Cultural Context in Dett's "The Ordering of Moses"

Hear scholars and performers discuss the enduring impact of R. Nathaniel Dett, a Canadian-American composer of African heritage who championed the use of Negro spirituals and folk songs as a basis for Western classical compositions—a practice that took root during his studies at Oberlin. Dett’s 1932 oratorio “The Ordering of Moses” is widely considered his magnum opus both in compositional scale and in its articulation of Black identity and artis...