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In honor of Black History Month, I am putting a spotlight on influential Black Americans that paved the way for others.
Our next Black History Month spotlight is American Composer, William Grant Still.
William Grant Hill was an American composer who composed more than 150 works, including five symphonies and eight operas. William was known as the Dean of African American classical composers, as well as one of America's foremost composers.
He was born on May 11 1895 in Woodville, Mississippi. His mother was a teacher, and his father was a bandleader. After his father's death, the family moved to Arkansas, where his mother remarried, Williams formal music education began with violin lessons, and his love of music grew due to a stepfather, taking him to operettas and buying classical music recordings.
As a young man, William went off to college to learn to become a doctor. However, he soon found himself conducting the university band, writing music, and teaching himself to play various instruments. He left his traditional college before graduating, so he could attend Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
William served in World War One, and after the war, he moved to Harlem where he worked for WC Handy's Band. During this time, he was involved in the Harlem Renaissance movement. And through the 1920s, he composed and arranged music for various musicals and band leaders. By the 1930s he was writing popular music for radio programs and movies. In 1931, his first major orchestral composition, Symphony number one Afro American, was performed by the Rochester Philharmonic.
It was the first time a complete score of work by an African American was performed by a major orchestra and by the end of World War Two, the piece had been performed in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. Berlin, Paris and London. Until 1950 it was the most popular Symphony composed by an American. William also composed Song Of A City for the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. And in 1949, his opera troubled island was performed by the New York City Opera. It was the first opera by an American to be performed by that company, and the first by an African American to be performed by a major company.
In this episode Thea discusses:
- William’s inspiring story
- How William broke barriers in the music industry
- Thea’s love of music and why she enjoys listening to classical music
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Resources and Links
Music selections and interview were all sourced from YouTube
Summerland (Three Visions) — William Grant StillGaminInterview with the Afro-American Composer William Grant Still
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