Dvorak on the American voice

In the Negro Melodies of America I discover a great and Noble School of Music…. These beautiful and varied themes are the products of the soil. They are the folk songs of the United States.  Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) Quoted in Music Lovers Quotations, edited by Helen Exley.

Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (pronounced duh-VORE-zhahk) was one of the first of his country to receive worldwide recognition.  He is fondly remembered in the United States for helping American composers to begin achieving an American--as compared to European--voice.  He advocated for African-American composer Harry Burleigh, who in turn aided Dvorak in his quest to find traditional American spirituals.  

American composer Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949)

Wikipedia says of him, : "The first black composer instrumental in developing characteristically American music, Burleigh made black music available to classically trained artists both by introducing them to spirituals and by arranging spirituals in a more classical form."