William Grant Still facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Grant Still
Portrait of Still by Carl Van Vechten
Born	William Grant Still Jr. (1895-05-11)May 11, 1895 Woodville, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	December 3, 1978(1978-12-03) (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	M. W. Gibbs High School Wilberforce University Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Occupation	Composer conductor
Spouse(s)	Grace Bundy ​ ​ (m. 1915; div. 1939)​ Verna Arvey ​ (m. 1939)​
Children	6
Relatives	Celeste Headlee (granddaughter)
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William Grant Still Jr. (born May 11, 1895 – died December 3, 1978) was an important American composer. He wrote almost 200 musical pieces. These included five symphonies, four ballets, and nine operas. He also wrote many songs and other works.

Still grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied music at Wilberforce University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He was also taught by famous composers like George Whitefield Chadwick and Edgard Varèse. Still was a key part of the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time when African-American art and culture grew in New York City.

People often called Still the "Dean of Afro-American Composers." He was the first American composer to have an opera performed by the New York City Opera. His most famous work is his first symphony, Afro-American Symphony (1930). This symphony was very popular for many years.

William Grant Still achieved many "firsts" for African Americans in music. He was the first to conduct a major American symphony orchestra. He was also the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra. Plus, he was the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company. His opera was even the first by an African American to be shown on national television.

Early Life and Education

William Grant Still Jr. was born on May 11, 1895. His birthplace was Woodville, Mississippi. His parents, Carrie Lena Fambro and William Grant Still Sr., were both teachers. His father also ran a grocery store and led a local band. Sadly, William Grant Still Sr. died when his son was only three months old.

Still's mother moved with him to Little Rock, Arkansas. She taught English at a high school there. In 1904, she married Charles B. Shepperson. Charles helped William love music even more. He took him to operettas and bought classical music records. William's grandmother also sang African-American spirituals to him.

Still began violin lessons when he was 15 years old. He also taught himself to play many other instruments. These included the clarinet, saxophone, oboe, and cello. He showed a great talent for music. In 1911, at age 16, he graduated at the top of his class from M. W. Gibbs High School.

His mother hoped he would become a doctor. So, Still went to Wilberforce University in Ohio. This was a historically black college. He joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. At Wilberforce, he led the university band. He also started writing and arranging music. He left the university before finishing his degree.

Later, Still used some money left by his father to study at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He worked hard to pay for school. He even helped the janitor. A professor named George Andrews taught him composition for free. Still also studied with famous composers Edgard Varèse and George Whitefield Chadwick.

Family Life

On October 4, 1915, Still married Grace Bundy. They had met at Wilberforce University. They had a son, William III, and three daughters: Gail, June, and Caroline. They separated in 1932 and divorced in 1939.

Two days after his divorce, on February 8, 1939, he married pianist Verna Arvey. They drove to Tijuana for the wedding. This was because interracial marriage was not allowed in California at that time. They had a daughter, Judith Anne, and a son, Duncan. Still's granddaughter is the journalist Celeste Headlee.

In 1976, Still's home in Los Angeles was named a historic landmark. It is located at 1262 Victoria Avenue.

Music Career and Achievements

In 1916, Still worked with W. C. Handy's band in Memphis. Handy was a famous blues musician. In 1918, Still joined the United States Navy during World War I. After the war, he moved to Harlem, New York. He continued to work with Handy there.

While in Harlem, Still became friends with other important artists. These included Langston Hughes and Alain LeRoy Locke. He was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time of great artistic growth for African Americans.

Still played in bands and orchestras. He recorded with Fletcher Henderson's Dance Orchestra in 1921. He also played in the orchestra for the musical Shuffle Along. Later, he arranged music for famous musicians like Sophie Tucker and Paul Whiteman. In the 1920s, Still arranged "Yamekraw", a "Negro Rhapsody" by James P. Johnson.

In the 1930s, Still arranged popular music for radio shows. He worked on Deep River Hour and Old Gold Show for NBC Radio.

Still's first major orchestral piece was Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American". The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performed it in 1931. This was a very important moment. It was the first time a major orchestra played a complete work by an African American composer. This symphony became very popular. It was performed in many cities around the world.

In 1934, Still moved to Los Angeles. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship. This helped him start working on his first opera, Blue Steel.

In 1936, Still conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. He was the first African American to conduct a major American orchestra. He conducted his own music at this event.

Still also arranged music for movies. He worked on films like Pennies from Heaven (1936) and Lost Horizon (1937). He was asked to arrange music for the 1943 film Stormy Weather. However, he left the project because he felt the studio "degraded colored people."

Still wrote Song of a City for the 1939 New York World's Fair. This song played constantly at the "Democracity" exhibit. Still's granddaughter said he could only attend the fair on "Negro Day" without police protection.

In 1949, his opera Troubled Island was performed by the New York City Opera. This was a big step. It was the first opera by an American composer performed by that company. It was also the first by an African American to be performed by a major opera company.

In 1955, Still conducted the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra. He was the first African American to conduct a major orchestra in the Deep South. Still's music was played by orchestras all over the world. These included the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.

In 1981, his opera A Bayou Legend made history. It was the first opera by an African-American composer to be shown on national television.

William Grant Still is remembered as the "Dean of Afro-American Composers." His papers and those of his wife, Verna Arvey, are kept at the University of Arkansas.

Awards and Recognition

William Grant Still received many awards and honors for his music.

• He earned three Guggenheim Fellowships for music composition.
• He also received a Rosenwald Fellowship.
• In 1949, he was honored for his great service to American Music. This award came from the National Association for American Composers and Conductors.
• In 1976, his home in Los Angeles was named a Historic-Cultural Monument.
• Many universities gave him honorary doctorates. These included Oberlin College, Wilberforce University, and Howard University.
• After he passed away, he received the 1982 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters award for music. This was for his opera A Bayou Legend.

Selected Compositions

Still wrote nearly 200 musical pieces. These included nine operas, five symphonies, and four ballets. He also composed many art songs, chamber music, and works for solo instruments. He wrote over thirty pieces for choirs. Some of his works are believed to be lost.

Images for kids

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  William Grant Still Residence at 1262 South Victoria Avenue, 2012

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  William Grant Still

See also

In Spanish: William Grant Still para niños

• Black conductors
• List of African-American composers
  • William L. Dawson
  • W. C. Handy
  • James P. Johnson
  • Florence Price
• List of jazz-influenced classical compositions
• Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, early Black British composer