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20th Century American

STILL, William Grant

William Grant Still

Born in Woodville, MS, May 11, 1895 
Died in Los Angeles, Dec 3, 1978 

  • Still studied music at Oberlin College, and also studied composition privately with George Whitefield Chadwick and Edgard Varèse.
  • Early in his career, Still worked as an arranger for W.C. Handy, Paul Whiteman, Artie Shaw and many jazz artists.
  • In 1931, the Rochester Philharmonic premiered his Afro-American Symphony, making him the first African-American composer to have a work played by a major American symphony orchestra.
  • Other firsts in Still’s career:
    • He was the first African-American to conduct a major orchestra (the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1936) 
    • He was the first African-American composer to have an opera premiered by a major opera company (Troubled Island, New York City Opera, March 31, 1949)1

Biography from William Grant Still Music: organization directed by Still descendants 

Sources

  1. Gayle Murchison and Catherine Parsons Smith, “Still, William Grant,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed June 9, 2021, https://oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000026776. 

Pieces