Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

August 10, 1893 in Cutchogue, NY

Death

:

July 25, 1969 in Greenport, NY

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Opera

 

 

Orchestral

 

Douglas S. Moore was an American composer of classical music, known for his operas and choral works. He was born on August 10, 1893, in Cutchogue, New York, to a family of musicians. His father was a church organist and his mother was a singer, and they encouraged their son's musical talents from an early age. Moore began his formal musical education at the age of 14, when he enrolled in the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. He later studied at the Institute of Musical Art (now the Juilliard School) in New York City, where he was a student of Percy Goetschius and Rubin Goldmark. He also studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Moore's early works were primarily choral pieces, including his setting of the Magnificat, which won the Prix de Rome in 1921. He also wrote several operas during this time, including The Devil and Daniel Webster, which premiered in 1939 and became one of his most popular works. Moore's most famous opera, however, is The Ballad of Baby Doe, which premiered in 1956. The opera tells the story of the real-life love affair between Horace Tabor, a wealthy silver miner, and Elizabeth "Baby" Doe, a young woman from a poor family. The opera was a critical and commercial success, and has since become a staple of the American opera repertoire. In addition to his operas, Moore also wrote several works for orchestra, including his Symphony in A Major, which premiered in 1942. He also wrote chamber music, including his String Quartet No. 1, which was premiered by the Juilliard String Quartet in 1950. Moore was a prolific composer throughout his career, and his works were performed by many of the leading orchestras and opera companies of his time. He was also a respected teacher, and taught at several institutions, including Columbia University and the University of Miami. Moore died on July 25, 1969, in Greenport, New York, at the age of 75. His legacy as a composer of American opera continues to be celebrated today, and his works remain an important part of the classical music repertoire.

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