A critical edition of The creation by Oscar Anderson Fuller: an oratorio for 12-part, symphonic-mixed chorus and baritone solo

This dissertation presents a critical edition of The Creation, An Oratorio for 12-Part, Symphonic-Mixed Chorus (Unaccompanied) and Baritone Solo, intended for performance by large advanced mixed vocal ensembles. The composer of this work is Oscar Anderson Fuller, the first Black person to earn a doctorate in music in the United States, which he earned in 1942 at the University of Iowa with The Creation as his thesis composition. Fuller’s achievement in obtaining a Ph.D. in composition during a time when opportunities for Black musicians were limited underscores the importance of recognizing and preserving the legacy of Black composers in classical music.

Fuller’s The Creation is a setting of the text “The Creation,” a poem from the collection God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse by James Weldon Johnson published in 1927. This text was a pivotal piece of literature published at the height of the Harlem Renaissance by a key figure in civil rights activism and the “New Negro” movement. Fuller was very fond of this text and had a profound respect for the poet. Over eight decades later, this current thesis not only presents the critical edition, but also examines Fuller’s life, his thesis composition, The Creation, and provides an analysis of its text and music.

Fuller was raised in a highly educated, southern family during the Jim Crow Era. He sought advanced degrees long before it was possible for a Black person to earn them in the South. He found success at the University of Iowa and inspired future generations of Black scholars to do the same, thus contributing to the development of the University of Iowa’s conduit to Historically Black Colleges and Universities to recruit and provide educational opportunities for exceptional Black scholars.

During his career, Fuller chaired three music departments with the third for thirty-two years at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. His dedication to growing these music programs consumed his time and attention to the point that he was unable to compose again at the level of his doctoral dissertation. His composition professor and mentor at the University of Iowa, Director of Music Philip Greeley Clapp, said that “this oratorio…is so effective that it should be widely sung as soon as it becomes known.” Unfortunately, this piece has never become known or been performed. Recognizing the contributions and celebrating the works of Black composers, like Fuller, is crucial for promoting diversity, representation, and a more inclusive cultural landscape in the music profession.