William Grant Still was an African American composer born in 1911. He showed early musical talent and graduated high school as valedictorian in Little Rock, Arkansas. Still studied music at several universities but did not complete degrees. He had a successful career as a composer, arranger, and conductor in the 1920s-1940s. Some of his major works included Afro-American Symphony, Sahdji, and the opera Troubled Island. Still received honors like the Guggenheim Fellowship and helped establish African American composers. He passed away in 1978 at the age of 83, leaving a significant contribution to American classical music.

1. (Kamien, 2015, p. 321)
William Grant Still (Van Vechten,
1949) Courtesy of the Library of
Congress

2. (1911- 1916)
• 1911: Still graduated from high school at the age of 16,
in Little Rock AK, as valedictorian (Smith, 2004; DjeDje, 2011).
• 1911: He moved to Ohio and attended the Christian
university, Wilberforce, which did not have a music
program (Smith, 2004, p. 22).
• 1914: Still left Wilberforce without graduating(Smith, 2004, p. 22).
• 1915: Still got married and began his freelance period
(Smith, 2004, p. 22; DjeDje, 2011, p. 4).
• 1916: He moved to Memphis, Tennessee and started
working for W.C. Handy(Smith, 2004, p. 22).

3. (1916-1921)
• 1916-1919: Still attended Oberlin, College of Arts
part-time (Smith, 2004, p. 22).
• 1918: He served a short stint in the Navy(Smith, 2004, p. 22;
DjeDje, 2011, p. 4).
• 1919: Still worked briefly in New York, returned
to Oberlin College, and then went back to New
York to work for W.C. Handy again(Smith, 2004, p. 22; DjeDje, 2011, p.
4).
• 1921: He helped arrange “Sissle and Blake’s”(Smith,
2004, p. 22) musical “ ”(Smith, 2004, p. 22) and played
the Oboist in its’ pit band.

4. (1922-1925)
• 1922: He studied with George W. Chadwick in
Boston (Smith, 2004; DjeDje, 2011, p. 4).
• 1923: Still began studying with French-born
composer Edgard Varese and became the
recording director of “Pace and Handy’s Black
Swain label”(Smith, 2004, p. 22; DjeDje, 2011, p. 4).
• 1925: Still’s “ , was
performed on concert of International
Composers Guild”(Smith, 2004, p. 22; DjeDje, 2011, pp. 4-5) (Example 1).

5. The Land of Dreams Opening
Example 1.
“The diatonic passage, hinting at the beginning of a blues, is in bars 6-9,
played by the oboe.” (Smith 2000, p. 7)

6. (1928-1930)
• 1928: Still’s “ (tone poem)” (Smith, 2004, p.
22) was published and he was awarded the
“Harmon Award”(Smith, 2004, p. 22) for his distinguished
achievement in music. He also became a
member of the “Pan American Association of
Composers”(Smith, 2004, p. 22).
• Mid-1929- mid-1930: He was an arranger of “Paul
Whiteman’s Old Gold Hour” (Smith, 2004, p. 22; DjeDje, 2011, p. 5) radio
show that was broadcast weekly from Los
Angeles, California.

7. (1930-1931)
• Mid 1930: Still moved back to New York where he
composed “ ” (Smith, 2004, p. 22;
DjeDje, 2011, p. 1) and “the ballet ” (Smith, p. 22; Cuney-Hare, p. 264; DjeDje,
2011, p. 5). He also revised his “ , the suite for
orchestra”(Smith, 2004, p. 22; Cuney-Hare, p. 264).
• 1931: and were premiered in New
York(Smith, 2004; DjeDje, 2011, p. 1). Still was hired as the arranger
of the “Deep River Hour”(Smith, 2004, p. 22) radio show
which he later became the conductor of.

8. (1934-1935)
• 1934: Still won the “Guggenheim Fellowship”(Smith,
2004, p. 22) a grant awarded to promote the further
development of artists(Cuney-Hare, p. 264; DjeDje, 2011, p. 5; John Simon Guggenheim
Memorial Foundation, 2015, n.p.). He moved to Los Angeles, and
began composing his first opera “ ”(Smith,
2004, p. 22).
• 1935: He worked for “Columbia Pictures” (Smith, 2004, p. 22)
as he completed his opera and his
was premiered in New York
(Smith, 2004).

9. (1937-1940)
• 1937: Still’s and
premiered this year
(Smith, 2004, p. 22; DjeDje, 2011, p. 5) . He begins working on his opera
(Smith, 2004, p. 22).
• 1939: Still’s second wife, Verna Arvey published a
book about him titled William Grant Still(Smith, 2004, p. 22).
• 1940: Still’s strongest protest piece, a choral
ballad, titled “ ”
(Smith, 2004, p. 22) was premiered in New York.

10. (1949-1978)
• 1949: The New York City Opera produced
Still’s (Smith, 2004, p. 22) .
• 1978: At the age of 83, Still passed away(Smith, 2004,
p. 23; DjeDje, 2011, p. 1).

11. Still’s Other Major Works
• “ (suite)” (Cuney-Hare, 1936, p. 263)
• “ (suite)”(Cuney-Hare, 1936, p. 263)
• “ (suite)” (Cuney-Hare, 1936, p. 263)
• “ (a ballet)” (Cuney-Hare, 1936, p. 264)
• “‘ ’” (a book
chapter) (Cowell, 1933, as cited in Cuney-Hare, 1936, p. 264).
• NOTE: Link to “Sahdji”(Still, 1930) is under this link
on Class Presentation.

12. References
Cuney-Hare, M. (1936). Negro musicians and their music. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from A celebration of women writers:
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/cuney-hare/musicians/musicians.html
DjeDje, J. (2011). Context and creativity: William grant still in los angeles. Black Music Research Journal, 31(1), 1-27. Retrieved
April 26, 2016, from http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.lib.csusb.edu/docview/1346107127?pq-origsite=summon
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. (2015). About the foundation. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from John Simon
Guggenheim Memorial Foundation: http://www.gf.org/about
Kamien, R. (2015). Music: An Appreciation (Eighth brief ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Print
Cuney-Hare, M. (1936). Negro musicians and their music. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from A celebration of women writers:
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/cuney-hare/musicians/musicians.html
DjeDje, J. (2011). Context and creativity: William grant still in los angeles. Black Music Research Journal, 31(1), 1-27. Retrieved
April 26, 2016, from http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.lib.csusb.edu/docview/1346107127?pq-origsite=summon
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. (2015). About the foundation. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from John Simon
Guggenheim Memorial Foundation: http://www.gf.org/about
Kamien, R. (2015). Music: An Appreciation (Eighth brief ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Print
Smith, C. (2004). William grant still in ohio (1911-1919). American Music, 22(2), 203-230. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from
http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.lib.csusb.edu/stable/pdf/3593003.pdf?_=1461672357997

13. Smith, C. P. (2000). William grant still: A study in contradictions. Berkeley: University of California Press. Retrieved April 26, 2016,
from
http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft1h4nb0g0/http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft1h4nb0g0;chunk.id=0;doc
.view=print
Still, W. G. (Composer). (1930). Sahdji. New York, United States of America. [YouTube Video]. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-27Vwsubdy8
Van Vechten, C. [Portrait of william grant still] digital file from intermediary roll film copy. Library of Congress Online Catalog.
Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from
https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/van/5a52000/5a52600/5a52662r.jpg