William Grant Still
The dean of African-American composers.
About The artist
William Grant Still credited his mother and grandmother for his love of the arts. His father died shortly after he was born, but his stepfather encouraged his interest in music by taking him to performances and buying him records.
Still studied music theory and composition at Oberlin Conservatory under such notable composers as George W. Chadwick and Edgard Varèse. It was Chadwick who suggested he incorporate African and popular music styles into his compositions.
Still's works include symphonies, operas, and ballets as well as scores for film and television. His works reflected the position of Black people in American society, a first for American classical music. His opera The Troubled Island, featured a libretto by Langston Hughes.
Still was the first African-American composer to conduct a major U.S. orchestra (the Los Angeles Philharmonic), and the first to have his works performed by major American orchestras and opera companies.
Did you know...
William Grant Still on blues music:
I harbor no delusions as to the triviality of the Blues, the secular folk music of the American Negro, despite their lowly origin and the homely sentiment of their texts. The pathos of their melodic content bespeaks the anguish of human hearts and belies the banality of their lyrics. What is more, they, unlike many Spirituals, do not exhibit the influence of Caucasian music.
