Research Catalog

Raoul Abdul papers.

Title
Raoul Abdul papers.
Author
Abdul, Raoul
Publication
1949-2009.
Supplementary Content
Finding aid

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3 Items

StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
box 1Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 833 box 1Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 2Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 833 box 2Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 3Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 833 box 3Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives

Details

Description
1.04 linear feet (3 boxes)
Summary
  • Raoul Abdul was a classical singer, author, and former assistant to the poet and writer Langston Hughes. Abdul was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 7, 1929. His father was from Calcutta, India, and his mother was a native of Cleveland. Abdul attended John Hay High School, and later earned a diploma from the Vienna Academy of Music, where he studied with Alexander Kipins. He also studied at Harvard University, the New School for Social Research, the Cleveland Institute of Music, New York College of Music, and the Mannes College of Music. Abdul was involved in theater from an early age, participating in children’s theater productions by age six. Following graduation from high school, he began working as a journalist for the "Cleveland Call and Post", and in 1951, at the age of twenty-two, he relocated to New York City where he sang with such notables as William Warfield and Marian Anderson. During this time, Abdul was a founding director of the Coffeehouse Concerts in Harlem, and was a singer in a number of performances, including shows at Carnegie Hall. In 1961, Abdul became the literary assistant and close friend to writer Langston Hughes, and he remained so until Hughes’s death in 1967. In 1970, Abdul published and edited his first book, "3000 Years of Black Poetry", with author Alan Lomax. Over the next few years, he published several more volumes, including "The Magic of Black Poetry", "Famous Black Entertainers of Today", and "Blacks in Classical Music". Abdul also gave private voice lessons in his home in New York, based on the Austrian singing technique that he learned while studying in Vienna. At the time of his death on January 15, 2010 at the age of 80, he was the music critic for the "New York Amsterdam News".
  • This collection mostly contains material related to Raoul Abdul's career as a singer and author. There is a limited amount of personal information, including some clippings from his early life. A large part of the collection consists of concert programs and tour information. Additionally, there is material on lectures and seminars, and reviews and correspondence regarding his writing, including "3000 Years of Black Poetry", "The Magic of Black Poetry", and "Famous Black Entertainers of Today".
Subjects
Source (note)
  • Gift of the Estate of Raoul Abdul, April-May 2010.
Processing Action (note)
  • Processing Information: Accessioned by Diana Lachatanere, June 2010.
Call Number
Sc MG 833
OCLC
1228909471
Author
Abdul, Raoul, creator.
Title
Raoul Abdul papers.
Production
1949-2009.
Type of Content
text
still image
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
sheet
Location of Other Archival Materials
Materials Separated from the Resource: Transferred to the General Research and Reference Divison: books. Transferred to the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division: audio and moving image materials. For more information, please contact the division at schomburgaudiovisual@nypl.org or 212-491-2270. Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs
Processing Action
Processing Information: Accessioned by Diana Lachatanere, June 2010.
Source
Gift of the Estate of Raoul Abdul, April-May 2010.
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Finding aid
Research Call Number
Sc MG 833
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