The Ballad of the Brown King is a cantata composed by Margaret Bonds.
[2] The Ballad premiered in December 1954 in New York and was performed by the George McClain Choir.
[1] This was a shorter version of the piece, which was subsequently expanded by both Hughes and Bonds to include full orchestration.
[3] A new orchestration of the piece by conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather was recorded in 2018 by the Dessoff Choirs and released on November 1, 2019.
The cantata is made up of nine movements with parts for soprano, tenor, baritone and choir.