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An accessible introduction to the dean of African American composers

Table of Contents

PREFACE   ix
A NOTE ON RESEARCH   xi 1. An Uncertain Ovation   1
2. Still's Arkansas Childhood   4
3. An Ohio Apprenticeship   14
4. New York City   25
5. Making His Mark   38
6. Still's Instrumental Music   47
7. Los Angeles, 1934-   55
8. Troubled Island   68
9. Moscow's "Subtle but Effective Hand"   80
10. After the Storm   87 NOTES   95
SELECTED WORKS   103
FOR FURTHER READING   107
SUGGESTED LISTENING   109
INDEX   111

About the Author

Catherine Parsons Smith (1933-2009) was a professor emerita of music at the University of Nevada, Reno. She was the author of Making Music in Los Angeles: Transforming the Popular and William Grant Still: A Study in Contradiction.

Reviews

"This book will be the standard work on William Grant Still for at least twenty years. Smith provides a brilliant narrative of Still's active career, his cooperation with Carl Van Vechten, and his prestige as an American composer. A useful introduction to Still's life, career, music, and sociological importance." Wayne D. Shirley, emeritus senior music specialist, Library of Congress