Leslie Adams (composer)

Adams's music drama Blake (composed 1986) was the focus of a significant portion of Y.C. Williams's New Perspectives on Music (ed. J. Wright with S.A. Floyd Jr, published Warren, MI, 1992, pages 172–209). This music drama is very loosely based on Martin Delaney's novel Blake; or, The Huts of America, which is about the lives of African-American slaves on the eve of the civil war. The work incorporates many elements of African-American music, such as syncopated rhythms, melodies reminiscent of spiritual and gospel music, and an improvised percussion passage in the style of Afro-Cubano.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Adams earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Oberlin College in 1955, a Master of Music from California State University, Long Beach in 1967, and a Ph.D in Music from Ohio State University in 1973. He also pursued private studies with Leon Dallin, Herbert Elwell, Joseph R. Wood, Vittorio Giannini, Robert Starer and Eugene O'Brien. He received composer residency fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation (Bellagio, Italy, 1979) and Yaddo Artist Residence (Saratoga Springs, New York, 1980 and 1984).

Harrison Leslie Adams, Jr. (born December 30, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American composer. His works have been performed by the Prague Radio Symphony, Iceland Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Indianapolis Symphony, and commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra, Ohio Chamber Orchestra and Cleveland Chamber Symphony, among others. Metropolitan Opera artists have performed his vocal works internationally. Adams is best known for writing music for voice (including choral music, art songs, vocal solos, and music drama) but has also written numerous purely instrumental compositions as well. Adams's music is composed largely within the tradition of Western classical music and also incorporates elements unique to African-American music.