Undine Smith Moore
Encyclopedia
Undine Smith Moore was a notable and prolific female African-American composer
s of the 20th century.
She began studying piano at age seven, and at the age of 20 became the first graduate of Fisk University
to receive a scholarship to Juilliard. Graduating cum laude in 1926, she because supervisor of music for the Goldsboro, North Carolina
public school system.
She began teaching piano, organ and music theory at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University
) in 1927, remaining a member of the faculty until she retired in 1972. She commuted to New York's Columbia University
between 1929 and 1931 and received her Master of Arts in Teaching.
In 1938 she married Dr. James Arthur Moore and on 4 January 1941 they had a daughter, Mary Hardie.
Moore was a visiting professor at Carleton College
and the College of Saint Benedict
, and an adjunct professor at Virginia Union University
during the 1970s. Amongst her many awards were the National Association of Negro Musicians Distinguished Achievement Award in 1975 and the Virginia Governor’s Award in the Arts in 1985.
She was awarded honorary Doctor of Music degrees by Virginia State College (1972) and Indiana University (1976) and in 1977 was named music laureate of Virginia.
Known to some as the "Dean of Black Women Composers," Moore's career in composition began while she was at Fisk. While her range of compositions include works for piano and for other instrumental groups, Moore is more widely known for her choral works. Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, a 16-part oratorio
on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
, for chorus, orchestra, solo voices and narrator was premiered at Carnegie Hall
and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
.
Other familiar compositions are Afro-American Suite for flute, violoncello, and piano; Lord, We Give Thanks to Thee for chorus, Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord for chorus, and Love, Let the Wind Cry How I Adore Thee.
Undine Smith Moore died in Petersburg, Virginia
on February 6, 1989.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s of the 20th century.
She began studying piano at age seven, and at the age of 20 became the first graduate of Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
to receive a scholarship to Juilliard. Graduating cum laude in 1926, she because supervisor of music for the Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
public school system.
She began teaching piano, organ and music theory at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University
Virginia State University
Virginia State University is a historically black and land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield, in the Richmond area. Founded on , Virginia State was the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans...
) in 1927, remaining a member of the faculty until she retired in 1972. She commuted to New York's Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
between 1929 and 1931 and received her Master of Arts in Teaching.
In 1938 she married Dr. James Arthur Moore and on 4 January 1941 they had a daughter, Mary Hardie.
Moore was a visiting professor at Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
and the College of Saint Benedict
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
The College of Saint Benedict , for women, and Saint John's University , for men, are partnered liberal arts colleges respectively located in St. Joseph and Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Students attend classes and activities together, and have access to the resources of both campuses...
, and an adjunct professor at Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
during the 1970s. Amongst her many awards were the National Association of Negro Musicians Distinguished Achievement Award in 1975 and the Virginia Governor’s Award in the Arts in 1985.
She was awarded honorary Doctor of Music degrees by Virginia State College (1972) and Indiana University (1976) and in 1977 was named music laureate of Virginia.
Known to some as the "Dean of Black Women Composers," Moore's career in composition began while she was at Fisk. While her range of compositions include works for piano and for other instrumental groups, Moore is more widely known for her choral works. Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, a 16-part oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, for chorus, orchestra, solo voices and narrator was premiered at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
.
Other familiar compositions are Afro-American Suite for flute, violoncello, and piano; Lord, We Give Thanks to Thee for chorus, Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord for chorus, and Love, Let the Wind Cry How I Adore Thee.
Undine Smith Moore died in Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
on February 6, 1989.
External links
- http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/exhibits/destiny/notable/smith.htm
- http://www.internationalopus.com/cgi-bin/io.pl?mode=composer&composer=100