WILLIAM GRANT STILL
Composer
1895-1978
Born in Woodville, Mississippi, on this day in 1895, William Still achieved
acclaim as the "Dean of African-American Composers." Receiving his early
training at home, Still later attended Wilberforce University, Oberlin
conservatory of Music, and the New England Conservatory. Arranging for jazz
artists like W.C. Handy early in his career, he later turned towards a more
classical style. In 1931, he received his first serious recognition when his
Afro-American Symphony was performed by the Rochester Philharmonic. This
event marked the first time a major orchestra had ever performed a full-length
piece by an Black composer. In 1936, Still achieved yet another first when he
conducted a major American orchestra at the famed Hollywood Bowl.
Some other
notable achievements include, two Guggenheim Fellowships (1944, 1961),
composition of seven operas, the theme song for New York's World Fair (1939),
and the themes for television's Perry Mason and Gunsmoke. William Grant Still
died in Los Angeles at the age of 83
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William Grant Still
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