WorldView Episode 48: Dorothy Rudd Moore
Episode forty-eight of WorldView will first air on February 6th, 2023, the first Monday of Black History Month. To celebrate, this hour will feature the works of four African American composers, including one of the most important female composers of the last century: Dorothy Rudd Moore.
Dorothy Rudd Moore was born in Delaware in the summer of 1940, and grew up in a musical household. She studied piano, composition, and clarinet as a teenager, the latter of which allowed her to join the previously all-male band at her high school. Moore graduated from Howard University in 1963 with a Bachelor of Music degree, and was awarded a scholarship to study in France with the famous instructor of composition Nadia Boulanger. She also spent a period of time working with artist Chou Wen-Chung (WorldView episode forty-four) in New York City. After marrying conductor Kermit Moore in 1964, Dorothy Moore held various positions as a music and composition instructor in New York. She co-founded the Society for Black Composers in 1968, which is often viewed as one of her most impactful and lasting contributions to classical music. Though the SBC was only active for half a decade, it helped elevate the careers of various famous musical artists, including Herbie Hancock, David Baker (WorldView episode fourteen), and Olly Wilson.
Moore composed slowly, preferring to complete a work by its premiere date rather than return to make additional edits. Her compositions were sometimes decried as overly serious, but the majority of critics praised her works for being well-thought out and purposeful. After more than sixty years as a composer, Moore passed away in March of 2022. This episode of WorldView features Moore’s “Night Fantasy”, a work for clarinet and piano performed by Marcus Eley and Lucerne DeSa. Enjoy!
WorldView Episode Forty-Eight Playlist:
Coleridge-Taylor PERKINSON, “Scherzo”, {William Chapman Nyaho (pf)} - MSR Classics
Dorothy Rudd MOORE, “Night Fantasy”, {Marcus Eley (clar), Lucerne DeSa (pf)} - Sono Luminus
Billy CHILDS, “The Distant Land”, {Akron Symphony Orchestra, Alan Balter, Carmen Lundy, Nana Yaw Asiedu (perc), Thomas A. Kelley Jr. (perc)} - Telarc
Alvin BATISTE, “Episodes”, {Marcus Eley (clar), Lucerne DeSa (pf)} - Sono Luminus
WorldView is a classical music radio show featuring composers from everywhere in the world - except Western Europe. Tune in to hear works by lesser-known artists such as Nancy Dalberg and Isang Yun, and widen your knowledge of classical music. Hinke Younger hosts each week’s episode of WorldView on Mondays at 9AM and 6PM (with a rebroadcast Saturdays at 2PM) on Charlottesvilleclassical.org.