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William Grant Still
- Author: Smith, Catherine Parsons
This exemplary introduction to African American musician William Grant Still will appeal to both students and laypersons. . . . Recommended
William Grant Still
- Author: Smith, Catherine Parsons
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This exemplary introduction to African American musician William Grant Still will appeal to both students and laypersons. . . . Recommended
About
Once called the dean of African American composers, William Grant Still created a unique version of musical modernism that influenced commercial music, symphonic music, and opera. The acclaimed and enormously popular Afro-American Symphony, like many of his works, drew on Black American musical heritage, and Still was the first Black composer to have his work performed by a major symphony orchestra.
Catherine Parsons Smith’s biography tracks the composer's interrelated careers in popular and concert music. Still’s artistic journey took him from conservatory study with George W. Chadwick to collaborating with Langston Hughes, working as a commercial arranger and composer on Broadway and radio, arranging for artists like Sophie Tucker and Artie Shaw, and serving as the recording director for the first Black-owned record label. But despite his prolific production and multidimensional talents, Still endured financial struggles and declining attention to his work.
Contents
- PREFACE ix
- A NOTE ON RESEARCH xi 1. An Uncertain Ovation 1
- 2. Still's Arkansas Childhood 4
- 3. An Ohio Apprenticeship 14
- 4. New York City 25
- 5. Making His Mark 38
- 6. Still's Instrumental Music 47
- 7. Los Angeles, 1934- 55
- 8. Troubled Island 68
- 9. Moscow's "Subtle but Effective Hand" 80
- 10. After the Storm 87 NOTES 95
- SELECTED WORKS 103
- FOR FURTHER READING 107
- SUGGESTED LISTENING 109
- INDEX 111
Awards and reviews
This exemplary introduction to African American musician William Grant Still will appeal to both students and laypersons. . . . Recommended
