Were You There Robert Scholz. Career: Composer and educator. [61], Moore was a strong advocate for the promotion of black music and art: in her opinion, art could be used as “a powerful agent for social change.”[62] Moore was careful to point out that because of the social issues surrounding African-Americans, their music and art could be stereotyped:[63], I use the term black music to describe music created mainly by people who call themselves black, and whose compositions in their large or complete body show a frequent, if not preponderant, use of significant elements derived from the Afro-American heritage. [12], In 1931, during the Harlem Renaissance, Moore received a Master of Arts and professional diploma in music at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Manheim, James "Moore, Undine Smith Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Moore began to think about ways of incorporating her. Looking back at her years at Fisk University, Undine Smith Moore described her early compositions, especially her piano music, as having a general similarity to the music of Leopold Godowsky. But she also heard the work songs and the spirituals that she would remember for the rest of her life. Moore was born in Jarratt, Virginia. Her hometown of Jarratt, Virginia consisted of a large African-American population, and Moore would later recall memories of the community singing and praying at the Morningstar Baptist Church. Contemporary Musicians. Moore traveled to Africa in 1971 and 1972 and was deeply moved by her experiences there. Ain’t Got Time to Die Hall Johnson. “The Unique World of Undine Smith Moore: Teacher-Composer-Arranger.”, Moore, Undine Smith. Winning a scholarship to Nashville, Tennessee’s Fisk University seemed to seal Moore’s choice of a music as her life’s work, as the musical traditions at that historically black institution ran deep. Moore, the granddaughter of slaves, began studying piano at the age of seven with Lillian Allen Darden. Undine Eliza Anna Smith Moore (25 August 1904 – 6 February 1989), the "Dean of Black Women Composers," was an American composer and professor of music in the twentieth century. degree at Columbia University. Daniel, Daniel, Servant Of The Lord (as Undine Smith Moore) Peoria Area Civic Chorale - 25th Anniversary Commemorative Recordings (Sing We Now Of Christmas & The Sounds Of Glory: Folk Songs, Spirituals And Hymns) ‎ (2xCD, Comp) Not On Label: none: US: 2007 The song was composed for Marie Goodman and first performed in 1975 by Marie Goodman Hunter (contralto) and Clarence Whiteman (piano) at the Beaux-Twenty Club program in honor of Undine Smith Moore (Petersburg, Virginia). Its chorus had been well known since the 1870s for its performances of spirituals. Even as an undergraduate at Fisk, Moore had already begun to compose; her first known work was an ambitious choral piece, Sir Olafand the EH King’s Daughter, with a text based on Norwegian folklore. In 1927, she landed a job at Virginia State College (now University) in Petersburg; she would teach there until her retirement in 1972. On, "Come Down Angels and Trouble the Water" (1978), "I am in Doubt" (1981), "Watch and Pray" (1973), "Love Let the Wind Cry How I Adore Thee" (1961), on, “Tambourines to Glory” and "We Shall Walk through the Valley." BLACK EXCELLENCE SERIES | Composer Undine Smith Moore. Smith, Jessie Carney, ed., Notable Black American Women, Book I, Gale, 1992. In 1904 in the state of Virginia, Undine was born to African American parents James William Smith and Hardie Turnbull Smith, whose own parents had been slaves. Moore’s early musical life combined formal education with African American musical roots. She rarely had the chance to think on a larger scale musically, but she did explore her African American heritage with a series of choral pieces based on spirituals in the 1930s and 1940s. [56], In 1981, Moore's Pulitzer Prize-nominated oratorio Scenes from the Life of a Martyr was premiered at Carnegie Hall. Undine Smith Moore (1905-1989) Born in Jarratt, Virginia, and the granddaughter of slaves, “Undine Smith Moore graduated from Fisk University (1926) with highest honors and received a M.M. Floyd, Samuel, editor, International Dictionary of Black Composers, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999. In 1908, her family moved to Petersburg, Virginia. 22 Unusually successful for a contemporary composition, the work was published by Warner Bros, the following year and has remained in print ever since as a perennial favorite among college and community choirs. Date of birth : 1904-08-25 Date of death : 1989-02-06 Birthplace : Jarratt, Virginia,U.S. Encyclopedia.com. Undine Smith Moore. "Moore, Undine Smith 1904–1989 . We’ve put together a list of some choral music created and performed by black composers and artists. Contemporary Black Biography. Classical composer Her music teacher back in Virginia had been a Fisk graduate, and so Moore immersed herself in the European classics that were the focus of the school’s music curriculum at the time. Manheim, James "Moore, Undine Smith The text is both a proclamation of faith and an invitation for all to come and see Jesus. In 1908, her family moved to Petersburg, Virginia. 2021 . “Undine Smith Moore,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com/blackhistory/MGBXKD41CIC.html (November 6, 2002). Composer Career: Composer and educator. Born Undine Smith on August 25, 1904, in Jarratt, Virginia; died on February 6, 1989; daughter of James William Smith, a railroad man, and Hattie (Turnbull) Smith; married James Arthur Moore, an educator; children: Mary, Education: Fisk University, BA and B.Mus., 1926; Columbia University, MA, 1931; further studies at Manhattan College of Music, Julliard School, Eastman College of Music. As with her music, Moore worked toward a broad-based approach that would touch both upon the efforts of African Americans in the classical field and upon, as she told Creative Black Artists, the “true creative genius of the black people in the ditches and the sawmills.” She retired from Virginia State in 1972 and was feted by her former students in a ceremony held at New York’s Town Hall. Some of them, especially her works for instruments alone, followed European methods, including the extremely intellectually rigorous twelve-tone technique, while others turned to African American history in various ways. Nationality : American Category : Famous Figures Last modified : 2012-01-03 Credited as : composer, "Scenes from the Life of a Martyr" , "Soweto" [7] Of her childhood, Moore said that “above all else, music reigned.”[8], At age seven, Undine Smith Moore began taking piano lessons under Lillian Allen Darden, who later encouraged her to attend Fisk University, where she studied piano and organ with Alice M. Grass and theory with Sara Leight Laubenstein. Her compositions are widely performed and loved; many of her choral pieces are staples of the performing repertory among choirs great and small, and she also composed music in other genres, employing a broad range of expressive styles. [2] Undine Smith Moore was a renowned teacher, and once stated that she experienced “teaching itself as an art.”[3] Towards the end of her life, she received many awards for her accomplishments as a music educator. [40] Her compositional style did not “include any African American elements,” and Moore did not produce much music until 1953 (during her studies with Howard Murphy), when a “marked change in style took place.”[41] Moore would transcribe melodies that her mother sang, which gradually inspired her use of African-American spirituals in her music. She received a scholarship from the Julliard School to study music at Fisk University, and later studied composition at the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School. Moore was born August 25, 1904, in Jarratt, Virginia, in the state’s predominantly rural southern tier known among African Americans as “southside.” Her father was a railroad brakeman; her grandparents were slaves. Of her childhood, Moore said that “above all else, music reigned.” Hitchcock, H. Wiley, The New Grove Dictionary of American Music, Macmillan, 1986. [5] She was the granddaughter of slaves. Performed live May 26, 2018 at Hibernian Hall, Boston as part of Castle of our Skins's "Ain't I a Woman" project. Shut de Do’ Randy Stonehill & Mark Hayes. Education: Fisk University, B.A. In the early 1950s, having reached an age when many educators are looking forward to retirement, Moore instead resumed her compositional career at full force. And if … Additional information was obtained from Creative Black Artists, video interview, produced by Indiana University Instructional Television and the Afro-American Institute, 1980. Like Philip Glass, John Adams, and Terry Riley, Steve Reich belongs to a group of composers known as “minimalists,” who write m…, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/moore-undine-smith-1904-1989, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/moore-undine-smith. [60], ...all liberation is connected… as long as any segment of the society is oppressed… the whole society must suffer. Its chorus had been well known since the 1870s for its performances of spirituals. Her studies in New York further developed this European Romantic strain in her work, but she also was touched by the artistic ferment of the Harlem Renaissance, the awakening of African American artistic and intellectual sensibility that flowered in the 1920s. She was the granddaughter of slaves. Her compositions are widely performed and loved; many of her choral pieces are staples of the performing repertory among choirs great and small, and she also composed music in other genres, employing a broad range of expressive styles. Watch Queue Queue. Born in Jarratt, Va. in 1904, Moore moved to Peterbsurg at a young age. Contemporary Black Biography. A professor of music at Virginia State University for over 40 years, she numbered among her students the jazz pianist Billy Taylor and a host of others who became famous in their own ways. As an African American musical pioneer in the university setting, Undine Smith Moore inspired and influenced black musicians across the United States. Moore began to think about ways of incorporating her African American heritage into her compositions, and when she moved back to Virginia she began to set down in musical notation some of the unique songs she had heard her mother sing in southside Virginia. She married fellow Virginia State faculty member James Arthur Moore; the couple had a daughter, Mary, who became a dancer and educator. The 752-member Stay at Home Choir joins the King's Singers in Billy Joel's "And so it Goes." “I did not choose the word. I thought them so beautiful that I wanted to have them experienced in a variety of ways -- by concert choirs, soloists, and by instrumental groups.[43]. Undine Smith Moore was born the youngest of three children to James William Smith and Hardie Turnbull Smith. (1951), "I Want To Die While You Love Me" (1975), "Come Down Angels" (1978), on, “To be Baptized” and "Watch and Pray." Born on 25 August 1904 in Jarratt, Virginia, Undine Smith (1904–1989) was the youngest child of James William Smith and Hardie Turnbull Smith. Moore was born on August 25, 1904, in Jarratt, Virginia, in the state’s predominantly rural southern tier known among African Americans as “southside.” Her father was a railroad brakeman; her grandparents were slaves. After graduating from Juilliard, Moore became supervisor of music for the Goldsboro, North Carolina public school system. The works she composed in late life are generally regarded as some of her best. [24] Moore traveled widely as a professor and lectured on black composers and also conducted workshops. [14], Although her teachers encouraged her to continue her studies by enrolling at the Juilliard School, Undine Smith Moore instead took a job as supervisor of music in the public schools in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Classical Music Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Undine_Smith_Moore&oldid=1001642452, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University faculty, Teachers College, Columbia University alumni, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord," on, "Mother to Son" (1955), "We Shall Walk Through the Valley" (1977), "Tambourines to Glory" (1973), on, "To Be Baptised" (1973), "Set Down!" by Undine Smith Moore (Arranger) A spirited arrangement of a traditional spiritual with infectious vocal lines. The late Undine Smith Moore aka the "Dean of Black Women Composers" was a notable and prolific American composer and professor of music in the twentieth century. . Calvert Bean I've Just Come from the Fountain (arr. Encyclopedia.com. An accomplished and prolific classical music composer, George Walker has achieved many “firsts” in his career, mostl…, Robert Nathaniel Dett Steal Away Bob Chilcott. “Before I’d be a Slave.” In, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Undine Moore, Composer of Note and Innovative Music Teacher", "The Black Composer Speaks: An Interview with Undine Smith Moore", "CANDACE AWARD RECIPIENTS 1982-1990, Page 3", "Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) Marker, QA-28", "Virginia Women in History 2017 Undine Anna Smith Moore", "Steal Away: The African American Concert Spiritual", "Vocalessence Witness - Dance Like The Wind", "Ah! Live performance 1 year ago # opera. Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 28, Gale Group, 2001. Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. [17], In 1938, Undine Smith married Dr. James Arthur Moore, the chair of the physical education department at Virginia State College. “The Black Composer Speaks: An Interview with Undine Smith Moore.”, Harris, Carl, and Undine Smith Moore. [19] On 4 January 1941 Moore gave birth to their daughter, Marie Hardie. • Classical Mus…, Kay, Ulysses 1917–1995 ... shallwegather @perfectdaymusicfoundation @northwesternu @bienenschoolnu @northwesternoperatheatre Some tidbits about Undine Smith Moore—- “Her father was a railroad brakeman; her grandparents were slaves. Introduction, March, and Allegro, for clarinet, 1958. Find Undine Smith Moore composition information on AllMusic [23] In 1972, the Black Music Center closed after Undine Smith Moore retired from Virginia State College. "Like everyone else able to hold a pen, I have been asked to do a large work on Martin Luther King." Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord, for chorus, 1952. Her mother was a voracious reader who stressed the importance of books and music lessons. Soweto, for violin, cello, and piano, 1987. [1] Much of her work was inspired by black spirituals and folk music. Retirement only increased Moore’s compositional productivity, and she composed prolifically until just before her death. Undine Eliza Anna Smith Moore (25 August 1904 – 6 February 1989), the "Dean of Black Women Composers," was a notable and prolific American composer and professor of music in the twentieth century. Goldsboro Public Schools, supervisor of music, 1926-27; Virginia State University, associate professor of Music, 1927-72, professor Emerita, 1972-89; numerous visiting faculty appointments, 1972-89; prolific compositional activity in later life; composed choral work Lord, We Give Thanks to Thee for centennial of Fisk Jubilee Singers, 1971; completed cantata Scenes from the Life of a Martyr on life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1980; composed trio Soweto, 1987. ... LIVE FROM INDIANAPOLIS — WITH VC ARTIST TESSA LARK AND AMY YANG. [26] She continued her teaching career as a distinguished professor at Virginia Union University until 1976, meanwhile teaching at multiple colleges in Minnesota. "My mother loves music. She went on to Columbia University Teachers’ College in New York, where she completed her masters in 1931, and also studied at the prestigious Julliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. Smith, Jessie Carney, editor, Notable Black American Women, Book I, Gale Research, 1992. (March 11, 2021). Next, some music by Undine Smith Moore, who has been called the Dean of black women composers. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/moore-undine-smith, Manheim, James "Moore, Undine Smith The word chose me,” she was quoted as saying in the International Dictionary of Black Composers. Her studies in New York further developed this European Romantic strain in her work, but she also was touched by the artistic ferment of the Harlem Renaissance, the awakening of African American artistic and intellectual sensibility that flowered in the 1920s. [27] Moore taught various musicians including Camilla Williams, Leon Thompson, Billy Taylor, Phil Medley, and Robert Fryson. “I think that black people need to remind themselves of the importance of remembering,” she was quoted as saying on the Black History: Virginia Profiles website. The family moved to Petersburg in 1908, and at age seven, Undine began piano lessons with Lillian Allen Darden. Floyd, Samuel, ed., International Dictionary of Black Composers, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999. Moore traveled to Africa in 1971 and 1972 and was deeply moved by her experiences there. [53] Moore wrote over 50 choral works, 21 compositions for solo voice and accompaniment, and 18 instrumental pieces. ." However, the date of retrieval is often important. Undine Eliza Anna Smith Moore (Aug. 25, 1904 – Feb. 6, 1989) was born in Jaratt, Virigina. Disturbed by what she saw as a deteriorating knowledge of the history of black music among her students, Moore worked during her last years at Virginia State to establish the Black Music Center, a combination archive, research center, and performance-promotion organization. This week we remember the life and music of American composer and educator Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989). The family moved to the city of Petersburg, Virginia, when Moore was four, but they often spent time in Jarratt in the summers. Moore died in 1989. Contemporary Black Biography. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. [51], Moore, Undine Smith, David N. Baker, and Lida M. Belt. U.S. Moore) - YouTube Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. At Virginia State her creative energy was channeled mostly into small pieces for the school’s choral groups and for her own keyboard students. [46] Helen Walker-Hill, author of From Spirituals to Symphonies, writes that Moore’s compositional style was “freely tonal… sometimes strongly modal, often using twentieth-century techniques…, frequently using recitative… style, almost always strongly contrapuntal, and dominated by the black idiom.”[47] As for the influence of African-American traditional music, Walker-Hill writes: [Moore’s] ‘black idiom’ was the use of additive and syncopated rhythms, scale structures with gaps, call and response antiphony, rich timbres, melody influenced by rhythm, the frequent use of the interval of the third and, less frequently, fourths and fifths, nonhomophonic textures, and the ‘deliberate use of striking climax with almost unrestrained fullness.’[48]. Sir Olaf and the Erl King’s Daughter (choral cantata), 1925. Additional composition teachers include Clare Boge, Hart College, Tom Clarck, Texas Southern University, in courses of study at the University of Michigan division at Interlochen, and Harvey Stokes, Hampton University. The work’s text, depicting scenes from the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was written by Moore herself, with interpolations from the Bible and from the works of poets of various different backgrounds. Sir Olaf and the Eri King’s Daughter, choral cantata, 1925. [2] In 1908, her family moved to Petersburg, Virginia. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Moore learned to read music and even to attempt small composition exercises by the time she was eight or nine. In 1926 Moore graduated at the top of her class with a dual degree that included studies in piano and music theory, and then decided to pursue a career in music education. Please have a listen. Born Undine Smith on August 25, 1904, in Jarratt, Virginia; died on February 6, 1989; daughter of James William Smith, a railroad man, and Hattie (Turnbull) Smith; married James Arthur Moore, an educator; children: Mary, Education: Fisk University, BA and B.Mus., 1926; Columbia University, MA, 1931; further studies at Manhattan College of Music, Julliard School, Eastman College of Music. Born Undine Smith on August 25, 1904, in Jarratt, VA; died on February 6, 1989; daughter of James William Smith (a railroad man) and Hattie (Turnbull) Smith; married James Arthur Moore (an educator); children: Mary. Even as an undergraduate at Fisk, Moore had already begun to compose; her first known work was an ambitious choral piece, Sir Olaf and the Erl King’s Daughter, with a text based on Norwegian folklore. Contemporary Musicians. [4], On 6 February 1989, aged 84, Undine Smith Moore suffered a stroke. Contemporary Musicians. The granddaughter of slaves, Undine Smith Moore’s first musical memories were of the Morningstar Baptist Church in Jarratt, Virginia. Undine Eliza Anna Smith Moore (25 August 1904 – 6 February 1989), the "Dean of Black Women Composers," was a notable and prolific American composer and professor of music in the twentieth century. "Our memories die with us, but art preserves the values and experiences.'' "Composer and Master Teacher. Born in Jarratt, Virginia the granddaughter of slaves, she began to study piano at age seven. Undine Smith Moore biography. Encyclopedia.com. Scenes from the Life of a Martyr (narrator, chorus, soloists, orchestra), 1980. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. [34] At her funeral, several of her spiritual arrangements were performed. [4], Undine Smith Moore was born the youngest of three children to James William Smith and Hardie Turnbull Smith. In 1927, she landed a job at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University) in Petersburg; she would teach there until her retirement in 1972. Her major piece, "Scenes from the Life of a Martyr," is … One of her last compositions was a trio for violin, cello, and piano called Soweto (1987); that highly complex work used the12-tone technique to explore the implications of … Moore was originally trained as a classical pianist, but developed a compositional output of mostly vocal music -- her preferred genre. In 1926 Moore graduated at the top of her class with a dual degree that included studies in piano and music theory, and then decided to pursue a career in music education. [31] Moore’s contributions to music were recognized by the National Black Caucus, and in 1981 Moore was invited to deliver the keynote address at the first National Congress on Women in Music at New York University. Disturbed by what she saw as a deteriorating knowledge of the history of black music among her students, Moore worked during her last years at Virginia State to establish the Black Music Center, a combination archive, research center, and performance-promotion organization. On, This page was last edited on 20 January 2021, at 16:42. See What the End Is Gonna Be Ronald Staheli. in 1931, and also studied at the prestigious Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. [9] Moore turned down a scholarship to Petersburg’s Virginia Normal Institute in order to enroll at Fisk, a historically black college. One small thing we can do as an organization today is amplify the amazing BIPOC voices and composers in our society. Selected Awards: Certificate of Appreciation from John Lindsay, Mayor, New York City, 1972; Honorary Doctorate, Virginia State University, 1972; Honorary Doctorate, Indiana University, 1976; National Black Caucus Award, 1980; nominated, Pulitzer Prize, for Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, 1982. Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, for narrator, chorus, soloists, and orchestra, 1980. “I think that black people need to remind themselves of the importance of remembering,” she was quoted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.