Musicians You Should Know: Undine Smith Moore

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Basic Facts

Born: August 25, 1904, Jarratt, Virginia
Died: February 6, 1989
Type of Performer: Composer
Genre: Classical
Awards:
  1. Honorary Doctorate of Music, Virginia State University, 1972
  2. National Association Negro Musicians Distinguished Achievement Award, 1975
  3. Honorary Doctorate of Music, Indiana University, 1976
  4. Music Laureate of Virginia, 1977
  5. Candace Award (National Coalition of 100 Black Women), 1984
  6. Virginia Governor's Award in the Arts, 1985

About Undine Smith Moore

Undine Smith Moore was born in 1904 in Jarratt, Virginia, a rural town south of Richmond. She was the daughter of a railroad brakeman and the granddaughter of former slaves. Her mother stressed the importance of books and formal music lessons, but Moore also grew up listening to the work songs and spirituals of her grandparents. She won a scholarship to study music at Fisk University in Nashville, famous for its music program. She graduated in 1924 at the age of 20 at the top of her class and became the first Fisk graduate to win a scholarship to Juilliard. She worked for a period of time as the Goldsboro, North Carolina, public school system's supervisor of music before moving back to Virginia to teach piano, organ, and music theory at Virginia State University in 1927. She taught on faculty there for over 40 years, retiring in 1972. Between 1929 and 1931, while continuing to teach at VSU, she commuted to and from Columbia University to earn her Master's in Teaching.

As a professor, she was dedicated to promoting the work of Black composers. She toured extensively, giving lectures and conducting workshops on the topic. In her last years at Virginia State University, she founded the Black Music Center, an archive, research, and performance organization aimed at educating students about African American history and musicians. A prolific composer herself (she composed over 100 works), she was most well-known for her choral pieces and earned the nickname "Dean of Women Black Composers". She also composed for piano and various ensembles. Her 16-part oratorio, Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, based on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. She continued to compose up until her death in 1989.

Listen

Excerpt from Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra


Afro American Suite, Mvmt I (1969), performed by Pan Harmonia



Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord, performed by the University of South Florida Chamber Singers



Further Reading

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