The William Grant Still reader : essays on American music / edited by Jon Michael Spencer.
| Author/creator |
Still, William Grant, 1895-1978 |
| Other author/creator | Spencer, Jon Michael, editor. |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | [Durham, NC] : Duke University Press, 1992. |
| Description | xv, 277 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm. |
| Subject(s) |
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| Uniform title | Essays |
| Series | Black sacred music ; v. 6, no. 2 Black sacred music ; v. 6, no. 2. ^A396824 |
| Contents | An introduction to William Grant Still / Jon Michael Spencer -- The writings of Still. The art of musical creation -- The American composer -- Are Negro composers handicapped? -- Negro music in the Americas -- For finer Negro music -- A Negro symphony orchestra -- Spirituals, blues: important section of American music -- The music of my race -- The Negro and his music -- Nathaniel Dett: one of our "cultural pioneers" -- Leopold Stokowski as I know him -- The men behind American music -- How do we stand in Hollywood? -- The king is dead, long live the king! -- A symphony of dark voices -- Politics in music -- American music and the well-timed sneer -- Can music make a career? -- The composer needs determination and faith -- A vital factor in America's racial problem -- The structure of music -- Fifty years of progress in music -- Towards a broader American culture -- Serious music: new field for the Negro -- Our American musical resources -- The composer's creed -- Answer to a questionnaire -- The Negro musician in America -- A composer's viewpoint -- Horizons unlimited -- My Arkansas boyhood -- On orchestration -- What a composer is -- Modern composer have lost their audience: why? -- Bibliography of Still's published articles -- Select bibliography of writings about Still. |
| Abstract | This volume presents the collected writings of American composer William Grant Still. In these critical works, as in his music, Still offers a perspective on American music and society informed by a diversity of experience and associations that few others have enjoyed. That diversity, evident in a career that encompassed jazz, traditional African-American idioms, the European avant-garde, and a range of compositions including chamber music, ballet, symphonies, and opera, was marked by a central concern and guiding principle. In addressing the problem of race, Still considered the sacred task of his music, its power and duty, to serve in the quest for an ideal society. As prophetic model and inspired medium, music, much like religion, was to assist others to attain this goal. Whether providing insight into both the pain and exhilaration of the African-American creative experience, probing questions of the universality of music vs. the cultural identity of the composer, paying tribute to the fallen black soldiers of the Second World War, or offering a view of the interdependence of all people, Still's work, his life, writings, and music shared in this higher purpose. |
| General note | A special issue of Black Sacred Music: a Journal of Theomusicology. |
| Bibliography note | Bibliography of Still's published articles: pages 265-267. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 268-269) and index. |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.S855 A5 1992 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |