William Grant Still by Octobria Saddler
Biography
Born in Woodville, MS, 1895
Studied medicine at Wilberforce University before turning to music
Studied at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston
First black to direct a symphony orchestra in the United States
Founder of the Afro-American symphony
Sample of Music
His symphonic music ranged from piano pieces to symphony scores. A lot of his music sounds like it could be a score for a film. The usage legato notes played and the range octaves played makes both of these pieces attribute to the “classical” sound the text-book mentions. All of his music has a classical sound whether it was instrumental or for soloist.
