Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989)

Undine Smith Moore, educator and composer, was born in Jarratt and raised in Petersburg. Best known for her choral compositions, she was also a pianist and arranger. Her work often drew on African American sources such as spirituals. Moore's oratorio Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She attended Fisk University and earned a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. She taught music at what is now Virginia State University from 1927 to 1972 and co-founded its Black Man in American Music program. Moore received the National Association of Negro Musicians’ Distinguished Achievement Award in 1975.

Department of Historic Resources, 2010