One small thing we can do as an organization today is amplify the amazing BIPOC voices and composers in our society. by Undine Smith Moore (Arranger) A spirited arrangement of a traditional spiritual with infectious vocal lines. Career: Composer and educator. The granddaughter of former slaves, Moore was born in Virginia in 1904 and by age seven was learning to play the piano. A professor of music at Virginia State University for more than 40 years, she numbered among her students the jazz pianist Billy Taylor and a host of others who became famous in their own ways. “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. 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. Moore was originally trained as a classical pianist, but developed a compositional output of mostly vocal music – her preferred genre. Composer Manheim, James "Moore, Undine Smith [11] Moore graduated cum laude in 1926. Of her childhood, Moore said that “above all else, music reigned.” Moore’s early musical life combined formal education with African American musical roots. Find Undine Smith Moore composition information on AllMusic Were You There Robert Scholz. Ain’t Got Time to Die Hall Johnson. 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. Come Down Angels (Undine Smith Moore) Dry Bones (Margaret Bonds) Free At Last (Zenobia Powell Perry) He's Got the Whole World In His Hand (Margaret Bonds) I Am in Doubt (Undine Smith Moore) I'm a Poor Li'l Orphan in This Worl' (Julia Perry) In the Springtime (Betty Jackson King) Is There Anybody Here That Loves My Jesus (Undine Smith Moore) Career: Composer and educator. Steal Away Bob Chilcott. Moore died in 1989. Contemporary Black Biography. The works she composed in late life are generally regarded as some of her best. 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. 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. "I Want to Die While You Love Me" is a song by Undine Smith Moore for contralto and piano setting the poetry of Georgia Douglas Johnson. Retrieved March 11, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/moore-undine-smith-1904-1989. “The Unique World of Undine Smith Moore: Teacher-Composer-Arranger.”, Moore, Undine Smith. [13] From 1952-3, Moore studied composition with Howard Murphy at the Manhattan School of Music, and would often attend composition workshops at the Eastman School of Music. Mentored by Booker T. Washington [4], Undine Smith Moore was born the youngest of three children to James William Smith and Hardie Turnbull Smith. ", Harris, Carl. Sir Olaf and the Eri King’s Daughter, choral cantata, 1925. 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. Go Tell It on the Mountain Steve Barnett. And if … 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. [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. Undine Smith Moore (Arranger) Anton Armstrong (Editor) This collection showcases five of Undine Smith Moore's spirituals edited by Anton Armstrong, who includes an instructional forward written for this newly-engraved edition. 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. Next, some music by Undine Smith Moore, who has been called the Dean of black women composers. After graduating from Juilliard, Moore became supervisor of music for the Goldsboro, North Carolina public school system. Goldsboro Public Schools, supervisor of music, 1926-27; Virginia State University, associate p… 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. Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. She reestablished contact with one of her teachers at Columbia, Howard Murphy, and embarked on further study with him in order to familiarize herself with the latest developments in classical music coming out of Europe. 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. Moore learned to read music and even to attempt small composition exercises by the time she was eight or nine. U.S. Moore) - YouTube 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. An accomplished and prolific classical music composer, George Walker has achieved many “firsts” in his career, mostl…, Robert Nathaniel Dett [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. (March 11, 2021). [30] Indiana University awarded her an honorary doctorate the following year. Many of her most popular compositions are for chorus, and draw in one way or another upon the settings of spirituals that she had absorbed during her years at Fisk. On this day in 1904, Undine Smith Moore, the “Dean of Black Women Composers,” was born in Jarratt, Virginia! “Undine Smith Moore,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com/blackhistory/MGBXKD41CIC.html (November 6, 2002). Encyclopedia.com. One of her last compositions was a trio for violin, cello, and piano called Soweto (1987); that highly complex work used the twelve-tone technique to explore the implications of an opening motif based on the rhythm of the name “Soweto.” The work had its roots in Moore’s responses to the South African apartheid system of racial segregation.” I did not choose the word. Harris added that Moore began directing the choir when director J. Harold Montague (1907–50) joined the army. In a volume of The Choral Journal, Carl Harris analyzes Moore’s music as being influenced by “ragtime, blues, jazz, and gospel music.”[49] Moore herself, however, only acknowledged “black folk music and Bach as true influences.”[50] Of the philosophy of her music, Moore has stated: ...in retrospect, it seems I have often been concerned with aspiration, the emotional intensity associated with the life of black people as expressed in the various rites of the church and black life in general - the... desire for abundant, full expression as one might anticipate or expect from an oppressed people determined to survive. 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. Nationality : American Category : Famous Figures Last modified : 2012-01-03 Credited as : composer, "Scenes from the Life of a Martyr" , "Soweto" As an African American musical pioneer in the university setting, Undine Smith Moore inspired and influenced black musicians across the United States. [59] On looking back at her life, she later stated: One of the most evil effects of racism in my time was the limits it placed upon the aspirations of blacks, so that though I have been ‘making up’ and creating music all my life, in my childhood or even in college I would not have thought of calling myself a composer or aspiring to be one. 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. ." [60], ...all liberation is connected… as long as any segment of the society is oppressed… the whole society must suffer. Classical composer © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. At Virginia State her creative energy was channeled mostly into small pieces for the school’s choral groups and for her own keyboard students. The family moved to Petersburg in 1908, and at age seven, Undine began piano lessons with Lillian Allen Darden. 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. Unusually successful for a contemporary composition, the work was published by Warner Brothers the following year and has remained in print ever since as a perennial favorite among college and community choirs. Performed live May 26, 2018 at Hibernian Hall, Boston as part of Castle of our Skins's "Ain't I a Woman" project. [20], In 1969, Undine Smith Moore and Altona Trent Johns become co-founders 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.”[21][22] Aside from teaching, Moore considered the Center to be her “most significant accomplishment. 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. [15] In 1927, Moore was hired as piano instructor and organist at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University) in Petersburg, where she was also assigned with teaching classes in counterpoint and theory, for which she was “particularly renowned.”[16] The college appointed Moore director of the D. Webster Davis Laboratory High School chorus, and due to the school’s low budget, Moore would write her own music to cater towards the students’ needs. Smith, Jessie Carney, editor, Notable Black American Women, Book I, Gale Research, 1992. Encyclopedia.com. African American composer, conductor, and music educator Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) elevated the African American folk s…, William Levi Dawson 1899–1990 Born in Jarratt, Va. in 1904, Moore moved to Peterbsurg at a young age. She was the granddaughter of slaves. Sadie, Stanley, editor, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, Macmillan, 2001. [36] A composition by Adolphus Hailstork, "I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes," was created in 1989 to honor her memory. 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. Additional information was obtained from Creative Black Artists, video interview, produced by Indiana University Instructional Television and the Afro-American Institute, 1980. One of the few African Americans to have enjoyed a successful career in the rather closed-in world of acade…, Walker, George Sadie, Stanley, ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., Macmillan, 2001. [51], Moore, Undine Smith, David N. Baker, and Lida M. Belt. Her mother was a voracious reader who stressed the importance of books and music lessons. ." 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. Variations on NETTLETON---Undine Smith Moore I Am Bound For the Promised Land---Buckner Gamby My Jesus, I Love Thee---Phillip McIntyre. Scenes from the Life of a Martyr (narrator, chorus, soloists, orchestra), 1980. Calvert Bean One of them, 1952’s “Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord,” was based. Its chorus had been well known since the 1870s for its performances of spirituals. [24] Moore traveled widely as a professor and lectured on black composers and also conducted workshops. [55] The 1970s were Moore’s “most prolific” years, with twenty-seven works composed. Afro-American Suite, for flute, cello, and piano, 1969. Undine Smith Moore. 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 … https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/moore-undine-smith, Manheim, James "Moore, Undine Smith This video is unavailable. 04-21-20 Hampton Baptist Church Selected Music from Dr Belfield on Vimeo In 1927, she landed a job at Virginia State College (now University) in Petersburg; she would teach there until her retirement in 1972. After attending Fisk University she attended Juilliard on scholarship. 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. [5] She was the granddaughter of slaves. She was the granddaughter of slaves. 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. ." In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. [25] 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. Love, But A Day - Songs And Spirituals Of American Women", Stuart A. [44] Moore acknowledged that there was “almost always strong contrapuntal influence”[45] in her music, which began leaning towards a more dissonant counterpoint after 1953. Its chorus had been well known since the 1870s for its performances of spirituals. Born in Jarratt, Virginia the granddaughter of slaves, she began to study piano at age seven. She attended Fisk University, where she studied piano with Alice M. Grass and first began to compose. Introduction, March, and Allegro (clarinet), 1958. "Composer and Master Teacher. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. On, This page was last edited on 20 January 2021, at 16:42. Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord (chorus), 1952. Encyclopedia.com. [33] She was given the Virginia Governor’s Award in the Arts in 1985. Her 16-section choral cantata “Scenes from the Life of a Martyr” (1980), for narrator, chorus, orchestra, and soloists, combined all these influences and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize after its premiere in 1982. Undine Smith Moore died on February 6, 1989. [57] The 16-part oratorio is based on the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and written for chorus, orchestra, solo voices and narrator. Composer, pianist [2] In 1908, her family moved to Petersburg, Virginia. Sir Olaf and the Erl King’s Daughter (choral cantata), 1925. Moore, the granddaughter of slaves, began studying piano at the age of seven with Lillian Allen Darden. [54] Most of this work occurred after 1950. Melina Jaharis, soprano. Afro-American Suite (flute, cello, piano), 1969. 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 an opening motif based on the rhythm of the name “Soweto.” The work had its roots in Moore’s responses to the South African apartheid system of racial segregation. See What the End Is Gonna Be Ronald Staheli. 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." Crucifixion Adolphus Hailstork. [51], The works of Undine Smith Moore range “from arrangements of spirituals, to solo art songs, instrumental chamber music, and multimovement works for chorus, soloists, and instruments.”[52] Although she composed more than one hundred pieces between 1925 and 1987, only twenty-six were published during her lifetime. and B. The word chose me,” she was quoted as saying in the International Dictionary of Black Composers. She married fellow Virginia State faculty member James Arthur Moore; the couple had a daughter, Mary, who became a dancer and educator. Undine Smith Moore was born the youngest of three children to James William Smith and Hardie Turnbull Smith. [19] On 4 January 1941 Moore gave birth to their daughter, Marie Hardie. So wrote composer Undine Smith Moore in 1978. 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). 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. [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. The granddaughter of slaves, Undine Smith Moore’s first musical memories were of the Morningstar Baptist Church in Jarratt, Virginia. This week we remember the life and music of American composer and educator Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989). 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. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. 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. 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. [35] She was buried in the Eastview Cemetery in Petersburg, 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. By and By Carol Barnett. She married fellow Virginia State faculty member James Arthur Moore; the couple had a daughter, Mary, who became a dancer and educator. [38] Moore was named one of the Virginia Women in History for 2017.[39]. Contemporary Musicians. In 1908, her family moved to Petersburg, Virginia. Mus., 1926; Columbia University, M.A., 1931; further studies at Manhattan College of Music, Juilliard School, Eastman College of Music. "Our memories die with us, but art preserves the values and experiences.'' Moore learned to read music and even to attempt small composition exercises by the time she was eight or nine. Soweto, for violin, cello, and piano, 1987. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Her Principal Composition teacher includes Dean of African American Women Composers, Professor Undine Smith Moore of Virginia State University. 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. In 1953, Moore composed the “powerful and dissonant” piano solo Before I’d be a Slave, “characterized by tone clusters, bitonality, and quartal harmonies”[41]—a significant step away from her tonal vocal writing. 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. Date of birth : 1904-08-25 Date of death : 1989-02-06 Birthplace : Jarratt, Virginia,U.S. She pursued additional study at the Juilliard School. [42] Of these melodies and her adaptations of them to her music, Moore said: ...the songs my mother sang while cooking dinner; the melodies my father hummed after work moved me very deeply… In making these arrangements my aim was not to make something ‘better’ than what was sung. 22 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. Composer and educator; 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. Manheim, James "Moore, Undine Smith The family moved to the city of Petersburg, Virginia, when Moore was four, but they often spent time in Jarratt in the summers. The 752-member Stay at Home Choir joins the King's Singers in Billy Joel's "And so it Goes." 2021 . Traveled to Africa…, Reich, Steve 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. [37] A historical marker was approved in 2010 for installation in Petersburg. ... shallwegather @perfectdaymusicfoundation @northwesternu @bienenschoolnu @northwesternoperatheatre Some tidbits about Undine Smith Moore—- “Her father was a railroad brakeman; her grandparents were slaves. 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. I've Just Come from the Fountain (arr. [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. The Smiths’ lives were filled with music – whether at home or singing in church. [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. “I think that black people need to remind themselves of the importance of remembering,” she was quoted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. One of them, 1952’s “Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord,” was based on one of the songs she had transcribed from her mother’s singing. In 1927, Undine Smith Moore joined the faculty of Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute in Petersburg, where she taught theory, piano and organ, and continued to arrange and compose for the college choir. [4], On 6 February 1989, aged 84, Undine Smith Moore suffered a stroke. [4] In 1975, Moore was labeled music laureate of the state of Virginia, and the National Association of Negro Musicians named her an “outstanding educator”. Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord, for chorus, 1952. [10] In 1924, the Juilliard School granted Moore their first ever scholarship to a student at Fisk, allowing her to continue her undergraduate studies. Moore was originally trained as a classical pianist, but developed a compositional output of mostly vocal music—her preferred genre. However, the date of retrieval is often important. (March 11, 2021). Floyd, Samuel, editor, International Dictionary of Black Composers, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999. 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). ... LIVE FROM INDIANAPOLIS — WITH VC ARTIST TESSA LARK AND AMY YANG. 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. 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. ." . 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. [58] Moore had planned the piece for at least five years, and considered it her “most significant work.”[40]. 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. [12], In 1931, during the Harlem Renaissance, Moore received a Master of Arts and professional diploma in music at Columbia University’s Teachers College. 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. [23] In 1972, the Black Music Center closed after Undine Smith Moore retired from Virginia State College. Watch Queue Queue Moore began to think about ways of incorporating her. 11 Mar. Winning a scholarship to Fisk University seemed to seal Moore’s choice of a music as her life’s work, for the musical traditions at that historically black institution ran deep. When it came to spirituals, Undine Smith Moore was one of the finest American composers and teachers in the 20th century. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Retirement only increased Moore’s compositional productivity, and she composed prolifically until just before her death. Her mother was a voracious reader who stressed the importance of books and music lessons. Watch Queue Queue. The text is both a proclamation of faith and an invitation for all to come and see Jesus. Encyclopedia.com. Retirement only increased Moore’s compositional productivity, and she composed prolifically until just before her death. Contemporary Musicians. “The Black Composer Speaks: An Interview with Undine Smith Moore.”, Harris, Carl, and Undine Smith Moore. Many of her most popular compositions are for chorus, and draw in one way or another upon the settings of spirituals that she had absorbed during her years at Fisk. "My mother loves 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. Brought Fame to Tuskegee Choir degree at Columbia University. 2021 . 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.