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Douglas Stuart Moore (1893-1969) - American composer - Primarily operas. His masterpiece and most popular opera is "The Ballad of Baby Doe"; premiered in Central City, Colorado on July 7, 1956; later that same year at the New York City Opera with Beverly Sills as Baby Doe in her debut as a leading lady and star; also with Frances Bible and Walter Cassel. Reissued and remastered on Deutsche Grammaphon 289 465 148-2 (2 CDs) - 1999/1959 in a brilliant recording with an outstanding Sills. Other operas (works) of Moore include: White Wings, The Headless Horseman, The Devil and Daniel Webster, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Giants of the Earth, Wings of the Dove, The Greenfield’s Christmas Tree and Carrie Nation.
Life
Douglas Moore was born on August 10, 1893 in Cutchogue, L.I., N.Y. and died in nearby Greenport, L.I., N.Y. on July 25, 1969. He came from a well-to-do family and was educated at the prestigious private school of Hotchkiss and at Yale University; majoring in fine arts and music. He went to Paris to study, like Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson and other notable American composers with legendary pedagogue, Nadia Boulanger. He returned to the United States and was offered a position with Columbia University as Chairman of the Music Dept. in 1925 and stayed in that position for 37 years until his retirement in 1962. "The Ballad of Baby Doe", along with Carlisle Floyd’s "Susannah" has entered the operatic repertory.
