Description

Description: Zulu composer and choirmaster Reuben Tolakele Caluza (1895-1969) boldly signed his name on this sheet of Hampton Institute stationery in 1932 while he was studying for his bachelor’s degree in music.

Known for his ragtime songs in the Zulu language, Caluza was one of the leading black South African composers of the 1920’s and 30’s. He and his Double Quartet were invited to London to record over one hundred pieces of music for the HMV Zonophone label. He graduated with a BMus from the Hampton Institute in 1934 and went on to earn a MA in composition at Columbia University. He later became a music professor at Adams College in Natal, and, after retiring, lectured at the University of Zululand.

6 7/8″ x 6″. Includes original transmittal envelope addressed to Mrs. Oliver B. Wait of Philadelphia. The envelope has a circular cancellation stamp dated January 26, 1932 and seems to have been sent to Mrs. Wait by a Mrs. G. T. Turner (also of Philadelphia). Item #A01239

Condition: Fold lines and short creases, otherwise very good condition with a neat, bold signature.