Son of a Negro physician from Sierra Leone (who deserted his family) and an English woman, Coleridge-Taylor survived a disadvantaged childhood to become a much-praised composer in the UK and the USA. The work that brought him fame was ‘Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast’ (1898), the first part of his ‘Hiawatha’ trilogy was based on Longfellow’s poem. Coleridge-Taylor is best remembered for his ‘Petite Suite De Concert’ (1910) which clearly indicated that he could have achieved much as a light music composer, had he lived beyond the age of 37. He regularly conducted his works in the USA and assumed a mission to dignify the Negro through his settings of Negro melodies; at one stage he seriously contemplated emigrating. Commissions in the UK kept him fully employed, and major works included incidental music for Herbert Beerbohm Tree theatrical productions in London’s West End. Coleridge-Taylor’s most popular song was ‘On Away Awake Beloved’ from ‘Hiawatha’ which formed part of the repertoire of almost every concert tenor for the following 50 years. In 1943, a popular song, ‘Question And Answer’, was released based on the melody of ‘Petite Suite De Concert’ with lyric by Stanley Arthur.