William Grant Still’s Three Rhythmic Spirituals

Jeff rey L. Webb

William Grant Still, frequently referred only recently have major symphony orchestras to as “the Dean” of African American begun to program Still’s symphonic works such composers, was born in Woodville, Mis- as the Afro-American Symphony. sissippi, in 1895. Still was a prolifi c com- Still was equally adept at writing works for poser who wrote music for all idioms and the voice, both solo and choral. Along with was the fi rst African American to have his peers such as William L. Dawson (1899-1990), works performed by a major American Still was especially fond of composing and symphony orchestra; conduct a major arranging African American Spirituals and symphony orchestra in the United States wrote dozens of spiritual arrangements for (Los Angeles Philharmonic, 1936); and a variety of vocalists. While Dawson’s cho- selected to compose theme music for ral arrangements of spirituals are showcased the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. quite often, Still’s contributions are still not as Though Still broke down many barriers readily performed. Three Rhythmic Spirituals is a for African Americans in the world of collection of three separate pieces arranged by classical music, he still found it diffi cult to William Grant Still: “Lord, I Looked Down the fi nd groups to program his music. As a re- Road,” “Hard Trials,” and “Holy Spirit, Don’t sult, many of his compositions never had You Leave Me.” The following article provides noted performances until long after he a short biography of Still, a history of Three had written them. At the time of his death Rhythmic Spiriuals, and performance consider- in 1978, very few people were perform- ations for readers looking to perform this work ing the music of William Grant Still, and with their own choirs.

Jeff rey L. Webb Associate Professor of Music University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown jeff [email protected]

40 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9

William Grant Still’s Three Rhythmic Spirituals

Background including what compositions he worked on from day to William Grant Still was fi rst introduced to spirituals by day. After his death in 1978, Still’s personal items—includ- his maternal grandmother, Sarah Antoniette “Anne” Fam- ing photographs, original manuscripts, music typewriter, bro. She used to sing Negro Spirituals around the house and journals—were given to the University of Arkansas while Still was a young boy. In addition, his mother, Car- at Fayetteville by his widow, Verna Arvey, and daughter, rie Fambro, would take him to church services, where he Judith Anne Still. The journals are currently part of the would further experience American music and its intrinsic William Grant Still/Verna Arvey Papers housed in the rhythmic content.1 He seems to have been intrigued not library at the University of Arkansas. It is through these only by the music heard in the churches but in the way journals that one is able to trace as much of the history the pieces were presented in this setting, which clearly of Three Rhythmic Spirituals as possible. There are, how- infl uenced how he chose to compose and arrange spiri- ever, some diffi culties in tracing the precise history of the tuals. In fact, the music of these small churches was the work. The fi rst is that there is a large gap in the years of initial inspiration for the style and presentation of Three the surviving journals. The fi rst journal, dated July 1930- Rhythmic Spirituals. The inscription Still included with the December 1930, is followed by an almost eight-year gap. solo voice/piano version reads in part: As a result, it is unclear exactly what work may have been done on the pieces during that time. Still’s records start “During the years in which I have been engaged again in 1938 and are relatively intact for the next two principally in composing symphonic and operatic decades. works, I have also made it a point to visit small The second diffi culty in tracing an exact history of the Negro churches in diff erent parts of America for pieces is that during Still’s lifetime, he wrote the spirituals the purpose of observing fi rst-hand the growth of in a variety of settings. As it pertains to the complete set this kind of American music. In most instances, itself, Still wrote Three Rhythmic Spirituals in three diff erent I have found that spirituals, when sung in such versions: solo voice with piano, solo voice with orchestra, surroundings, are quite unlike those usually ar- and mixed choir with piano. Rarely in his journal entries ranged for the public—though no less devout.”2 does Still refer to the specifi c version of the pieces he was working on at any given time. Still favored the simplicity in the music that he heard in This author could fi nd nothing within the writings these church settings over more elaborate arrangements of Still’s journals to explain why Still chose the three of spirituals. This approach is in contrast to William spirituals he did. His journals do indicate that he had Dawson, who was creating more complex arrangements worked on some arrangements (orchestral and vocal) of of Negro spirituals for the Tuskegee Institute Choir.3 the individual pieces that make up Three Rhythmic Spiritu- als at diff erent times over the course of his career. The inscription that he wrote for the solo voice/piano version History of Three Rhythmic Spirituals indicates that the three pieces he chose for the set best The history of Three Rhythmic Spirituals is a long, com- enabled him to showcase the element of the music that plicated, and varied one. Though Still wanted the set to was the most important to him—the rhythm. The inscrip- accentuate specifi c rhythmic qualities, he was still capable tion reads in part: of giving each spiritual its own unique character. For example, “Lord, I Looked Down the Road” uses steady “In presenting these three spirituals, I have tried staccato notes in the accompaniment to aid in producing a to arrange them as I heard them sung by folk driving rhythm, while “Holy Spirit, Don’t You Leave Me” singers, and to emphasize, as they did, the natural is a slow blues that seems to echo the same lyrical feel pro- rhythmic content of the music.”4 duced in the main theme of Still’s Afro-American Symphony. William Grant Still kept relatively detailed journals Still seems to have intended for his arrangements of these throughout his adulthood, keeping note of his daily life, spirituals to retain the free and simplistic natures of the

42 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 posing multiple spiritual arrangements in hopes of publi- cation and had settled on one of the pieces he wanted to arrange. On August 29, he wrote in an entry that he had received a message regarding publication of “Holy Spirit Don’t You Leave Me” from the C.C. Birchard Publishing Company; however, it is unclear if the piece was accepted for publication, since the Birchard library does not include any pieces written by William Grant Still, nor is there any documentation in the William Grant Still/Verna Arvey Papers that states the piece was accepted. At the behest of Verna Arvey, Still wrote several pages about his life and career that were to be included in Arvey’s biography of Still, titled In One Lifetime.6 While some of what he wrote in these pages made it into the biography, a great deal was left out, and the pages were thought to be lost. In 2008, Still’s daughter, Judith Anne, found the missing pages in a box of photocopies of the manuscript for In One Lifetime. She took these pages and published them as the book My Life, My Words: The Au- tobiography of William Grant Still.7 It is in these pages that there is a mention of “Lord, I Looked Down the Road,” another spiritual that would eventually make its way into Three Rhythmic Spirituals. “Lord, I Looked Down the Road” was a piece he arranged during his time with The Deep William Grant Still in June 1937. River Orchestra (1931-1932). The Deep River Orchestra was founded by Willard Robison and became the featured spirituals he heard in the Negro churches he visited and orchestra on the “Deep River Hour” radio program. Ro- no doubt the ones he heard his grandmother sing to him bison hired Still to write arrangements for the orchestra, as a child. Yet, he also wanted the spirituals to maintain and Still eventually took over as conductor for a short their rhythmic excitement and intensity. This is an aspect time. A second mention of “Lord” came via a journal of spiritual writing that Still talks about repeatedly in his entry in 1940 in which Still wrote that he was working on journals and in discussing the diff erent spirituals he ar- another arrangement of the piece. ranged throughout his career. What we learn from these journal entries and other The earliest mention of any of the three spirituals that writings by Still is that he had worked on arrangements of would eventually make up Three Rhythmic Spirituals is in a at least two of the three spirituals long before he decided journal entry from August 20, 1930, which reads: “Map- to put them together as a set. Due to the large gap in the ping out spirituals for Birchard. ‘Holy Spirit Don’t You surviving journals, it is unclear whether Still worked on Leave Me’ the fi rst.”5 an arrangement of “Hard Trials,” the third piece of the In journal entries from earlier in the year, Still mentions set, before he decided to put the three spirituals together. his relationship with Clarence C. Birchard, founder of The surviving journal entries make no specifi c mention the C.C. Birchard & Company Publishing Company in of the piece during the time Still initially worked on the Boston, Massachusetts. The entries mention the two men arrangements of the other two spirituals. We do, however, discussing other compositions Still had completed and the know from the August 20 entry that he had plans to work possible publication of those pieces. The August 20 entry on multiple spirituals that he hoped would be of interest implies that Still was, at the very least, considering com- to C. C. Birchard.

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 43 William Grant Still’s Three Rhythmic Spirituals

It is clear that Three Rhythmic Spirituals was initially conceived as a work to feature solo voice. What is less clear is which version was created fi rst: solo voice with piano or solo voice with orchestra. Manuscripts of two of the three spirituals in the solo voice with piano version still exist in the William Grant Still/Verna Arvey Papers. Unfortunately, there is no date on these manuscript scores. The scores for the solo voice and orchestra version are in manuscript form and are owned by the William Grant Still Estate.8 The pages are copied on paper that came from the Accurate Photocopy and Blueprint Company, which was located at 6207 Sunset Boulevard in Holly- wood, California, and there are several entries in Still’s journals that confi rm this was the place where he would take his scores to be copied once he completed the manu- script. Although there is no date of completion listed on William Grant Still in the 1950s. the score, one can infer that the solo voice/orchestra ver- sion was completed after Still had moved to Los Angeles because he was continuing to refi ne it almost two years in the spring of 1934. The inscription that Still included later. Creating choral arrangements was in contrast to with the solo voice/piano version of the spirituals does how Still originally conceived the pieces. His stated intent not appear on the score of the solo voice/orchestra ver- for Three Rhythmic Spirituals was to have the works refl ect sion, which gives the impression that the solo voice/piano the sounds of folk singers he heard in Negro churches. version was written fi rst. Journal entries from May 1951 Perhaps the success of the spiritual arrangements William state that Still was working on “Lord, I Looked Down the Dawson created for choirs infl uenced Still’s decision to Road”; it is again unclear, however, which version he may arrange for choir, but Still’s reasons for creating choral ver- have been arranging at that time. sions are not found in any of his journal entries or other The most extensive documentation of Still’s work on writings. Nonetheless, entries in the spring of 1956 clearly the spirituals comes in 1954. Journal entries indicate that state that he is working feverishly on these arrangements. he had formulated a plan to refi ne Three Rhythmic Spirituals. In a letter sent to William Grant Still dated June 10, In February 1954, Still penned several entries concerning 1957, the Bourne Music Publishing Company agreed to working on a set of spirituals that he intended to send to publish the choral versions of Three Rhythmic Spirituals and a publisher at a later date. Still’s entry from February 19 sent Still a copy of a contract to sign and return to the provides the best details of the work he was doing; he company.9 However, a letter dated February 13, 1961, mentions working on “Lord, I Looked Down the Road” written by Still and sent to the widow of company founder, and also states he had received interest in the pieces from Saul Bourne, asks the Bourne Company to return the cop- the Silver Burdett Educational Textbook Company. In ies of Three Rhythmic Spirituals because they had yet to be March 1954, an entry states that he left the three spiritu- published by the company. It is unclear why it took nearly als with a representative for perusal. This is where things four years for the Bourne Company to attempt to publish seem to have stalled, for the pieces are not mentioned the pieces, but Still’s letter in 1961 seems to have reminded again in his journals until 1956. the Bourne Music Publishing Company that they had In March of 1956, Still writes that he is working on the these works in their possession; in a letter dated February choral/piano arrangements of Three Rhythmic Spirituals. 24 of that year, the company responds by stating that the This is the fi rst time he mentions the specifi c version of the compositions have been sent to the engravers for publica- pieces he is working on. Clearly Still did not feel that the tion, with the proofs being fi nalized in April 1961. While version he had worked on in 1954 was suffi cient enough, the solo voice/piano and solo voice/orchestra versions are

44 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 owned and available from William Grant Still Music, the Performance Considerations Bourne Company continues to own the copyright to the William Grant Still’s Three Rhythmic Spirituals are scored choral/piano version of Three Rhythmic Spirituals.10 for choral ensembles in two diff erent formats: mixed en- William Grant Still broke many barriers for African semble with piano and mixed ensemble with orchestra. Americans in the world of classical music, and yet con- Though the choral versions of the pieces feature more ductors are not as aware of his compositions as those elaborate vocal writing than that of the solo voice versions, of many of his contemporaries. Three Rhythmic Spirituals Still attempts to remain true to his original intent. Since seems to be no diff erent in that regard. Perhaps the two the simplicity of the rhythmic content and the folk singer most noted performances of Three Rhythmic Spirituals are presentation was the main inspiration for Still in arranging those by Mattiwilda Dobbs in 1973 at Chautauqua with these pieces, the overall construction is not complex. The the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and the recording vocal writing for the choir is easily accessible for mixed made of the choral/piano version in 1984 by Jack Groh choirs of all skill levels, including high school choirs. All and the University of Arkansas’ Schola Cantorum.11 The three pieces use homophonic textures in the choral voices. latter is the only known commercial recording of the Three In both “Lord, I Looked Down the Road,” and “Holy Rhythmic Spirituals. Spirit, Don’t You Leave Me,” Still includes short vocal solos. The piano accompaniment for the three pieces is heavily responsible for providing the rhythmic intensity and liveliness that Still desired. The performance dura-

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CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 45 William Grant Still’s Three Rhythmic Spirituals tion for the three pieces is approximately eight minutes. what he did in the solo voice/orchestral version. In that Performing the work with choir and orchestra presents arrangement, Still changes both the instrumentation and its own unique set of challenges. In 2007, in an attempt to voicing of chords each time the refrain presents itself. As highlight William Grant Still’s music, Crafton Beck and a result, the orchestral parts do not include the two sets the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra combined with a of repeats (mm. 11-18 and mm. 29-36) that appear in the number of local choirs to perform Three Rhythmic Spirituals choral octavos (Figures 1 and 2). with choir and orchestra. Still wrote orchestral parts to As seen in Figure 2, there are major orchestration accompany the solo voice. When he arranged the pieces diff erences between the refrain that starts at measure 36 for choir and piano, however, he made a few signifi cant and the repeat of the refrain at measure 44. In the cho- changes. “Lord, I Looked Down the Road” is in two dif- ral/piano octavo, these measures (measure 29, Figure 1) ferent keys (E-fl at major for the solo voice versions and simply have a repeat sign around them because the piano D major for the choral version). Still also changed the accompaniment does not change. This situation proved harmonic progression for a few measures in the choral to be diffi cult when rehearsing the piece with both the version. choir and the orchestra at the same time. Based upon “Hard Trials,” the second spiritual in the set, provided this experience, it became clear that if these pieces were the biggest challenge in combining Still’s orchestrations going to be performed in this version again, Still’s original with the choral version. The choral version of “Hard orchestral score would need adjustments. Trials” includes two sets of repeat signs that could not be In 2009, at the request of Judith Anne Still, a full con- replicated in the orchestral parts. In the choral version, ductor’s score and updated orchestral parts were created Still was writing accompaniment for a single instrument for Three Rhythmic Spirituals. The updated score matches the (piano) and chose not to change the harmonies or voic- keys and harmonic progressions Still wrote for the choral ing during the repeat of the refrain. This is contrary to version of the pieces. The editor’s notes that accompany

46 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 47 William Grant Still’s Three Rhythmic Spirituals

the orchestral parts for the choral/orchestral version make players, and singers alike. careful note of the diffi culties mentioned above in “Hard The solo versions of Three Rhythmic Spirituals are also Trials” and list the corresponding measures from the worth a perusal. The pieces serve as excellent ways to orchestra parts that encompass the two repeated sections introduce spiritual singing and the concept of song cycles in the choral octavos. These updated scores make the to solo vocalists. Though it was Still’s intent to have them practicality of performing Three Rhythmic Spirituals with the performed as a unit of three, each can also be performed choral octavos from Bourne and the orchestral parts from separately. William Grant Still Music much easier for the conductor,

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48 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 Conclusion solo voice/piano version of Three Rhythmic Spirituals. Used William Grant Still’s Three Rhythmic Spirituals is a won- by permission of William Grant Still Music. derful example of the composer’s love for writing and ar- 5 Journal excerpts used by permission to William Grant Still ranging spirituals. Inspired by the music he continuously Music. sought out in Negro churches, Still provides singers with 6 Verna Arvey, In One Lifetime: Life of William Grant Still wonderfully simplistic yet rhythmically intense settings (University of Arkansas Press, 1984). of well-known spirituals. The history of Three Rhythmic 7 William Grant Still and Judith Anne Still, My Life, My Words. Spirituals provides a glimpse of the aff ection Still had for 8 The William Grant Still Estate is housed in Flagstaff , spirituals and the dedication to his craft, as he created Arizona, and is under the direction of Judith Anne Still. several versions and worked on the arrangements of some 9 A copy of this letter can be found in the William Grant Still/ of the individual pieces for over two decades. Over the last Verna Arvey Papers. several years, William Grant Still’s orchestral music has 10 Each of the pieces that make up the choral/piano version been performed and recorded in a more earnest fashion, of Three Rhythmic Spirituals are owned and sold separately most notably by Neeme Järvi and the Detroit Symphony by the Bourne Company. Those wishing to perform the Orchestra. However, Still’s choral music still seems to be choral/orchestral edition of Three Rhythmic Spirituals will a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered and explored need to purchase the choral octavos from Bourne and the by a greater number of prominent choral musicians. The orchestral parts (including a full conductor’s score) from reputation of works such as “Lenox Avenue,” “Wailing William Grant Still Music. Woman,” “And They Lynched Him on a Tree,” and 11 Judith Anne Still, Michael J. Dabrishus, and Carolyn L. “Here’s One” would greatly benefi t from choral conduc- Quia, William Grant Still: A Bio-Bibliography (Westport, CT: tors programing them more often. The best resource to Greenwood Press, 1996), 193. fi nd the music of William Grant Still is to visit the William Grant Still Music website at www.williamgrantstillmusic. com. William Grant Still Music is under the direction of Still’s daughter, Judith Anne Still.

Photos used by permission of the William Grant Still Estate.

Editor’s Note: For further reading on this topic, see: “The Choral Works of William Grant Still” by David Griggs- Janower in Choral Journal 35, no. 10 (May 1995): 41-44.

NOTES www.choralnet.org 1 William Grant Still and Judith Anne Still, My Life, My Words: RESOURCES AND The Autobiography of William Grant Still (Flagstaff , AZ: The COMMUNICATIONS Master-Player Library, 2011), 33. FOR THE GLOBAL 2 Inscription that William Grant Still wrote to accompany the CHORAL COMMUNITY solo voice/piano version of Three Rhythmic Spirituals. Used by permission of William Grant Still Music. 3 William Levi Dawson conducted the Tuskegee Institute Choir from 1931 to 1955. 4 Inscription that William Grant Still wrote to accompany the

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 9 49