Robert Nathaniel Dett was a trailblazing Black Canadian-American composer, pianist, organist, professor, and choral director. He was a leading Black composer of his time, employing African-American folk songs and spirituals throughout his works. The Adagio cantabile is the second movement from his “Cinnamon Grove Suite” for piano, inspired by text from Nobel Prize-winning “Gitanjali” published in 1910 by Indian polymath and poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Instrumentation:

• 4 Flutes
• 2 Alto Flutes
• Bass Flute/Contrabass Flute/Contralto Flute (in G)