Mainstage in Concert

THE ORDERING OF MOSES

By Robert Nathaniel Dett

Using the Biblical story of Moses—from the burning bush to the Red Sea deliverance of the Israelites— Dett broadens the terms of this individual tale to explore ideas of freedom, oppression, and hope as a cornerstone of American storytelling. This 1937 oratorio is widely considered his magnum opus both in compositional scale and in articulation of identity and artistry.

Dett, a Canadian American composer, pianist, professor, and poet, was the first Black graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and The Ordering of Moses began as his thesis project. Throughout his career, he championed the use of Negro spirituals and folk songs as a basis for Western classical compositions.