Retelling Frederick Douglass' story, with a soundtrack - Harvard Gazette

"In his 'Narrative,' he writes a lot about the role music had played for him as a slave, how he remembered hearing slave songs. He wrote a lot about what he believed the power of music to be. That was compelling to me. There is power in a story. I think the use of song and music can elevate these emotions and experiences that this young man was facing."

"I had never written my own song. But I knew when I played that melody for the first time, that it felt different. Out of the blue, I started playing the first melody ever for the musical."

Quadree Palimore, a senior, is composing an original musical titled "Bailey: An American Narrative" that retells Frederick Douglass's early life. The project began during his first year after reading Douglass's memoir in a writing course on slave chronicles. Inspired by Douglass's reflections on music's role during slavery, Palimore recognized how song could elevate the emotional experiences of the young abolitionist. The first melody emerged spontaneously during sophomore year while jamming with friends in Eliot House. Now completing the musical in his final semester, Palimore is workshopping scenes with collaborators, exploring how to authentically express Douglass's journey through music and performance.

Read at Harvard Gazette