Lots of kids want to grow up to be president. Then one day, they realize that being president is probably the worst job ever. The second you’re elected, you’re hated,  despised, and abhorred by millions of people. Then, if anything bad happens – anything – in the next four years, it’s all your fault.***

So I will salute those people who held this very difficult office with a march by John Philip Sousa – “The Gladiator“, because of the bloody arena of politics and the wounds and stress that come with having this job.

An interesting side note – Before writing this, Sousa had only written a few marches, and these were unpopular. He was actually pursuing a compositional career in operettas – light operas that were the precursor to the modern musical. “The Gladiator” became a huge hit and within ten years, he had written all his best-known marches; his place as the master-of-marches was established.

***And for the record, if a meteor carrying zombie ninja Nazi dinosaurs armed with laser crossbows and death rays fell to earth and conquered humankind, it’s all Obama’s fault!

(3rd part in a series – the whole symphony will be played throughout the month)

William Grant Still was the first African-American to conduct a symphony orchestra as well as the first to have his symphonic music and operas played by a major orchestra. It’s no wonder he’s known as “the Dean” of African-American Composers.

Back when I was in college (music conservatory), a major component of American music history was finding a true American voice, distinct from European Art Music. Some composers simply copied the European style. Dvorak was convinced the American voice would come from the melodies of the Native Americans. Then there’s Copland‘s very popular “American” sound and style of composition (might Daugherty, whom we heard yesterday, be the next Copland?) And of course, there are the composers like Gershwin who adopted African-American styles as their own.

So where does that leave William Grant Still? His first symphony, “Afro-American”, is in four movements, and has more character than the Second New England School, all the richness of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony”, far more depth than any of Copland’s popular works, and can claim the African-American heritage better than Gershwin can. Everybody should know this music.

Like many symphonies, the second movement is slow and lyrical. Lush, jazz-inspired harmonies and blue-note melodies abound.

Without a doubt, African-American Spirituals are the most influential compositions in the history of American Art and popular music. From their influence on the 19th century songs of Stephen Foster and the like, to the explosion of Jazz, blues, and ultimately everything from Gershwin to Elvis to Motown, Madonna, and yes, even Justin Bieber. Originally the songs of slaves, this heartfelt music is rich with the full expression of human emotion. It was orally passed down through the years until the late 19th century, when composers like Harry T. Burleigh began to write it down and bring it into concert halls and churches. It continues to inspire and feed the hungry soul to this day.