Nathaniel Clark Smith

Nathaniel Clark Smith (often Major N. Clark Smith; July 31, 1877 – October 8, 1935) was an important African-American musician, composer, and music educator in the United States during the early decades of the 1900s. Born on the Army base at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Smith began his music education very early organizing bands in Wichita starting in 1893. His strict military style leadership led to prominence and over the next 30 years he would lead bands in Chicago, Wichita, Kansas City, the Tuskegee Institute, and in St. Louis. He was an important educator for many of the prominent early Jazz musicians from Kansas City, Chicago, and St. Louis. He died in 1935 as the result of a stroke. Many primary documents about Smith's life have been lost as a result of a fire that destroyed most of his personal documents. His father was an Army Trumpeter at the fort. His mother was half Cherokee. At Fort Leavenworth, he learned music under the German bandleader H.E. Gungle who identified Smith's talent and encouraged him to continue his musical education. After finishing formal education, he worked briefly in Kansas City in the publishing industry before beginning service in the Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as an Army trumpeter in 1891. His military rank and promotion during this period are not precisely clear, The students he instructed who went on to have significant musical careers include: Lammar Wright, Sr. Harlan Leonard Walter Page Eddie Cole, brother of Nat King Cole and Ike Cole Lionel Hampton Milt Hinton Ray Nance Jimmy Forrest Jessalyn Coleman Roberta Dodd Crawford Quinn Wilson Hayes Alvis Ernie Wilkins Pauline James Lee – who would become the President of the Chicago University of Music

Smith composed almost 100 works and many of these and his other arrangements are notable. Many involved creating musical accompaniment for Negro spirituals and plantation songs. The list of notable compositions include: Steal Away to Jesus Frederick Douglass Funeral March Tuskegee Institute March Negro Folk Suite

In addition, he wrote a number of pieces on music practice. This included a weekly column for The Call Newspaper and two books: The Elements of Music New Jubilee Songs for Quartette, Choir or Chorus