Melissa Joseph

Music 8000, Fall 2015

Paper Draft

William Grant Still is revered as one of the best composers within the African-American
music community. Although, he is most recognized for his arrangements of Negro spirituals
today, in the 1930s, Still became influenced by blues music and began incorporating the blues
style into his spirituals and other works. Still explained that he did this because he felt that
spirituals had a Caucasian influence to it that blues did not.1 In addition to spirituals and blues,
Still was also well versed in composing operas. Although Still was a brilliant orchestral
composer, he always dreamed of composing operas. Still found some success in his operas such
as Blue Steel and Troubled Opera that he wrote during his time in New York. None of that
victory compared to the fame he acquired during his time in Los Angeles. In Stills late career, he
relocated from New York to Los Angeles and was being commissioned for orchestral works
more often than ever. Like many freelance musicians, he realized that in order to make a living
he would have to write music that he did not necessarily enjoy instead of doing what he loved.2
In addition to blues, spirituals and operas, Still also composed orchestral music. In fact,
Stills orchestral works brought in the most commissions for him. According to biographer
Catherine Smith, Still found influences for his music from images that inspired him for titles of
his work. Smith writes, He often drew his basic inspiration for a work which themes to use,

1 Gayle Murichson and Catherine Parsons Smith, Still, William Grant, Grove Music Online. Oxford
Music Online. Oxford University Press (2002).
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/26776?
q=william+grant+still&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit. Accessed 10 Oct 2015.
2 Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje, William Grant Still in Los Angeles, Black Music Research Journal 31/1
(2002), 24.
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and how often to put them together from visual or literary images.3 Still is often noted for his
interest in the Black experience. The Black experience is best described as the collection of
experiences that African Americans faced between the 1920s-50s. This span of thirty years was a
time where African Americans were not treated as equals, given a right to vote, or equal
education opportunities. This mistreatment was a continuation from the pre-World War I era,
however now, African Americans were beginning to react and had a different perspective of their
roles in the U.S. During this time, African Americans built a very strong unity within their
community and created new genres of music like soul, rhythm and blues, etc. Catherine Smith
goes on to explain this process of Stills inspirations for his works and how he used verbal cues
in the title of his pieces to express ideas throughout his music by saying,
Many are suggestive of African American life or of Stills pan-African interests:
Darker America, Africa, Sajhdji, La Guiablesse, Afro-American Symphony, A
Deserted Plantation, Levee Land, Song of a New Race, From the Black Belt,
Ebon Chronicle, The Black Man Dances, And They Lynched Him on a Tree, For
the Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy, Lenox Avenue, and more.4
Although his orchestral works are not as celebrated as his vocal pieces, Still was a
prolific composer. He had the ability to draw on the inspirations around him in order to
create this distinct kind of music.
The aim of this research is to compare and contrast the differences in Stills music
composed in his early New York career to his later pieces written in Los Angeles. The
music that Still wrote while living in New York was different from the music he
composed during his time in Los Angeles because he was inspired by different things in
both of those places. In the early 1920s, African Americans faced obstacles and neglect in
3 Catherine Parsons Smith, William Grant Still (Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2008), 47.
4 Ibid.
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many parts of the nation that led to the emigration to northern cities. New York City was
one of several cities that began to see an influx in its Black population. The emigration of
African Americans to these northern cities led to an influence of music and entertainment
including blues, jazz, and ragtime. Pieces such as Deep River Hour and Darker America
were both composed while Still resided in New York. Both compositions were inspired
by his accounts as an African American man.
Still was commissioned for several orchestral pieces and was constantly inspired
by the city and people around him. Los Angeles was so different than New York because
of its diversity and culture and Still took advantage of that through his compositions. Still
moved just before the onset of World War II, a time where people of all races and cultures
began migrating to Los Angeles. Once the war began, there was an influx of war
propaganda, migration, and politics, Still utilized his surroundings to express himself and
ideas through his music. During his is time in Los Angeles, Still composed pieces
including A Bayou Legend (1941), In Memoriam: The Colored Soldiers Who Died for
Democracy (1943), Symphony No. 4, Autochthonous (1947), and Symphony No. 5,
Western Hemisphere (1945).5 These compositions are all pertinent to the time in which
they were written because they reflect the events of the period in which they were
composed.
In Memoriam: The Colored Solider Who Died for Democracy (1943) is
particularly touching but also ironic. After receiving a report that the first solider to die in
World War II was African American, Still was inspired to write this piece to

5 Ibid. 103-104.
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commemorate all of the fallen soldiers of World War I and II.6 These colored heroes were
fighting for world freedom in another country even though they were denied of those
very freedoms at home. There is not a score available for this piece; however, there is a
recording performed by the Fort Smithy Symphony Orchestra. The piece commences
with the English horn playing a dramatic and melancholy opening that is soon washed
away by a sweet, melodious strings that soften the brash feeling created by the horns.
Throughout the piece, the brass instruments create a feeling of suspense that could
suggest the soldiers on the battlefield. The strings continue to battle with the brass offer
some sort of comfort until the end of the piece when the strings start to play larghetto
similar to a funeral march.
When compared to his earlier works such as Darker America (1925), the listener
can almost instantly recognize the difference in Stills style of writing. Still often uses
dissonances throughout in Darker America. There does not seem to be a definite home
key that shows the listener where tonic is. Throughout the piece, the listener will hear
harsh and crunchy harmonies. Percussion is used throughout the composition in a very
striking manner and creates a fearful emotion for the listener. Olin Downes, one of
Americas most praised music critics, comments on Darker America stating, What is
lacking is actual development and organic growth of the ideas. This music, however, has
direction and feeling in it, qualities usually lacking in contemporaneous music.7 The

6 Michael J. Dabrishus, Judith Anne Still, and Carolyn Quin, William Grant Still: A Bio-bibliography
(Connecticut: Greenwood, 1996), 36.
7 Catherine Parsons Smith, Personal Notes in William Grant Still A Study of Contradictions
(California: University of California Press, 2002), 225.
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orchestration does not flow in a manner that would suggest a story is being told like In
Memoriam: The Colored Soldier Who Died for Democracy.
The 1920s was a very difficult era for the Black race throughout the nation. Brutal
conditions in the South led to the Great Migration. With this flood African Americans
traveling up North, a new vision and perspective of Black America began to emerge. New
York was the heart of the Roaring 20s and essentially the poster city of America. Is it
plausible to conclude that this is where the title Darker America came from? Based on the
observations from Catherine Smith, one can determine that Still alluded the title from the
politics surrounding him. Darker America conveys the state of African Americans during
the 20s. African Americans were trying to find sense of who they were in society and
what roles they play.
In Memoriam: The Colored Soldier Who Died for Democracy was also written
during a time that were difficult for the Black race. Black men were being drafted into
World War II and fight for the nations freedom although they were not awarded many
freedoms themselves. The title itself is satirical because the word colored implies social
barriers which is not democratic at all. Could this too have been Stills passive way of
address politics through the titles and compositions of his works? Author John P.
Leacacos reviews the piece by stating, [It is] a symbolic reminder that America is
progressing in its civil rights struggle in a democratic way.8
It is clear that Stills location influenced his inspiration for writing. His location
stimulated him to write about different things or encourage different themes than New
8 Michael J. Dabrishus, Judith Anne Still, and Carolyn Quin, William Grant Still: A Bio-bibliography
(Connecticut: Greenwood, 1996), 118.
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York did. New York inspired him to focus on the Black experience more than Los
Angeles did given each cities demographic percentages.
In addition to Darker America and In Memoriam: The Colored Soldier Who Died
for Democracy, which were written in New York, Still also wrote two other iconic
compositions. Afro-American Symphony (1930), which was commissioned by the League
of Composers, was Stills first of five symphonies and Christmas in a Western World
(Las Pascuas) (1947) were composed on opposite ends of his career. Afro-American
Symphony, Stills first symphony that is composed for full orchestra, depicts the
experiences of, the sons of the soil,9 Still says in program notes about the symphony.
He goes on to say:
I seek in the Afro-American Symphony to portray not the higher type of
colored American, but the sons of the soil, who still retain so many of the traits
particular to their African forebears; who have not responded completely to the
transforming effect of progress.10
Still also stated in a 1968 interview with R. Donald Brown that:
[In 1930] [I] began working on my first symphony, which was based on the
original blues theme. Although I wanted to use music that would be recognizable
as American Negro music, I did not want to use anything that had been written. I
wanted to create my own themes.11
Still took the ideas of Black experience during this time period and drew from other
cultural knowledge of his ancestry and created his own sound.
A stanza of text accompanies each movement of the piece; however, the text is not
set to music. The text, excerpts of poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1913), merely to
9 Catherine Parsons Smith, Toward a Biography in William Grant Still: A Study in Contradictions. 122.
10 Ibid.
11 Judith Anne Still Headlee, A Voice High-Sounding, Music Educators Journal 70/6 (1984), 27.
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accompany each piece. The text for Moderato Assai is a broken English dialect used by
Blacks prior to the 1920s. The text reads:
All my life long twell de night has pas
Let de wok come ez it will,
So dat I fin you, my honey, at last,
Somewhaih des ovah de hill12
There are very few sources that show any research on Dunbars poems used for this
work, therefore there is no translation of what these mean in the context to this piece. The
first movement of Afro-American Symphony, similar to Darker America, begins with a
lonely English horn that is soon joined by other brass instruments (Figure 1), percussion,
and strings. Immediately following the lone horn, a smooth jazz motif is introduced. The
brass and winds instruments play with buoyancy and the strings accompany with
syncopated rhythms and blues chromaticism (Figure 1.1). This progression continues for
about twelve measures like a typical 12-bar blues progression.
Throughout the first movement, Moderato Assai, which literally translate to,
always moderate, a reoccurring theme is played in the trumpets in measures 7 and 8
(Figure 1.1) and also in the horn part in measure 7. These two rhythms are often repeated
or modified in all of the instruments throughout the movement.
The second movement Adagio, meaning broadly beings with lone violins instead of a
horn, and is then carried into a slow steady tune accompanied by the rest of the strings.
This tune is not as fast pace and fascinating as the first movement. In comparison to the
Moderato Assai, the second movement almost feels like a spiritual. Movement number
three, Animato or, animated, is filled with variations that are repeated and modified
12 William Grant Still, Afro American Symphony, (London: Novello, 1962). Full Score.
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throughout each part. There is a recurring rhythmic theme that is passed along by each
instrument (Figure 2). It is initiated by the strings, then passed to the trumpets and
trombones, followed by the clarinets, bassoons, and horns (Figure 2.1). Still cleverly
composes these passages that makes the piece sound just as the title intended, animated.
Both of these movement are also accompanied by Dunbar texts that uses the same type of
broken English dialect.
The last movement, Lento con risoluzione, or slow with resolution begins
with all instruments play, which has not yet been seen in any of the pieces discussed thus
far. The movement starts off slow and resolute and begins to progress to a more dramatic
and lively nature by the middle of the piece, and the liveliness carries on from there. It
begins to use that same exciting blues emotion that was introduced in Moderato Assai.
Not only is the last movement the longest piece, but it also is the only movement that
utilizes a Dunbar that is written in modern English. It reads:
Be proud, my race, in mind and soul.
Thy name is writ on Glorys scroll
In characters of fire.
High mid the clouds of Fames bright sky
Thy banners blazoned folds now fly,
And truth shall lift them higher.
Still does a great job of orchestrating this piece for Dunbars words by making the ending
of this piece very exciting. The gradual crescendo from the last four pages to the end is
exhilarating and creates a feeling of Thy banners blazoned folds now fly.
This symphony perfectly describes the Black experience for Blacks during that
time who, as Still quoted, still retain[ed] so many of the traits particular to their African

forbearers. From hymns and spirituals, to great big festive get-togethers, Still captured
the Black experience through his use of melodic progressions and rhythmic motifs.
Following the composition and success of Afro-American Symphony, Still
relocated to Los Angeles. During his time there he composed, and received commission
for, several pieces. One of his lesser familiar compositions that was created during is Los
Angeles career is Christmas in a Western World (Las Pascuas). This set of orchestral
pieces, which can also be performed with mixed chorus, was written in collaboration with
his wife Verna Arvey. The work is composed of ten movements that embody ten western
cultures including Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and of course American Negro. 13
Before we delve into an analysis of these four movements, it is necessary to talk about
what was taking place demographically during this time in Los Angeles. In the 1960s the
number of African-Americans and Latinos begin to rise and this beings to have an
influence on culture including music. It is likely that Still could have chosen these
countries because these nationalities were around him in Los Angeles, or perhaps he was
inspired to research and explore other cultures outside of his own due to these new people
around him.
Movement number two, derived from Nicaraguan culture, is entitled Ven, Nio
Divino which translated to Come, blessed Baby.14 This piece begins with an eight bar
piano solo that is played slowly and sweetly then is joined by all strings and solo voice
quartet. Considering the aforementioned pieces by Still, this piece is simple and not
13 William Grant Still, Christmas In A Western World (Las Pascuas) (New York: Southern Music, 1967).
Full Score.
14 Ibid.
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dramatic like the others. Beginning in 9/8 meter, this strophic song is reminiscent of a
lullaby. Although the piece is indicative of Nicaraguan culture and has a Spanish title, the
text set to this piece is in English and is rhythmically easy to approach. (Figure 3).
Los Reyes Magos or The Three Wise Men is a moderately fast piece set in 3/8 time
that is derived from Puerto Rican culture.15 There are only two English verses set to string
quartet and piano and they are repeated with the same accompaniment. Like Ven, Nio
Divino this piece is also simplistic and reminiscent of a lullaby. The eighth movement
La Piata which comes from Mexico is one of the shortest pieces from the set.16 There
is only one verse that, like the previous two songs, is in English and accompanied by
string quartet and piano. The song is arranged for soprano solo and mixed choir.
Additionally, La Piata is not as slow as the other two pieces, as it is marked
Moderately Fast.
The last movement of this work is in the style of a Negro spiritual and is entitled, Sing!
Shout! Tell the Story!17 The accompaniment to this piece is not hard, however, it is more
texturally interesting than the other pieces. The bass and piano have countering rhythms
that created a very buoyant feel for this song that is marked very moderate. Unlike the
other movements, this American movement is not slow nor is does is feel lullaby. On the
contrary, Sing! Shout! Tell The Story! is very upbeat and exciting similar to Stills
other works. In the previous movements Still did not write in many music markings such
as dynamics, however in this first movement, there are many musical instructions for the
15 Ibid.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
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singers and piano such as dynamic and performance markings like crescendos, slurs, etc.
(Figure 4). This final movement shows that Still had more comfortability when it came to
writing Negro spirituals or music that pertained to the Black experience.
What is the correlation between Afro-American Symphony to the times and Black culture
in New York and Christmas in a Western World to the multi-cultural experiences of Los
Angeles? It is highly possible that Still was an impressionable man, however one can
deduce that Still was a freelance musician who needed to make a living. In order to
survive as a musician, Still probably wrote any and everything that he was commissioned
for. In the beginning of his career, Still used the tools and technique given to him in his
studies and his own experiences to compose great works. When he relocated to Los
Angeles several years later, he continued to draw on those familiarities of being a Black
man, but also embracing a new environment and allowing his new surroundings to inspire
a different kind of writing. In the midst of letting his music engulf the influences of new
cultures, people and styles, Still also remained true to his innate capability of writing
about his own cultural experiences.

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Bibliography

DjeDje, Jacqueline Cogdell. Context and Creativity: William Grant Still in Los
Angeles. Black Music Research Journal 31/1 (2002): 1-27.
Dabrishus, Michael J., Still, Judith Anne, Quin, Carolyn. William Grant Still: A BioBibliography. Connecticut: Greenwood, 1996.
Headlee, Judith Anne Still. A Voice High-Sounding, Music Educators Journal 70/6
(1984): 24-30.
Murichson, Gayle and Smith, Catherine Parsons. Still, William Grant. Grove Music
Online. Oxford Music Online.<oxfordmusiconline.com> (Accessed on 10
October 2015).
Smith, Catherine Parsons. William Grant Still. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2008.
Smith, Catherine Parsons. Harlem Renaissance Man Revisited In William Grant Still:
A Study in Contradictions, 182-204. Edited by Samuel A. Floyd, Jr. California:
University of California Press, 2000.
Smith, Catherine Parsons. Personal Notes In William Grant Still A Study in
Contradictions. 215-234. Oakland: University of California Press, 2002.
Still, William Grant. Afro-American Symphony. London: Novello, 1962. Full Score.
Still, William Grant. Christmas In A Western World (Las Pascuas) New York: Southern
Music, 1967. Full Score.

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Appendix
Figure 1

Figure 1.1

13

Figure 2

Figure 2.1

14

Figure 3

Figure 4

15