What We Can Know About Edmond and Basile

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An exploration of Edmond Dédé and Basile Barès were 19th-century New Orleans composers of color. Dédé, born free, was an orchestral composer and violist, known for his opera Morgiane. Barès, born into slavery, was a pianist and composer of music for dance halls, unique for being the only known American composer with a copyright assigned to his work while enslaved.