Program; 2003-11-02 the Royal Serenaders Male Chorus

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Program; 2003-11-02 the Royal Serenaders Male Chorus State University of New York College at Buffalo - Buffalo State College Digital Commons at Buffalo State Concert & Event Programs Royal Serenaders 11-2-2003 Program; 2003-11-02 The Royal Serenaders Male Chorus Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/rs-programs Part of the History Commons, Music Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation "Program; 2003-11-02." Concert & Event Programs. Royal Serenaders Male Chorus Collection. Monroe Fordham Regional History Center, Archives & Special Collections Department, E. H. Butler Library, SUNY Buffalo tS ate. http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/rs-programs/151 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Royal Serenaders at Digital Commons at Buffalo tS ate. It has been accepted for inclusion in Concert & Event Programs by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at Buffalo tS ate. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SERENADERS TENOR I TENOR II Rev. Terence Mckissick _..__"""'.' :p in1'~~-- Henry Coleman Jim Robinson ¢'~~ ;~:::._ ~):;::=. Bob Cook· $.<t, " ~ 9 Lamont "I~lover 4r_\ ,,~,-#.. ·!~,.- p~ __...,.. Gerald Richardson 4,s,~ _,,,,., .. Otis Glover ~-.....-i "')i,JJ'".,,_.,. l " ,,,_. ~·'" rf5~ BASS I BASS II Peter .Hey Norris Beasley Wardell Lewis Derrick M. Byrd Jr. William K. Wachob Bob Grimm Ed Watts James Pryo . Cecil L. Mathif ************************ The Serenaders are available for Concerts a ' other engagements, call 834-6705 fjfuu,A., ta du !Btandae .Nebon 'IL,~ fBoatul of, £Jnuln, 'U..M.. eAud. and &dl.e c{ a.t.ea:.. !i)tvduu.., Program IV Dedicated to the Memory ofMoses Hogan Pianist, Arranger, Composer AMHERST BFL CANTO mom Sat Fay Allen, C..ductor AH-Alm-Kaber, Attompaai•t WdMman, Cello 1957-2003 Kafk latroducdoa by Dadd: M. Byrd Jr. Brief History of the Settnaden Bob Cook a Jerry Richardson Amhent Bd Caafo Choir. Vhace I DANCING SONG (traditional Hungarian) .... Zoltan Kodaly DURME (Sephardic Folksong) ..... Alice Parker SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE ......... Althouse BUT ERE WE THIS PERFORM (from Dido and Aeneas) ...... Henry Purcell YOU ARE THE LIGHT ......... Fettke Amhent Bd Canto. Bravo JENNY REBECCA ...... Carol Hall LEAD ME, O GOD .......... Chesnokov I'll SAIL RIGHT HOME TO YOU ...... George Strid TO THE HEAVENLY HOST ..........Young I AM HIS CHILD ......arr. Hogan Combined Choirs D V FESTIVE TRUMPET TUNE (Organ Solo) ......... German j THE LION KING MEDLEY ........ based on an arr. by Brymer Joyce Cameron Mathis 1 Roy A. Mathis, Bob Cook, Soloists I m BRING HIM HOME .......arr. Leavitt (from Les Miserables) OLD TIME RELIGION ........ arr. Hogan Featuring Peter Hey and Bob Cook Roy A. Mathis, Soloist I AVE MARIA ..... William Grant Still (from the opera "Costaso") THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE .. based on an arr. by Christiansen/Hogan Peter Hey, Soloist The Three Baritones Bob Cook, Roy A. Mathis, Peter Hey JESUS LAY YO' HEAD IN THE WINDOW ...... arr. Joubert Featuring Lamont Glover TIME TOGO ..... Guyton Wardell Lewis, Soloist RIDE ONI KING JESUS ...... arr. Hogan Jim Robinson, Soloist GOD BLESS AMERICA ..... based on an arr. by Fettke Combined Choirs The Opera: COSTASO Libretto by Verna Arvey Setting: a Spanish pueblo in the American Southwest Commandante Felipe Armona declares his passion for Carmela Costaso, the wife of his young lieutenant. Carmela loves her husband and tries to discourage the commandante. Costaso's telling of theJegend of an elusive city of gold hidden somewhere in the desert ("A Wand'ring Beggar Came") inspires Armona to send Costaso into the desert in search of this city, confident that he will die from the desert's hardships. Carmela pleads with her husband to stay, telling him that "the city of gold lies in our hearts"("Golden Days"). After days of searching in the desert, Costaso and his friend Manuel are near death from weariness, hunger, and thirst. Suddenly, they come upon the body of Pedro Amador, the killer sent by Armona to ensure their deaths. Instead, Amador has succumbed to the desert, and on his body they find a life-saving flask of water. Recognizing familiar landmarks, they realize that they are close · to home and sing the ecstatic "Ave Maria" in thanksgiving. Meanwhile, hope of their return has been abandoned by all except Carmela who continues to reject Armona's advances. When a representative of the governor arrives at the pueblo, Armona is astonished to hear a proclamation recalling him to Mexico City and is even more shocked to discover that it was a letter from Carmela to the governor which occasioned the proclamation. Meanwhile, a commotion on the outskirts of the crowd reveals the ragged survivors, Costaso and Manuel, who accuse Armona of causing their suffering. The crowd wants to exile Armona to the desert, but he shoots himself before they can reach him. Moses George Hogan March 13, 1957-Feb.15, 2003 born in New Orleans, Louisiana, has earned an international reputation as one of America's most gifted pianists, conductors and arrangers. His contemporary choral settings of spirituals and other works have been praised by the American Choral Directors .Association, Gramwiphone magazine, and choral directors across America. Audienc~s have responded with stancli.rig ovations upon hearing his unique and sensitive arrangements. The world renowned Plymouth Music Setus of Minrusota, the BO'J's Choir of Harkm, and the Morman Tabernacl.e Choir have all performed Hogan's arrangements for national audiences on television and radio_. His musical talents will be sorely missed. William Grant Still (1895-1978), often called the Dean of · Afro-American composers said, "If a Negro composer writes a good piece of music and it is the will of God that this be given to the world, it will be performed. If not, his work will soon pass into obiivion. Isn't this true ofa white composer as well?" In the centennial year of Still's birth, there was a resurgence of interest in the work of this musical pioneer; the first Afro-American to have a symphony performed by a white orchestra, the first to conduct a major symphony orchestra, and the first to have a full-length opera performed by a major American company. Renewed interest in Still's work brought a realization that this composer, although restricted by personal resources and the racial mores of his time, achieved remarkable things and produced works which should not "pasll into oblivion." Still composed eight eXtant operas. Troubled Island was produced in · 1949 by the New York City Center Opera Company. A Bayou ~gend was· produce<,! for television in 1981. Blue Steel, Mota and The Plllar have yet to be performed. in their entirety' the other operas have been produced at least once by regional or amateur opera companies. In his lifetime, he created over 150 musical works including a series of five symphonies, four ballets and nine operas. .
Recommended publications
  • 557541Bk Kelemen 3+3 4/8/09 2:55 PM Page 1
    559603bk Still:557541bk Kelemen 3+3 4/8/09 2:55 PM Page 1 John Jeter Fort Smith Symphony John Jeter (‘Jetter’) has been the music director and conductor of the Fort Smith (John Jeter, Music Director) AMERICAN CLASSICS Symphony since 1997. He is also the recipient of the 2002 Helen M. Thompson Award presented by the American Symphony Orchestra League. This award is given First Violin Viola Mark Phillips Jack Jackson, II to one outstanding ‘early career’ music director in the United States every two years. Elizabeth Lyon, Darrel Barnes, Principal John Widder Jane Waters-Showalter Concertmaster Anitra Fay, Marlo Williams It is one of the few awards given to conductors in America. He is the recipient of the Trumpet Mayor’s Achievement Award for his services to the City of Fort Smith. John Jeter has Lori Fay, Assistant Principal Nicholas Barnaby Jesse Collett Samuel Hinson Angela Richards, Principal WILLIAM GRANT STILL guest conducted numerous orchestras including the Springfield Symphony, Karen Jeter, Ryan Gardner Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Arkansas Associate Concertmasters Kirsten Weingartner Weiss Kathy Murray Flute Penny Schimek Symphony Orchestra, North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony and Illinois Carol Harrison, Elizabeth Shuhan, Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 Chamber Symphony among many others. He co-hosts two radio programmes and is involved in many radio and Densi Rushing, Mary Ann Saylor Trombone Erika C. Lawson Principal television projects concerning classical music. He received his formal education at the University of Hartford’s Hartt Er-Gene Kahng, Emmaline McLeod Brian Haapanen, Principal School of Music and Butler University’s Jordan College of Fine Arts.
    [Show full text]
  • [Sample Title Page]
    ART SONGS OF WILLIAM GRANT STILL by Juliet Gilchrist Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music Indiana University May 2020 Accepted by the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music Doctoral Committee ______________________________________ Luke Gillespie, Research Director ______________________________________ Mary Ann Hart, Chair ______________________________________ Patricia Havranek ______________________________________ Marietta Simpson January 27, 2020 ii To my mom and dad, who have given me everything: teaching me about music, how to serve others, and, most importantly, eternal principles. Thank you for always being there. iii Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ iv List of Examples .............................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Childhood influences and upbringing ............................................................................ 5 Chapter 3: Still,
    [Show full text]
  • 20Th Anniversary Celebration
    THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ART SONG ALLIANCE CONFERENCE 20th Anniversary Celebration February 9 – 12, 2017 Claire Trevor School of the Arts – Music The University of California, Irvine In collaboration with Christ Our Redeemer AME Church 45 Tesla, Irvine, Rev. Mark E. Whitlock, Jr., Pastor Host Hotel Transportation provided by COR AME Church Radisson Hotel Newport Beach via DMCLS, Inc. a minority-owned VIP transportation co. 4545 MacArthur Boulevard Mathurin Daniel, CEO Newport Beach, CA 92660 37 Rincon Way, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 The African American Art Song Alliance artsongalliance.org Funding for this conference generously provided by: UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence Spirit Award Program; Christ Our Redeemer AME Church, 45 Tesla, Irvine, Rev. Mark E. Whitlock., Pastor; UCI Illuminations, the Chancellor’s Art & Culture Initiative; Hampsong Foundation; UC Consortium for Black Studies in California; COR Community Development Corporation (CORCDC); Chair’s Endowment, UCI Music Department; UCI African American Studies Department CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS COMPOSERS SINGERS (cont) H. Leslie Adams, Cleveland, OH Kisma Jordan Hunter, University of Michigan, Flint, MI Judith Baity, Los Angeles, CA Albert R. Lee, University of Nevada, Reno, NV Brittney Elizabeth Boykin, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA Marquita Lister, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD Maria Thompson Corley, Franklin & Marshall Coll., Lancaster, PA Leberta Lorál, Los Angeles, CA Marquez L.A. Garrett, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Jennifer Lindsay, Long Beach, CA Adolphus C. Hailstork, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA Oral Moses, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA Lori Celeste Hicks, Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC Marlaina Owens, Los Angeles, CA Charles Ingram, Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles, CA Miranda Paulos, University of California, Irvine, CA Roy Jennings, New York, NY Willis C.
    [Show full text]
  • In and out of the Mainstream > Opera News > the Met Opera Guild
    In and Out of the Mainstream > Opera News > The Met Opera ... http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2010/2/Fea... Features February 2010 — Vol. 74, No. 8 (http://www.operanews.org/Opera_News_Magazine/2010/2 /ITALIAN_MASTER__RICCARDO_MUTI_CONDUCTS_THE_MET_PREMIERE_OF_ATTILA.html) In and Out of the Mainstream BARRY SINGER looks at the careers of Samuel Barber and William Grant Still, two composers whose work reflected the ever-changing path of twentieth-century American music. William Grant Still and Samuel Barber Samuel Barber's debut opera, Vanessa, followed William Grant The essence of Still's Still's debut opera, Troubled Island, by less than a decade. Both were output resided in jazz and hard-won labors of love that each composer initiated without a the blues. Barber had commission and ultimately brought to fruition on the strength of his little use for either. own tenacity. Both operas were hits with their opening-night audiences - Vanessa at the Met, Troubled Island at New York City Opera's then-City Center home. Both, nonetheless, soon disappeared 1 of 8 1/9/12 12:28 PM In and Out of the Mainstream > Opera News > The Met Opera ... http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2010/2/Fea... from the active repertory. In the 1990s, Vanessa would be restored to a respected place in opera, a rebirth that Barber did not live to witness. For Still's Troubled Island, though, resurrection has never really come. As the centennial of Barber's birth approaches, it is intriguing to view him through the contrasting prism of William Grant Still. In many senses, no American composer of the twentieth century contrasts with Barber more.
    [Show full text]
  • Analyzing Gender Inequality in Contemporary Opera
    ANALYZING GENDER INEQUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY OPERA Hillary LaBonte A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS August 2019 Committee: Jane Schoonmaker Rodgers, Advisor Kristen Rudisill Graduate Faculty Representative Kevin Bylsma Ryan Ebright Emily Pence Brown © 2019 Hillary LaBonte All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Jane Schoonmaker Rodgers, Advisor Gender inequality is pervasive in the world of performing arts. There are far more female dancers, actresses, and singers than there are male performers. This inequality is amplified by fewer numbers of roles for women. This document examines gender inequality in contemporary North American operas, including the various factors that can influence the gender balance of a cast, with focused studies on commissioning organizations and ten works that feature predominantly female casts. Chapter 1 presents the analysis of all operas in OPERA America’s North American Works database written and premiered from 1995 to the present. Of the 4,216 roles in this data, 1,842 (43.6%) are for female singers. Operas written by a female composer or librettist have 48% roles for female singers, operas with a female lead character have 51%, and intentionally feminist or female-focused operas have 53% roles for female singers. Chapter 2 considers ten companies devoted to the creation and production of contemporary opera in North America. Works premiered by these companies have an average of 47% roles for women, and companies with a female executive or founder are more likely to have a higher average. Companies that use language like “innovative” or “adventurous” in their mission statement are more likely to have greater female representation in the casts of their commissioned works.
    [Show full text]
  • William Grant Still's Afro-American
    WILLIAM GRANT STILL’S AFRO-AMERICAN SYMPHONY A CRITICAL EDITION BY CHARLES WILLIAM LATSHAW Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music Indiana University May, 2014 Accepted by the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music. ___________________________________ David Effron, Research Director __________________________________ Arthur Fagen __________________________________ Luke Gillespie __________________________________ Stephen Pratt ii Copyright © 2014 Charles William Latshaw All scores remain Copyright © 2014 Novello & Co., Ltd. iii Dedicated to Kelley Russell Latshaw iv Table of Contents ! ! " ! ! '$ ' "! $ 9 ($ % ## * #$ "# $" .")! ) < ! #$ !" ## = $ $ "&'"* A """#$!%$ 98 " "$#!$# 98 %# 9: ".(. " 9< 0 $)$1!" 9> )$" '- %#"!$$"# 9A 9A;=#"!%$ 9A 01$ :8 9A==&# :9 9A>A & "&##$%)# " :9 9A?8 & ""$# :: *$ () " %" :; % #"$ # :> &$$$# :> !$#$ ""$$9A>A# " :? "$"&# #$9A>A# " :? ($ "#"$$/#!"# !) $9A;=# " :@ #!$# $!" &)$9A>A"&# ;8 "%'-,- )( "%'-)+'-,- # ** "&! *, # +, v List of Figures %"9." $6##$ ,#$7"$7$#55555555555555555555555555555555555555555> %":2" $6##$ , %$$ " &$ 555555555555555555555555555555555? %";.% '"%"6#! #,#$)!!"$9A;=# "55555555555555555555555555559: vi List of Musical Examples (!9. &$- ,#%"#@2A555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555559? (!:."%## !"$#" $"#$! $9A>A# "555555555555555555555555555555555555555:=
    [Show full text]
  • William Grant Still, an American Composer
    Destination: America Activity 5 William Grant Still, an American Composer Biography William Grant Still was born in Woodville, Mississippi in 1895. He was the son of two teachers, Carrie Lena Fabro Still and William Grant Still, who was also a partner in a grocery store. Young William was only three months old when his father died. His mother then took him to Little Rock, Arkansas, where they lived with her mother. She taught high school English there for 33 years. During William’s child- hood, his mother married again, this time to a postal clerk. He bought many 78 rpm records of opera which William greatly enjoyed. The two attended a number of performances by musicians on tour. William started violin lessons at age 14 and showed great interest in music. He taught himself how to play the clarinet, saxophone, oboe, double bass, cello and viola. His maternal grandmother introduced him to African America spirituals by singing them to him. At age 16, he graduated from high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. His mother wanted him to go to medical school, so Still pursued a Bachelor of Science degree program at Wilberforce University in Ohio from 1911 to 1915. He then dropped out of school and married an ac- quaintance from Wilberforce. He became unhappy at Wilberforce, where he directed the band from 1911 to 1915, and created music arrangements because there was no music in the curriculum. He moved to Oberlin in 1917, following two years of work in Columbus where in 1914 he began playing the oboe and cello professionally at the Athletic Club.
    [Show full text]
  • Performance Program Notes and Translations (In Program Order)
    Performance Program Notes and Translations (in program order) Concert 1 Thursday, March 12, 1:30-2:30 (McCastlain Hall Fireplace Room) The Platypus Story by Stephanie Berg (1986) performed by The Platypus Players Beth Wheeler (Arkansas Symphony Orchestra), oboe; Rochelle G. Mann (Fort Lewis College), flute Tatiana R. Mann (Texas Tech University), piano Richard Wheeler (University of Arkansas Medical School), Narrator #1 Julian Mann (Elementary School), Narrator #2 The Platypus Story follows the tale of various forest creatures, each belonging to their own bird, fish or mammal group, who come across an animal that seems to defy categorization. The story is adapted from the traditional Aboriginal Australian tale, which is one of the original stories of the Dreamtime. “Dreamtime” is the Aboriginal Australian understanding of the world, its creation and the beginning of knowledge as described through a series of tales. Its wonderful message of strength of unity and beauty in diversity reflects the belief that all life as it is today is part of one vast, unchanging network of relationships that can be traced to the Creation and Great Spirit ancestors of the Dreamtime. The music chosen to accompany this tale utilizes an expanded yet familiar tonal language that is evocative, charming and quirky enough to match that strangest of animals, the platypus. Incantation and Dance by William Grant Still (1895-1978) performed by Toot Suite Tara Schwab (Arkansas State University), flute Kristin Leitterman (Arkansas State University), oboe Emily Trapp Jenkins (Arkansas State University), piano An Arkansas Son: William Grant Still (1895–1978) William Grant Still (1895-1978) was born in Mississippi and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he developed his love for music and ability on numerous instruments before moving to Ohio to attend Wilberforce University and later Oberlin Conservatory.
    [Show full text]
  • Discriminating Ears: Critical Receptions of Blackness in the Music of George Gershwin and William Grant Still Hannah Edgar University of Chicago
    Nota Bene: Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology Volume 11 | Issue 1 Article 5 Discriminating Ears: Critical Receptions of Blackness in the Music of George Gershwin and William Grant Still Hannah Edgar University of Chicago Recommended Citation Edgar, Hannah () "Discriminating Ears: Critical Receptions of Blackness in the Music of George Gershwin and William Grant Still," Nota Bene: Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 5. Discriminating Ears: Critical Receptions of Blackness in the Music of George Gershwin and William Grant Still Abstract At the apex of their careers, composers George Gershwin and William Grant Still produced what they believed were their finest works: respectively, Porgy and Bess (1935), an opera by a white American composer about African American subjects, and Troubled Island (1949), an opera by an African American composer about Haitian subjects. However, both works fared poorly upon their premiere, with critics decrying Porgy and Bess and Troubled Island as “unoperatic.” Besides providing historical context to both operas, this paper argues that the critical rhetoric surrounding them was tinged by racialized notions of what musical “blackness” sounded like, or should sound like, to white ears. This paper focuses on critics’ coinage of “the cheap” or “popular” as a euphemism for music inspired by African American musical traditions like jazz, the blues, and spirituals. The paper concludes that, while the art music canon can be responsive to social justice movements, critics’
    [Show full text]
  • Commentary on Catherine Parsons Smith's
    COMMENTARY ON CATHERINE PARSONS SMITH’S “WILLIAM GRANT STILL”1 Published by the University of Illinois Press by Judith Anne Still In much of the 20th century, people of Color labored to survive morally and substantively in spite of “White privilege,” an unspoken license of which most 21st century Whites are unaware, or are not about to acknowledge. According to this license, slander or libel against minorities was allowable and believable, even in academic circles. Falsehoods about Colored sexuality, violence, bitterness, alcoholism, drug addiction, cowardice and ignorance, such as in D. W. Griffith’s film “Birth of a Nation,” were not uncommon. It appears to me that Catherine Parsons Smith, in all of her writings about William Grant Still and Verna Arvey, operates as if this license still exist, for her books and papers about the couple contain so many false and defamatory allegations, that one wonders where her editors were with a cautionary and staying-hand prior to publication. I must point out here, before delineating the problems with Smith’s texts, that Catherine Smith’s knowledge of Still and Arvey on a personal level amounted to a mere hour or two during which she met my mother in her home and discussed things with her that were of little importance. Subsequent to the brief discussion, Smith interviewed a few people who knew little about the Stills personally, or who disliked one or the other of the two of them for reasons of ethnic or professional bias. Smith avoided interviewing intimate friends of the Stills, even when she met two of them.
    [Show full text]
  • African American History of Los Angeles
    LOS ANGELES CITYWIDE HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT Context: African American History of Los Angeles Prepared for: City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning Office of Historic Resources FEBRUARY 2018 SurveyLA Citywide Historic Context Statement Context: African American History of Los Angeles Certified Local Government Grant Disclaimers The activity that is the subject of this historic context statement has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of Interior, through the California Office of Historic Preservation. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or the California Office of Historic Preservation, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or the California Office of Historic Preservation. This program receives Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 as amended, the Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity National Park Service 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington
    [Show full text]
  • William Grant Still: the Complex Career of a Complicated Composer Aric Macdavid
    MacDavid, 1 William Grant Still: The Complex Career of a Complicated Composer Aric MacDavid The phrase “practicing what you preach” is often used to describe someone whose actions throughout their lifetime corresponds with their personal beliefs. In other words, a person who practices what they preach maintains a set of values that they follow in day to day life, whether this be through their work, relationships, etc. Their decisions are often greatly influenced by this personal set of beliefs. The African American composer William Grant Still, did not always live his life by this motto. Throughout his career, which spanned the early twentieth century and lasted to the late 1970’s, Still composed works for the concert hall, including “symphonies (five of them), one-movement tone poems, multi-movement suites for orchestra, ballet music, works specifically for the radio, pieces that include chorus or vocal solos, and piano and chamber music”1 as well as eight operas. It was this music that was often in conflict with his personal beliefs and, at times, even with itself. Although William Grant Still is most often labeled as a black composer portraying the African American narrative in his music for the concert hall, his attitudes regarding racial difference, musical style, and popular music demonstrate that he was a more complicated individual than that. It’s no secret that William Grant Still incorporated African American elements into his large oeuvre. As Catherine Parsons Smith writes in her book William Grant Still, “Many [of Still’s works] are suggestive of African American life or of Still’s pan-African interests.”2 With titles such as And They Lynched Him on a Tree, Darker America, and Afro-American Symphony, it is clear that much of Still’s music explored African American subjects.
    [Show full text]