano lessons, and directed musical activities at the
Lincoln Community Center. She gave her first piano recital at the age of twelve and made her debut in
Chicago Orchestra Hall at age eighteen, playing a
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
concerto with the
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
of the
Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
History Founding
Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicag ...
.
She attended and received degrees from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
(
B.A., 1940, and
M. A., 1941). Her relationship with
Cecil Smith, her master thesis advisor, encouraged her to further develop her interest in
Negro
In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
. In 1942, she married Joseph Southern, a professor of business administration.
She continued her studies and received a
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in
musicology
Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...
from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, 1961. Her doctoral dissertation on the
Buxheim Organ Book was supervised by
Gustave Reese. At NYU, in addition to Gustave Reese, she also studied with
Curt Sachs
Curt Sachs (; 29 June 1881 – 5 February 1959) was a German musicologist. He was one of the founders of modern organology (the study of musical instruments). Among his contributions was the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which he created with Eric ...
and
Martin Bernstein.
She also studied piano privately at
Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
History Founding
Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicag ...
,
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...
, and
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
.
Career
Throughout her career, Southern taught at various institutions across the United States. From 1941 to 1942, she was an instructor at
Prairie View University in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. From 1943 to 1945 and 1949 to 1951, she was an assistant professor at
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It i ...
in
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. From 1954 to 1960, she worked as a teacher for the
New York City Public School district. She returned to higher education from 1960 to 1968 as an assistant professor at
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...
,
CUNY
The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...
, and then as an associate and full professor at
York College, CUNY, from 1968 to 1975, where she established the music program.
In 1974, she became a lecturer at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. Two years later, she became the first black woman to be appointed a tenured full professor at Harvard University, where she taught until 1987. While at Harvard, she served as the chair of the department of
Afro-American Studies from 1975 to 1979.
Her best-known book is the seminal history ''The Music of Black Americans'' (1971). Her other work is ''Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians'' (1982). She founded ''The Black Perspective in Music'' in 1973, with her husband, Prof.
Joseph Southern. It was the first musicological journal on the study of black music, and she was its editor until it ceased publication in 1990.
Through her academic work, she raised the profile of
Frank Johnson, a black bandleader from
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania, who rose to fame at the end of the eighteenth century, beginning of the nineteenth century. He led
Frank Johnson's Colored Band, and by 1818, he had taken his band as far south as
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, playing dances for white southerners. Johnson had played a command performance at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
, where he received a silver bugle in appreciation.
Throughout her career, Southern worked with various professional societies. From 1974 to 1976, she served on the board of directors and then editorial board from 1976 to 1978 for the
American Musicological Society
The American Musicological Society (AMS) is a musicological organization which researches, promotes and produces publications on music. Founded in 1934, the AMS was begun by leading American musicologists of the time, and was crucial in legiti ...
. She was a member of the
International Musicological Society
The International Musicological Society (IMS) is a membership-based organisation for musicology at the international level, with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It seeks the advancement of musicological research through international coopera ...
,
College Music Society, and
Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. From 1980 to her retirement, she served on the editorial board for the
Sonneck Society for American Music and as a member of the Board of Directors from 1986 to 1988.
In 1987, she retired as a professor emeritus to live in
St. Albans, New York.
Awards
Southern's professional achievements were much lauded in the academic and artistic communities. Southern received a
National Humanities Medal in 2001 for having "helped transform the study and understanding of American music."
She also received a
Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Society for American Music
The Society for American Music (SAM) was founded in 1975 and was first named the Sonneck Society in honor of Oscar George Theodore Sonneck, early Chief of the Music Division in the Library of Congress and pioneer scholar of American music. The S ...
in 2000.
Her portrait, by artist
Stephen E. Coit was commissioned by the Harvard Foundation at Harvard University.
Personal life
On August 22, 1942 Eileen Jackson married Joseph Southern, a co-founder of the journal the ''Black Perspective in Music''. They had a daughter, April, and a son, Edward.
Death
Southern died in
Port Charlotte, Florida on October 13, 2002, at the age of 82.
[Gewertz, Ken]
"Eileen Southern dies at 82: Expert on Renaissance and African American music became Harvard’s first black female tenured professor in 1976."
''Harvard Gazette'', October 17, 2002. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
Selected publications
Books
* ''The Buxheim Organ Book'' (2 Vols.), PhD
dissertation,
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, (New York: Institute of Medieval Music, 1963). ,
* ''The Music of Black Americans: A History'' (New York:
W. W. Norton & Company, 1971)
- 1st ed., 1971. ;
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
s , , ,
- French ed., 1976.
- Chinese ed., 1983.
- 1992 French ed. of the 1976 ed. ;
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
s ,
- 3rd ed., English, 1997. ;
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
s ,
- 2002 Spanish ed. of the 1997 3rd ed. ;
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
s ,
* ''Readings in Black American Music''. Edited by Eileen Southern. (New York:
W. W. Norton & Company, 1971; rev. ed., 1983). ;
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
s ,
* ''Anonymous Pieces in the MS El Escorial IV.a.24''. Edited by Eileen Southern (Basel:
Hänssler-Verlag, 1981).
*
* ''Images: Iconography of Music in African-American Culture (1770s–1920s),''
Josephine Rosa Beatrice Wright, PhD (born 1942) (co-author), (New York: Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, 2000; reprinted by
Routledge
Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
, 2019).
Articles
*
References
Further reading
*
The Papers of Eileen Southern Harvard University Archive, Harvard University
External links
African American RegistryGuide to the Eileen Southern Collection, Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College ChicagoHarvard Finding AidOfficial Harvard Art Museum PortraitEileen Southern and ''The Music of Black Americans'', a digital exhibition at Harvard University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern, Eileen
1920 births
2002 deaths
American women musicologists
National Humanities Medal recipients
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni
Writers from Minneapolis
Writers from Sioux Falls, South Dakota
University of Chicago alumni
York College, City University of New York faculty
20th-century American musicologists
20th-century American women musicians
Harvard University faculty
People from St. Albans, Queens
Brooklyn College faculty
Robert Lindblom Math & Science Academy alumni