09/27/2026
How important is creativity and thought processes? Here is an interpretation of the lyrics and an installment of a spiritual sung by many HBCU choirs. We sang it at Stillman College. It always took my breath away. (The song is in the post and the first comment)
May the light of God consume your actions today.
"Striving After God" is a concise, poignant choral work composed in 1958 by Undine Smith Moore, an influential African American composer often referred to as the "Dean of Black Women Composers".
Text of the Song
The piece is composed for an SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) choir. Rather than utilizing traditional biblical scripture, Moore adapted a rich, philosophical text originally translated from Michelangelo:
"True art is made noble and religious by the mind producing it.
For those who feel it, nothing makes the soul so religious and pure
as the striving after God, and the effort to create something perfect."
Meaning of the Song
The song explores the deep, spiritual connection between artistic creativity and divine pursuit.
ā¢ The Sacred Act of Creation: Michelangelo's text asserts that creating art is not a superficial or secular task; it is inherently "noble and religious" if the creator's mind is focused toward the divine. The act of making art is framed as a form of worship.
ā¢ Pursuit of the Perfect: It argues that human attempts to create something "perfect" mirror the soulās natural longing and "striving after God." Even though human perfection is unattainable, the earnest effort to reach it purifies and elevates the soul.
ā¢ Cultural Context: For Undine Smith Mooreāa child of the Jim Crow South whose music was profoundly shaped by the Civil Rights Movement and the Harlem Renaissanceāthe piece acts as a powerful affirmation of Black artistry. By setting these words to music, she elevates the dignity of the artist's labor, positioning the creative outputs of marginalized communities as direct, sacred pursuits of the divine.
The 105 Voices of History (2010) sings "Striving After God" by Undi...
