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s conductors expand their repertoire to
include works from diverse, underrepre-

A sented communities, the work of Mar-
garet Bonds (1913–1972)—American composer,
virtuoso pianist, and crusader for social justice—is
finally receiving the attention it deserves. This ar-
ticle examines Credo, the work most considered her
masterpiece, which lay dormant for nearly sixty
years after its premiere.
1
Margaret Bonds’s music is deeply expressive
and thoughtfully constructed, but unfortunately,
likely because of her race and gender, her music
was never widely performed and was quickly for-
gotten after her death. Her collected manuscripts,
2
having failed to sell at a book fair after her passing,
were set to be tossed in a nearby dumpster before
being rescued at the last minute by a music deal-
er, who “searching the fair’s leftovers after hours,
found them and retrieved them.” Thankfully, after
3
decades of neglect, this work and others by Bonds
are increasingly present on concert programs with
each passing season.
4
The music of Margaret Bonds is accessible with-
out being simplistic; she was equally fluent in both
European and African American traditions and
was aware of, yet not dependent upon, European
conventions. Bonds argued powerfully for a world
free of discrimination and racism, and the teach-
ing possibilities surrounding her body of work are
immense. Credo’s focus on social justice and equali-
ty—and the pathway it outlines to achieve them—
makes it a powerful and important work. On the
eve of what one hopes is a Bonds renaissance, a
choral conductor’s guide to this magnificent com-
position is offered here.

CHORAL JOURNAL November/December 2025 Volume 66 Number 4 7