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James continued investigating folksongs over the years and was noted for his compositions and arrangements. His theory that "the cry" was the most distinctive feature of black folksong attracted some attention. He lectured at college
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music department. James enrolled at
Morehouse in 1919, and his studies included the traditional core of music courses, as well as the violin and several other instruments. He was a member of the Morehouse Quartet and
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22:(September 18, 1900 – December 27, 1966) was an American musician, composer and educator. He was on the faculty of
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transcribed the music and texts. In 1928 James married a fellow teacher at Leland
College,
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music festival. He received awards from the
General Education Board and the
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At the time of his death on
December 27, 1966, he left a completed
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224:"Willis Laurence James – MBC visits the Spelman College Archives"
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from
Morehouse in 1923, James pursued further study with
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at
Montgomery, before accepting a teaching position at
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and folksongs, particularly along the levees of the
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159:, before professional societies, at the
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105:(1923–29), and it was while living in
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128:From 1929 to 1933, he taught at the
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338:Alabama State University faculty
333:American expatriates in Nigeria
328:20th-century American composers
130:Alabama State Teachers College
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313:Wilberforce University alumni
169:Roundtables of the Tanglewood
140:as Spelman College organist.
26:for more than three decades.
323:Fort Valley State University
50:in Jacksonville, he studied
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283:African-American musicians
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109:that he began collecting
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278:American male composers
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48:Florida Baptist Academy
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119:James Edward Halligan
44:Jacksonville, Florida
20:Willis Laurence James
197:Stars in De Elements
78:After receiving his
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173:Carnegie Foundation
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203:Black Sacred Music
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237:(1997).
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