Jaratt had a large African-American population and Moore would later recall memories of the community singing and praying together at the Morningstar Baptist Church. This is an arrangement of a traditional spiritual Moore published in 1977. She wrote more than one hundred pieces yet only a quarter of those were published in her lifetime. She was a Black composer, pianist, choir director, and educator. She was the first graduate of Fisk University , a historically black school, to receive a scholarship to Juilliard. It was easy to do. Trained as a classical pianist, she turned to composition. Undine Smith Moore on Spotify. Many of his works reflect his concerns about the lowly position of African Americans in societies. While Smith Moore primarily composed choral works, including the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, she also wrote a number of chamber and orchestral works, as well as solo works for voice and for various solo instruments. The number that made the show worth the price of admission was a moving traditional spiritual “Watch and Pray,” performed by Lindsey Reynolds & Karen Slack and arranged by Undine Smith Moore and Myra Huang. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was an Afro-British composer who wrote a blockbuster musical called Hiawatha's Wedding Feast in 1898. Musical Selections: “We Shall Walk Through the Valley,” arr. Undine Eliza Anna Smith Moore (Aug. 25, 1904 – Feb. 6, 1989) was born in Jaratt, Virigina. Send us your feedback. Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) is known as the “Dean of Black Women Composers.” This is partially because of her compositions, but also because of her contributions to the field of music education. Much of her work was inspired by black spirituals and folk music, and her pieces range from arrangements of spirituals to large works for chorus, soloists, and orchestra. By that point in his career, he had written a few vocal and instrumental works based on the plantation melodies he had learned as a child. Moore became known as “The Dean of Black Women Composers.” She wrote over 100 works, many for chorus. Undine Smith Moore, Florence Price, and Lena McLin are the first that come to mind. Feedback. The first time he heard the piece, it left him speechless. All or portions of this collection are housed off-site. Harris spoke often of his close friendship with renowned composer Undine Smith Moore (1904–89). We're talking about a different composer today. SINCE JANUARY 1971 I have had the rewarding opportunities to have many informal conversations with Undine Smith Moore. Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989), the ‘Dean of Black Women Composers’, was a composer, music professor and co-founder of the Black Music Center at Virginia State College, which aimed to educate members about the ‘contributions of black people to the music of the United States and the world’. Coleridge-Taylor not only influenced some of the greatest composers but his significant accomplishment is the classical development and symphonization African American folk songs, spirituals and African folk music as did Dvorak and Brahms. Request from this Collection . 1980. in in 19. Undine Smith Moore, “All That I Am,” William Grant Still Timestamp: 0 0:05:50, 00:33:45 Objective: - Students will describe the musical characteristics of two pieces of choral music. However, his setting of “Deep River” is considered to be one of the first works of its kind to be written in art song form specifically for performance by a trained singer. Although she composed more than one hundred pieces between 1925 and 1987, only twenty-six were published during her lifetime. We did not do all of it, of course, just excerpts. 02/19/21 Philippa Schuyler – Five Little Pieces. This post includes familiar spirituals and new compositions by composers such as Harry T. Burleigh, Edward Boatner, Undine Smith Moore, Rosephanye Powell, Uzee Brown, Jr., H. Leslie Adams, Florence Price, and many more. MOORE, UNDINE S. Undine Smith Moore papers [bulk 1923-1987] > Manuscript scores by Moore Printable PDF. Olivia Sparkhall, another editor and a composer featured in the col­lection, said that the aim had been to include works for use throughout the Church’s year, and to represent each of the main periods of music.