Music and Some Highly Musical People

James M. Trotter brings together reflections on music and biographical sketches of Black singers, instrumentalists, and composers. Opening chapters consider musical sound, nature, history, and the place of music in human life. The later profiles include Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, Justin Holland, the Hyers sisters, and the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. Portraits and an appendix of compositions give the volume a further connection to the artists it records.

The account of Anna and Emma Hyers follows their concerts through Boston and other New England cities. Newspaper notices discuss vocal range and ensemble singing, while Trotter describes how the sisters welcomed technical advice. Trotter's stated purpose is to challenge prejudice by documenting artistic achievement and encouraging mutual respect. Readers interested in African American musical history will find both individual lives and evidence of how audiences and critics received these performers.