What era of music was William Grant Still?

What era of music was William Grant Still?

classical music
One of the most prominent African American contributors to the history of classical music was William Grant Still (1895-1978), a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance and known to his colleagues as the “Dean of Afro-American composers.” Born in Mississippi and raised in Arkansas, Still took formal violin lessons and …

When did William Grant Still become a composer?

During the 1930s Still worked as a free-lance arranger and a staff composer for network radio. He orchestrated musical comedies and wrote for outstanding personalities such as Artie Shaw and Paul Whiteman. In 1934 a Guggenheim fellowship enabled Still to devote himself entirely to composition.

What type of music did William Grant Still compose?

William Grant Still was a composer and arranger, finding great success with early radio and theater orchestras. He is best known for his instrumental music, but his songs and operas (he wrote eight operas) are equally well-known.

Where is William Grant Still from?

Woodville, Mississippi, United States
William Grant Still/Place of birth

Was William Grant Still black?

William Grant Still, (born May 11, 1895, Woodville, Mississippi, U.S.—died December 3, 1978, Los Angeles, California), American composer and conductor and the first African American to conduct a professional symphony orchestra in the United States.

Was William Grant Still Married?

Verna Arveym. 1939–1978
William Grant Still/Spouse

Still was twice married and fathered six children. He died of heart failure in Los Angeles on December 3, 1978. His widow Verna Arvey wrote and published his biography, In One Lifetime: A Biography of William Grant Still, in 1984.

What composers influenced William Grant Still?

Although his abilities as a performer and arranger led to many opportunities for him beyond the concert hall, he was inspired by the career of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to become a composer of concert music and opera.

Which work made William Grant Still Famous?

Afro-American Symphony
Though a prolific composer of operas, ballets, symphonies, and other works, he was best known for his Afro-American Symphony (1931).

What did William Grant Still accomplish?

William Grant Still’s career was comprised of many “firsts”. He was the first African-American composer to have a symphony performed by a professional orchestra in the U.S., the Symphony no. 1 “Afro-American” (1930). It was premiered by Howard Hanson and the Rochester Philharmonic.

Did William Grant Still Have Kids?

Still was twice married and fathered six children. He died of heart failure in Los Angeles on December 3, 1978. His widow Verna Arvey wrote and published his biography, In One Lifetime: A Biography of William Grant Still, in 1984. In 1999 he was inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.

Is William Grant Still Famous?

Still is known primarily for his first symphony, Afro-American Symphony (1930), which was, until 1950, the most widely performed symphony composed by an American….

William Grant Still
Died	December 3, 1978 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Classical composer Orchestra conductor
Signature

Why is William Grant Still Important?

What kind of music did William Grant still compose?

William Grant Still Jr. (May 11, 1895 – December 3, 1978) was an American composer of nearly 200 works, including five symphonies, four ballets, nine operas, over thirty choral works, plus art songs, chamber music and works for solo instruments.

Who was William Grant Still and what did he do?

Still, a musical legend of the 1900’s, created a beat of his own in the music world. This musician, composer, and instrumentalist was blessed with more fame than any other African-American of his time.

How old was William Grant Still when he started playing violin?

Still started violin lessons in Little Rock at the age of 15. He taught himself to play the clarinet, saxophone, oboe, double bass, cello and viola, 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.

When did William Grant Still create Troubled Island?

In 1949 his opera Troubled Island, originally completed in 1939, about Jean Jacques Dessalines and Haiti, was performed by the New York City Opera. It was the first opera by an African American to be performed by a major company. Still moved to Los Angeles in the 1930s, where he arranged music for films.

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