William Grant Still Jr. (May 11, 1895 – December 3, 1978) was an American composer of nearly two hundred works, including five

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

, four

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s, nine

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s, over thirty choral works, plus

art song An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such songs ...

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

and works for solo instruments. Born in Mississippi, he grew up in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, attended

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

and

Oberlin Conservatory of Music The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...

, and was a student of

George Whitefield Chadwick George Whitefield Chadwick (November 13, 1854 – April 4, 1931) was an American composer. Along with John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what is called the Se ...

and later,

Edgard Varèse Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse (; also spelled Edgar; December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965) was a French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States. Varèse's music emphasizes timbre and rhythm; he coined ...

. Because of his close association and collaboration with prominent African-American literary and cultural figures, Still is considered to have been part of the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

. Often referred to as the "Dean of Afro-American Composers," Still was the first American composer to have an opera produced by the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

. Still is known primarily for his first symphony, ''

Afro-American Symphony ''Afro-American Symphony'', also known as Symphony No. 1 ''"Afro-American"'' and ''Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major'', is a 1930 composition by William Grant Still, the first symphony written by an African American and performed for a United States ...

'' (1930), which was, until 1950, the most widely performed symphony composed by an American. Also of note, Still was the first African-American to conduct a major American symphony

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

, the first to have a symphony (which was, in fact, the first one he composed) performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company, and the first to have an opera performed on national television.

Life

William Grant Still Jr. was born on May 11, 1895, in

Woodville, Mississippi Woodville is a town in and the county seat of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States. Its population as of 2020 was 928. History This historic town, one of the oldest in Mississippi, is set among the rolling hills and pastures of Wilkins ...

. He was the son of two teachers, Carrie Lena Fambro (1872–1927) and William Grant Still Sr. (1871–1895). His father was a partner in a grocery store and performed as a local bandleader. William Grant Still Sr. died when his infant son was three months old. Still's mother moved with him to

, where she taught high school English. She met and in 1904 married Charles B. Shepperson, who nurtured his stepson William's musical interests by taking him to operettas and buying Red Seal recordings of classical music, which the boy greatly enjoyed. The two attended a number of performances by musicians on tour. His maternal grandmother Anne Fambro sang African-American

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the e ...

to him.

Still started violin lessons in Little Rock at the age of 15. He taught himself to play the

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, saxophone,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

, double bass, cello and

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

, and showed a great interest in music. At 16 years old, he graduated as class valedictorian from M. W. Gibbs High School in Little Rock in 1911. His mother wanted him to go to medical school, so Still pursued a Bachelor of Science degree program at

, a

historically black college Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

in Ohio. Still became a member of

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...

fraternity. He conducted the university band, learned to play various instruments, and started to compose and to do orchestrations. He left Wilberforce without graduating. Upon receiving a small amount of money left to him by his father, he began studying at the

. Still worked for the school assisting the janitor, along with a few other small jobs outside of the school, yet still struggled financially. When Professor Lehmann asked Still why he wasn't studying composition, Still told him honestly that he couldn't afford to, leading to George Andrews agreeing to teach him composition without charge. He also studied privately with the modern French composer

and the American composer

. On October 4, 1915, Still married Grace Bundy, whom he had met while they were both at Wilberforce. They had a son, William III, and three daughters, Gail, June, and Caroline. They separated in 1932 and divorced February 6, 1939. On February 8, 1939, he married pianist

Verna Arvey Verna Arvey (February 16, 1910 – November 22, 1987) was an American librettist, pianist and writer who is best known for her musical collaborations with her husband William Grant Still, a musician and composer. Early life and education Vern ...

, driving to

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

for the ceremony because interracial marriage was illegal in California. They had a daughter, Judith Anne, and a son, Duncan. Still's

granddaughter Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

Celeste Headlee Celeste Headlee (born December 30, 1969) is an American radio journalist, author, public speaker, and co-host of the weekly series ''Retro Report on PBS.'' In her 20-year career in public radio, Headlee has served as the host of the Georgia Publi ...

, a daughter of Judith Anne. On December 1, 1976, his home was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #169. It is located at 1262 Victoria Avenue in Oxford Square, Los Angeles.

Career

In 1916, Still worked in Memphis for

W.C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

's band. In 1918 Still joined the United States Navy to serve in World War I. After the war he went to

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, where he continued to work for Handy. During his time in Harlem Still was involved with other important cultural figures of the Harlem Renaissance such as

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

Alain Locke Alain LeRoy Locke (September 13, 1885 – June 9, 1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Distinguished in 1907 as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Locke became known as the philosophical architect ...

Arna Bontemps Arna Wendell Bontemps ( ) (October 13, 1902 – June 4, 1973) was an American poet, novelist and librarian, and a noted member of the Harlem Renaissance. Early life Bontemps was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, into a Louisiana Creole family. His a ...

, and

Countee Cullen Countee Cullen (born Countee LeRoy Porter; May 30, 1903 – January 9, 1946) was an American poet, novelist, children's writer, and playwright, particularly well known during the Harlem Renaissance. Early life Childhood Countee LeRoy Porter ...

, and is considered to be part of that movement. He recorded with

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musi ...

's Dance Orchestra in 1921, and later played in the

pit orchestra A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in musicals, operas, ballets, and other shows involving music. The terms was also used for orchestras accompanying silent movies when more than a piano was used. In performances ...

for

Noble Sissle Noble Lee Sissle (July 10, 1889 – December 17, 1975) was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer, and playwright, best known for the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along'' (1921), and its hit song "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Ea ...

and

Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote ''Shuffle Along'', one of the first Bro ...

's musical, ''

Shuffle Along ''Shuffle Along'' is a musical composed by Eubie Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle, and a book written by the comedy duo Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles. One of the most notable all-Black hit Broadway shows, it was a landmark in African-America ...

'' and in other pit orchestras for

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

, and

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

. With Henderson, he joined Henry Pace's Pace Phonograph Company (

Black Swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...

). Later in the 1920s, Still served as the arranger of ''"

Yamekraw ''Yamekraw, a Negro Rhapsody'' is a jazz musical composition written by James P. Johnson in 1927 about a neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia. It was a response to George Gershwin's ''Rhapsody in Blue''. It was initially composed for the piano, but w ...

"'', a "Negro Rhapsody" (1930), composed by the Harlem stride pianist

James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...

. In the 1930s, Still worked as an arranger of popular music, writing for

Willard Robison Willard Robison (September 18, 1894 – June 24, 1968) was an American vocalist, pianist, and composer of popular songs, born in Shelbina, Missouri. His songs reflect a rural, melancholy theme steeped in Americana and their warm style has dr ...

's ''Deep River Hour'' and Paul Whiteman's ''Old Gold Show'', both popular

NBC Radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first t ...

broadcasts. Still's first major orchestral composition, '' Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American",'' was performed in 1931 by the

Rochester Philharmonic The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company ...

, conducted by

Howard Hanson Howard Harold Hanson (October 28, 1896 – February 26, 1981)''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011/ref> was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American class ...

. It was the first time the complete score of a work by an African American was performed by a major orchestra. By the end of World War II the piece had been performed in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, and London. Until 1950 the symphony was the most popular of any composed by an American.Borroff, Edith,
"Biographical Sketch of William Grant Still"
Duke University Libraries. Still developed a close professional relationship with Hanson; many of Still's compositions were performed for the first time in Rochester. In 1934, Still moved to Los Angeles. He received his first

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

and started work on the first of his nine operas, '' Blue Steel''. In 1936, Still conducted the

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

at the Hollywood Bowl; he was the first African American to conduct a major American orchestra in a performance of his own works. Still arranged music for films. These included '' Pennies from Heaven'' (the 1936 film starring

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage and film actress.Obituary ''Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography Child model and stage actress B ...

) and ''

Lost Horizon ''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...

'' (the 1937 film starring

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...

Jane Wyatt Jane Waddington Wyatt ( ; August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was an American actress. She starred in a number of Hollywood films, such as Frank Capra's ''Lost Horizon'', but is likely best known for her role as the housewife and mother Marg ...

and

Sam Jaffe Shalom "Sam" Jaffe (March 10, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor, teacher, musician, and engineer. In 1951, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950) and ap ...

). For ''Lost Horizon'', he arranged the music of

Dimitri Tiomkin Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (, ; May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer and conductor. Classically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Berlin and then New York City ...

. Still was also hired to arrange the music for the 1943 film '' Stormy Weather'', but left the assignment because "

Twentieth-Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

'degraded colored people.'" Still composed ''Song of a City'' for the

1939 World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purcha ...

in New York City. The song played continuously during the fair by the exhibit "Democracity." According to Still's granddaughter, he couldn't attend the fair except on "Negro Day" without police protection. In 1949, his opera ''

Troubled Island ''Troubled Island'' is an American opera in three acts composed by William Grant Still, with a libretto begun by poet Langston Hughes and completed by Verna Arvey. She married the composer following their collaboration. Set in Haiti in 1791, ''T ...

'', originally completed in 1939, about

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent First Empire of Haiti, Haiti under the Constitution of Haiti, 1 ...

and Haiti, was performed by the

. It was the first opera by an American to be performed by that companyShirley, Wayne
"Two Aspects of ''Troubled Island''"
''American Music Research Center Journal'', 2013. and the first by an African American to be performed by a major company. Still was upset by the negative reviews it received. In 1955, he conducted the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra; he was the first African American to conduct a major orchestra in the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the war ...

. Still's works were performed internationally by the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

, the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, the

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra The is recognized as the oldest symphony orchestra in Japan. It was founded in 1911 and debuted at the original Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya as the . It relocated to Tokyo in 1938. As of 2005, it has 166 members. The orchestra plays frequently a ...

, and the

BBC Orchestra BBC Orchestras and Singers refers collectively to a number of orchestras, choirs and other musical ensembles, maintained by the BBC. Current operation All of the BBC’s Orchestras and Singers record performances primarily for BBC Radio 3, with ...

. In 1981, the opera '' A Bayou Legend'' was the first by an African-American composer to be performed on national television. Still was known as the "Dean of Afro-American Composers". Still and Arvey's papers are held by the University of Arkansas.

Legacy and honors

*Still received three

s in music composition (1934, 1935, 1938), at least one Rosenwald Fellowship, and a

Mu Phi Epsilon Mu Phi Epsilon () is a co-ed international professional fraternity, professional music fraternity. It has over 75,000 members in 227 collegiate chapters and 113 Alumnus/a, alumni chapters in the US and abroad. History Mu Phi Epsilon was founde ...

Citation of Merit. *In 1949, he received a citation for Outstanding Service to American Music from the National Association for American Composers and Conductors *In 1976, his home in Los Angeles was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument. *He was awarded honorary doctorates from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

, the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

, the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

, the

Peabody Conservatory The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. *He was posthumously awarded the 1982

Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters (MIAL) is a privately funded foundation created to recognize annually the greatest accomplishments in art, music, literature, and photography among Mississippians. The idea was conceived by, among others ...

award for music composition for his opera ''A Bayou Legend''.

Selected compositions

Still composed almost 200 works, including nine operas,Kirk, Elise Kuhl (2001)
''American Opera''
pp. 200–204. University of Illinois Press. five symphonies, four ballets, plus art songs, chamber music, and works for solo instruments. He composed more than thirty choral works. Many of his works are believed to be lost. *'' Saint Louis Blues'' (comp.

W.C.Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

; arr. Still; 1916) *'' Hesitating Blues'' (comp.

W.C.Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

; arr. Still; 1916) *''From the Land of Dreams'' (1924) *'' Darker America'' (1924) *''From the Journal of a Wanderer'' (1925) *''Levee Land'' (1925) *''From The Black Belt'' (1926) *'' La Guiablesse'' (1927) *'' Yamekaw, a Negro Rhapsody'' (comp. J.P. Johnson; arr. Still; 1928) *'' Sahdji'' (1930) *''

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

'' (1930) * Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American" (1930, revised in 1969) *''A Deserted Plantation'' (1933) *''The Sorcerer'' (1933) *''Dismal Swamp'' (1933) *'' Blue Steel'' (1934) *'' Kaintuck''' (1935) * ''Three Visions'' (1935) * ''Summerland'' (1935) *''A Song A Dust'' (1936) * Symphony No. 2, "Song of A New Race" (1937) *''

Lenox Avenue Lenox Avenue – also named Malcolm X Boulevard; both names are officially recognized – is the primary north–south route through Harlem in the upper portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan. This two-way street runs from F ...

'' (1937) *''Song of A City'' (1938) *''Seven Traceries'' (1939) *''And They Lynched Him on A Tree'' (1940) *'' Miss Sally's Party'' (1940) *''Can'tcha line 'em'', for orchestra (1940) *''Old California'' (1941) *''

'', opera, produced 1949 (1937–39) *'' A Bayou Legend'', opera (1941) *''Plain-Chant for America'' (1941) *''Incantation and Dance'' (1941) *''A Southern Interlude'' (1942) *''In Memoriam: The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy'' (1943) *''Suite for Violin & Piano'' (1943) *''Festival Overture'' (1944) *''Poem for Orchestra'' (1944) *''Bells'' (1944) * Symphony No. 5, "Western Hemisphere" (1945, revised 1970) *''From The Delta'' (1945) *''Wailing Woman'' (1946) *Archaic Ritual Suite (1946) * Symphony No. 4, "Autochthonous" (1947) *''Danzas de Panama'' (1948) *''From A Lost Continent'' (1948) *''Wood Notes'' (1948) *'' Miniatures'' (1948) *''Constaso'' (1950) *''To You, America'' (1951) *''Grief'', originally titled as ''Weeping Angel'' (1953) *''The Little Song That Wanted To Be A Symphony'' (1954) *''A Psalm for The Living'' (1954) *''Rhapsody'' (1954) *''

The American Scene ''The American Scene'' is a book of travel writing by Henry James about his trip through the United States in 1904-1905. Ten of the fourteen chapters of the book were published in the ''North American Review'', '' Harper's'' and the ''Fortnightl ...

'' (1957) *''Serenade'' (1957) *''Ennanga'' (1958) * Symphony No. 3, "The Sunday Symphony" (1958) *''Lyric Quartette'' (1960) *''Patterns'' (1960) *''The Peaceful Land'' (1960) *''Preludes'' (1962) *'' Highway 1, USA'' (1962) *''Folk Suite No. 4'' (1963) *''Threnody: In Memory of Jan Sibelius'' (1965) *''Little Red School House'' (1967) *''Little Folk Suite'' (1968) *''Choreographic Prelude'' (1970)

References

Sources

* Horne, Aaron. ''Woodwind Music of Black Composers'', Greenwood Press, 1990. * Roach, Hildred. ''Black American Music. Past and Present'', second edition, Krieger Publishing Company 1992. * Sadie, Stanley; Hitchcock, H. Wiley. '' The New Grove Dictionary of American Music'', Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1986.

External links

William Grant Still, Music
Official Site
William Grant Still, Music
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

(IMDb)
William Grant Still, Bibliography
at the

Encyclopedia of Arkansas The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information ab ...

William Grant Still, ''A Study in Contradictions''

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

William Grant Still, Interview (1949; 30:49)
radio broadcast by

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

William Grant Still, "Composer, Arranger, Conductor & Oboist".
Extensive information at AfriClassical.com
William Grant Still and Verna Arvey Papers

, Special Collections Department, Manuscript Collection MC 1125 {{DEFAULTSORT:Still, William Grant 1895 births 1978 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers African-American classical composers American classical composers African-American conductors (music) African-American male classical composers African-American opera composers American classical oboists American male classical composers American male conductors (music) American music arrangers Harlem Renaissance Jazz-influenced classical composers Male oboists Male opera composers Musicians from Little Rock, Arkansas Musicians from Mississippi Oberlin College alumni Orchestra leaders People from Woodville, Mississippi Pupils of Edgard Varèse Wilberforce University alumni

Life

Career

Legacy and honors

Selected compositions

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links