R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) was a Canadian-born Black composer, pianist, choral conductor and educator whose work helped bring African-American spirituals into classical concert forms. Born in Ontario, he moved to the United States as a child and studied at Oberlin.

His compositions include piano suites such as In the Bottoms, choral works including The Ordering of Moses, songs and arrangements of spirituals. He also led choirs and taught at several important institutions.

Dett’s music combines late Romantic harmony, spiritual-derived melody and a strong sense of uplift. He treated Black musical inheritance not as raw material to be prettified, but as a profound artistic and cultural source.

His importance has grown as American music has been re-examined beyond its old narrow corridors. Dett’s work carries beauty, craft and unmistakable moral force.