Harlem Walking Tour EPISODE 5: The Negro String Quartet

The fifth episode of the Harlem Walking Tour Video Series features the Negro String Quartet, a trailblazing group of Black musicians that performed in the early 20th century, mainly in churches, community organizations and college venues in New York City.
The quartet was founded by violinist Felix Weir who toured widely in the early 20th century in duet with cellist Leonard Jeter. The pair expanded with the addition of Jeter's sister Olyve at piano. In 1914 Weir and Jeter expanded once again and formed the American String Quartet by dropping pianist Olyve and adding violinists Joseph Lymos and Hall Johnson. Weir made additional changes in 1920. He renamed the group the Negro String Quartet and replaced Jeter with cellist Marion Cumbo, Lymos with first violinist Arthur Boyd and Johnson became the quartet's viola player.
Members of The Harlem Chamber Players - violinists Ashley Horne and Claire Chan, violist Tia Allen, and cellist Wayne Smith - pay tribute to the Negro String Quartet in a performance of the slow movement from Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 “American.”