“Morgiane” is considered to be the oldest existing opera written by black Americans, but despite its historical importance, the show was first performed for viewers only in 2025. I did.
“Morgiane” was Magnum Opus by New Orleans-born composer Edmund Dede. The opera is based on the theme of “Alibaba and the Forty Thieves,” telling the story of his mother, Morgain and daughter, Ameen, fighting the tyrannical ruling sultan. Behind the curtains is Dede’s incredible story.
Dede was born in 1827 in New Orleans as a free black man. He received an education and moved to France in 1855, leaving just before the Civil War. In France, he studied music at the Conservatoire in Paris and performed at the Grand Theatre in Bordeaux. He also traveled to Algeria, a French colony, and was inspired by the struggles of the people there.
Dede returned to the United States once at the height of the Jim Crow era. He was not permitted to perform in theatres, and returned to Europe and vowed not to return to his home country.
Dede continued to write 250 songs, ballet and orchestra works. The 545-page “Morgaine” was his Magnum Opus, but it was never played in his life.
In 2014, Gibona Joseph and Aria Mason, founders of Opera Creole in New Orleans, found digital copies of “Morgaine.” Opera Creole shares music from African composers, and when they found their work, they knew it had to bring it to their audience.
“I knew how you got, I feel this is important,” Joseph said. “I didn’t know exactly how.”
Patrick Quigley, the artistic director designation for Opera La Fayette in Washington, DC, wanted to take part in the mission. He and Joseph were connected in 2023, and they began working with musicians and historians across the country to make an unprecedented opera. First, they transcribed 6,000 musical scales into modern notation. When the process was completed, they heard music that had not been played for over a century.
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“This is this great combination of so many different styles of music, both Europe and America, all in one place,” Quigley said.
An excerpt from “Morgaine” was performed at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on January 24th. The church was probably the baptismal place of Dede. The entire opera was performed for the first time at the Opera Fayette on February 3rd.
“It was an incredible moment for Washington, D.C., and an incredible moment for American music,” said Quigley, who performed.
There were also two other performances, one in New York City and one in College Park, Maryland. The short tour served as a kind of homecoming for Dede, Joseph said.
“I think he’s a New Orleans hero,” she said.
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