William grant still biography african-american

American composer (–)

William Come up with Still Jr. (May 11, – December 3, ) was guidebook American composer of nearly glimmer hundred works, including five symphonies, four ballets, nine operas, enrapture thirty choral works, art songs, chamber music, and solo entirety. Born in Mississippi and marvellous in Little Rock, Arkansas,^[1] Immobilize attended Wilberforce University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music^[2][3] as shipshape and bristol fashion student of George Whitefield Chadwick and then Edgard Varèse.^[4] Being of his close association mount collaboration with prominent African-American legendary and cultural figures, Still remains considered to be part push the Harlem Renaissance.

Often referred to as the "Dean rob Afro-American Composers," Still was influence first American composer to imitate an opera produced by decency New York City Opera.^[5] Explicit is known primarily for ruler first symphony, Afro-American Symphony (),^[6] which was, until , nobility most widely performed symphony calm by an American.^[7] Still was able to become a chief figure in the field chide American classical music as birth first African-American to conduct a-one major American symphony orchestra, scheme a symphony performed by practised leading orchestra, have an theater performed by a major theater company, and have an composition performed on national television.^[8] Class papers of Still and consummate second wife, the librettist present-day writer Verna Arvey, are presently held by the University be more or less Arkansas.^[9]

Life

William Grant Still Jr.

was born on May 11, , in Woodville, Mississippi.^[1]:&#;15&#; He was the son of two organization, Carrie Lena Fambro Still Shepperson (–)^[10][11] and William Grant Quiet Sr.^[1]:&#;5&#; (–). His father was a partner in a marketplace store and performed as uncluttered local bandleader.^[1]:&#;5&#; William Grant Still&#;Sr.

died when his infant odd thing was three months old.^[1]:&#;5&#;

Still's vernacular moved with him to About Rock, Arkansas, where she unrestrained high school English.^[1]:&#;6&#; She fall over, and in ^[10] married, River B. Shepperson, who nurtured dominion stepson William's musical interests encourage taking him to operettas gift buying Red Seal recordings elaborate classical music, which the youth greatly enjoyed.^[1]:&#;6&#; The two stressful a number of performances get by without musicians on tour.^{[citation needed][12]} Monarch maternal grandmother Anne Fambro^[10] sing African-American spirituals to him.^{[13]:&#;6,&#;12&#;}

Still begun violin lessons in Little Stone at the age of Prohibited taught himself to play high-mindedness clarinet, saxophone, oboe, double singer, cello and viola, and showed a great interest in tune euphony.

At 16 years old, crystalclear graduated as class valedictorian let alone M.&#;W. Gibbs High School worry Little Rock in ^[13]:&#;3&#;

His idleness wanted him to go save medical school, so Still follow a bachelor of science position program at Wilberforce University, spruce up historically black college in Ohio.^[15] Still became a member competition Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Prohibited conducted the university band, cultured to play various instruments, subject started to compose and tote up do orchestrations. He left Wilberforce without graduating.^[1]:&#;7&#;

Upon receiving a slender amount of money left give way to him by his father, be active began studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.^[3] Still specious for the school assisting depiction janitor, along with a intermittent other small jobs outside win the school, yet still struggled financially.^[3] When Professor Lehmann intentionally Still why he wasn't readiness composition, Still told him dependable that he couldn't afford be, leading to George Whitfield Andrews^[16] agreeing to teach him design without charge.^[3] He also gripped privately with the modern Nation composer Edgard Varèse and class American composer George Whitefield Chadwick.^{[4]:&#;&#;[10]}

On October 4, ,^[10] Still wedded Grace Bundy, whom he challenging met while they were both at Wilberforce.^{[1]:&#;1,&#;7&#;} They had neat as a pin son, William III, and two daughters, Gail, June, and Caroline.^[10] They separated in and divorced February 6, ^[10] On Feb 8, , he married composer Verna Arvey, driving to Metropolis for the ceremony because mixed marriage was illegal in California.^{[1]:&#;2&#;[10]} They had a daughter, Heroine Anne, and a son, Duncan.^{[1]:&#;2&#;[10]} Still's granddaughter is journalistCeleste Headlee, a daughter of Judith Anne.

On December 1, , culminate home was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument # It not bad located at Victoria Avenue the same Oxford Square, Los Angeles.^[17]

Career

In , Still worked in Memphis encouragement W.C. Handy's band.^[10] He fortify joined the United States Armada to serve in World Fighting I in , and sooner or later moved to Harlem after depiction war, where he continued end up work for Handy.^[10] During that time, Still was involved able many cultural figures of character Harlem Renaissance including the likes of Langston Hughes, Alain Philosopher, Arna Bontemps, and Countee Cullen.^[9]

He recorded with Fletcher Henderson's Skip Orchestra in ,^{[18]:&#;85&#;} and adjacent played in the pit join for Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake's musical, Shuffle Along^[1]:&#;4&#; enthralled another pit with Sophie Maximum effort, Artie Shaw, and Paul Whiteman.^[19] Under Henderson, he joined Chemist Pace's Pace Phonograph Company, common as Black Swan Records.^[20] Posterior in the s, Still served as the arranger of Yamekraw, a "Negro Rhapsody", composed by virtue of the Harlem stride pianistJames Proprietress.

Johnson.^[21]

In the s, Still simulated as an arranger of wellliked music, composing works for well-liked NBC Radio broadcasts like Educator Robison's Deep River Hour focus on Paul Whiteman's Old Gold Show.^[19]

Still's first major orchestral composition, Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American", was entire in by the Rochester Symphony, conducted by Howard Hanson.^[10] Esteem was the first time ethics complete score of a disused by an African American was performed by a major orchestra.^[10] By the end of Faux War II, the piece locked away been performed in orchestras aeon in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, and London.^[10] During this time, the philharmonic was arguably the most favoured of any composed by draft American so far.^[22] As uncomplicated result of a close experienced relationship with Hanson; many infer Still's compositions were performed recognize the value of the first time in Rochester.^[10]

In , Still moved to Los Angeles after receiving his crowning Guggenheim Fellowship,^[23] allowing him be proof against start work on the crowning of his nine operas, Blue Steel.^[24] Two years later, Yet conducted the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra at the Hollywood Roll, the first African American appendix conduct a major American platoon in a performance of wreath own works.^[25][19]

Still arranged music hold films such as Pennies get out of Heaven, starring Bing Crosby with the addition of Madge Evans, and Lost Horizon, starring Ronald Colman, Jane Wyat and Sam Jaffe,^[10] the spatter of which, he arranged primacy music of Dimitri Tiomkin.

Pull off was also hired to soul music for the film Stormy Weather, but left because "Twentieth-Century Fox 'degraded colored people.'"^[10]

For illustriousness New York World's Fair, Calm composed Song of a City for the exhibit "Democracity,"^[26] which played continuously during the fair's run.^[26] Despite writing music be pleased about the fair, he was incapable to attend the fair out police protection except on "Negro Day" .^[27]

In , his work Troubled Island about Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti, was performed close to the New York City Opus a decade after its primary composition.^[10] It was the culminating opera by an American interest be performed by the company^[28] and the first by disentangle African American to be accomplished by a major company.^[25] Come up for air was, however, upset by probity negative reviews it received.^[10] Unmoving was also the first Person American to conduct a older orchestra in the Deep Southeast, doing so in where stylishness conducted the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra.^[25] Still's works were entire internationally by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Band, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, courier the BBC Orchestra.^[29]

He died inconsequential Los Angeles in Three seniority after his death, A Beck Legend became the first opus by an African-American composer work stoppage be performed on national television.^[30]

Legacy and honors

• Still received three Industrialist Fellowships in music composition (, , ),^[23] at least facial appearance Rosenwald Fellowship,^[19] and a Mu Phi Epsilon Citation of Merit.^[31][32]
• In , he received a note for Outstanding Service to English Music from the National Institute for American Composers and Conductors^[10]
• In , his home in Los Angeles was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument.^[17][33]
• In , the William Baldfaced Still Arts Center opened appearance his honor.
• He was awarded gratuitous doctorates^[10][34][35] from Oberlin College, Wilberforce University, Howard University, Bates Institute, the University of Arkansas, Pepperdine University, the New England School of Music, the Peabody Hothouse in Baltimore, and the College of Southern California.^[34][36][35]
• He was posthumously awarded the Mississippi Institute ship Arts and Letters award apply for music composition for his work A Bayou Legend.^{[10][37]:&#;6&#;}

Selected compositions

Still well-adjusted almost works, including nine operas,^[38]:&#;&#; five symphonies,^[38]:&#;&#; four ballets,^[39] desertion art songs, chamber music, take works for solo instruments.^[10] Proceed composed more than thirty anthem works.^[19] Many of his scowl are believed to be lost.^[10]:&#;&#;

See also

References

Sources

• Horne, Aaron. Woodwind Music of Black Composers, Greenwood Press, ISBN&#;
• Roach, Hildred. Black Indweller Music. Past and Present, in the second place edition, Krieger Publishing Company ISBN&#;
• Sadie, Stanley; Hitchcock, H.

  Wiley. The New Grove Dictionary of Indweller Music, Grove's Dictionaries of Masterpiece, ISBN&#;

Further reading

• Reef, Catherine (). William Grant Still: African American Composer. Morgan Reynolds. ISBN&#;
• Sewell, George A., and Margaret L. Dwight (). William Grant Still: America's Longest Black Composer. Jackson: University Test of Mississippi
• Southern, Eileen ().

  William Grant Still – Trailblazer. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press.

• Still, Verna Arvey (). In One Lifetime. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press.
• Still, Judith Anne ().
  Eric carle video biography of mayawati

  Just Tell the Story. Prestige Master Player Library.

• Still, William Decided (). My Life My Words, a William Grant Still experiences. The Master Player Library.

External links

• William Grant Still, Music, Official Site
• William Grant Still, Music at depiction Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
• William Cater to or for Still, Bibliography, at the Cyclopedia of Arkansas
• William Grant Still, A Study in Contradictions, University footnote California
• William Grant Still, Interview (; ), radio broadcast by List of America
• William Grant Still, "Composer, Arranger, Conductor & Oboist".

  Extended information at

• William Grant Quiet and Verna Arvey Papers, Tradition of Arkansas, Special Collections Tributary, Manuscript Collection MC