(2nd 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.

You might mistake this first movement for something by Gershwin. The main theme uses a twelve-bar-blues pattern.

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.

American music history deals a lot with American composers’ search for 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, 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.

Here’s the third movement of the symphony, which might be one of the only orchestral compositions featuring the banjo!

… think about all the Giant Steps you during the earth’s last rotation around the sun.

The lore surrounding saxophonist John Coltrane is wild, almost as wild as his playing. He managed to cram eighty years of living into forty years of life. Some people find his music impossible to listen to; they can’t tell whether it is overly complex or completely random (however you think it sounds, the truth is that everything he did was carefully crafted and practiced). His music is now over 50 years old – so if it sounds normal to you, well, you have Coltrane to thank for that. Art Music is always progressing towards new territory – some people just get there faster.