A Lost Masterpiece

For more than a century, the grand opera Morgiane -- like many manuscripts of 19th-century Black composers -- was all but erased from history. But now, at long last, composer Edmond Dédé's music is being heard again. This amazing rediscovery is an apt reminder that truth and beauty, no matter how long buried, will rise again.

Dédé was born in 1827 in New Orleans, a city alive with opera long before jazz took root. At that time, New Orleans was America’s destination for grand performances, hosting the U.S. debuts of Italian masters like Bellini and Rossini. As a free child in a culture that restricted his potential, Dédé was a prodigy who quickly outgrew the opportunities available to him. When the rising tensions of slavery threatened his future, he fled to France, where he eventually flourished as a composer, conductor, and abolitionist.

From his post at the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux, Dédé composed operettas, symphonies, and chamber works, blending European classical music with the Creole influences of his homeland. As a member of the Institute d’Afrique, he also fought for the abolition of slavery, refusing to forget those still in chains across the Atlantic.

By 1887, Dédé had completed his greatest work, the grand opera Morgiane, a 500-page masterpiece of intricate orchestration. But he would never see it performed. After his death in 1901, the manuscript disappeared, seemingly lost forever. That is, until researchers stumbled upon it in the archives at Harvard University, setting off a decades-long effort to bring his music back to life.

Restoring Morgiane has been no small task. Every note had to be painstakingly transcribed and every instrument had to be adapted to match the sound of the 19th century. Excerpts from Morgiane were first presented in a concert at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans last month, and the opera is due to have its stage premiere this month in a majority Black production that is a collaboration between Opera Lafayette and OperaCréole.

Dédé composed for concert halls, but his story is one of resilience, justice, and the enduring power of beauty. May his life inspire us to embrace our callings with courage, knowing that no barrier is too great when we trust in God’s plan.