@@TheProsaicCult Sowerby I've heard and forgot. Adler's textbook is necessary but his music is so little heard. Everyone only gets heard if a friend,student does it. Programming is restricted to what we know already. Is Sowerby really that good. I see his name often but never hear his music. Still will feature now that whites are feeling guilty as they damn well should!
William Grant Still is America's Vaughan Williams. They even use similar musical devices at times (Autumn Night in particular reminds of RVW's later symphonies, which were almost all in minor and rather dark in tone). I also take slight umbrage with the idea that Still wasn't "adventurous", or that he was "safe and tame". For one, there's *tons* of dissonance in his work, because it's intrinsic to the nature of a lot of Black music; it's just layered in, so it melds into the background rather than being at the forefront. Also, to write serious orchestral compositions based on Black music was and is extremely adventurous, considering the historical position of Black music; that is, something to be caricatured at best, and degraded as music made by non-people at worst, an attitude that still persists to this day in this country. Still took music that is foundational to Black life and skillfully wove it into these tapestries of languid nights and summer afternoons and crying hallelujahs. That is incredibly adventurous, and not at all safe or tame.
I totally agree with you. I think though that harmony has been far too much the focus of Western music analysis. Even if you weren't to describe Still's music as adventurous, he just has enormous skill and creativity(!) with regards to orchestration and timbre. (Just so you don't misunderstand my response to the other comment, I was making a slight at characterizing "white" music as not being unruly or dangerous (e.g. Ives, Varèse), and "black" music as somehow being inherently the opposite.)
"Safe and tame" seems to describe not just Still, but of well-known American composers, at least in the first half of the 20th century. Take your pick. Gershwin? Copeland? Barber? Ives has got to be the only oft-mentioned name that actually was innovative. On another note, I am not familiar at all with Still's work, but nothing about this particular piece screams "Black music" (assuming you mean African American music). Movements 2 and 3 don't even sound distinctly American. I don't hear much dissonance, either - there are a few moments but few and far between. Mind you, the dissonance spectrum in this time period already includes the like of Bartok, Shoenberg, Varese, Stravinsky, etc. To be clear, for me personally that's not criticism towards Still. Hell, this piece alone is miles better than anything Borelan... ahem, I mean, Copeland ever penned. But if you put it in its historical context, having been composed in 1948, decades after revolutionary works such as the Rite of Spring or Wozzeck, it really is tame. Again, though, tame is not necessarily bad - Poulenc did tame and it was pretty good.
As an old guy who has been aware of Still for many years, I'm glad to see a bit of light shed on his great music. He wrote a lot of stuff, all well worth enjoying.
Still’s music has so much heart, but that doesn’t mean it also isn’t brilliant. There are so many good contrapuntal moments in the symphonies that also use gorgeous melodies. Thanks for posting!
When I was playing in an orchestra , we played some dance band and popular music arrangements by Still. Outstanding stuff, lots of fun and interesting too. I enjoy the African American character with which he imbues his work. So much originality and imagination. Skilled and inventive orchestrations. Thanks for this post !
The piece was on my recommended and what I can is that it has that old-40s-holywood film music sound that i love. It's the type of texture, timbre that i want to have in my music as a young composer (14yr). I will definitely be checking out more of his music.
It starts with a certain naive innocence, but boy! This music gets richer and richer and wiser and more and more elaborated with every bar. Masterful instrumentation, interesting modal harmonic colors. The second movement is an impressive example of American impressionism reminding of Debussy's La Mer. I never heard from this composer before. He's absolutely worthy of being played and discussed more often.
It is a gracious work to behold! Lyrical, expressive and deserves to be heard. We hear more of the mechanical shenanigans of the likes of "minimalists" (who sound like Hanon piano exercises) than from someone like WG Still who wrote expertly guided by his heart and soul.
I recently had the privilege of performing Still's Afro-American Symphony with some friends, his works and legacy deserve to be uplifted and celebrated. Beautiful.
Spirituelle, sensorielle et rebelle, la musique de ce compositeur reflète encore des impostures secrètes, explore des plaisirs sereins, un monde de rêves renaissants🌺🕊
The second movement did remind quite a bit of Harry Potter's music. The first time I heard this piece was at a concert where John Williams also conducted some of his own music, an interesting "coincidence."
I got a sort of Native American flavor out of the first three movements (that third movement was GORGEOUS), and the fourth definitely had a Copland influence, except it seemed a bit more playful than Copland. I really enjoyed it!
I don't want to sound harsh but I think the interpretation is a little lacking. There come a lot of times where I feel the melodies are played without much intention behind them or conviction
A very humble, sweet piece that is mildly entertaining but never gets unruly and dangerous. I am sure Dvorak would have enjoyed it as it is right up his alley of user friendly American folk-based music. What it lacks is a bit of dissonance and syncopation. It is all a bit too "white" for my taste, but that's just me.
What I love about Still's music is that he achieves a warm richness of sound that really I have found no equal to. Kaintuck may be more to your liking, but you're perhaps right: his music is not "unruly and dangerous," compared to the likes of Ives or Varèse.
Is it just me or does the rhythm feel kind of off in places? I wish they would accentuate the beginning of bars more, because I got lost sometimes without a clear feeling of beat
The best counterargument to the 'We should have heard about him more' is that if he was a Gershwin we WOULD have heard about him but we haven't which is indicative of his secondary status when compared to those of Gershwin and Copeland, NOT referring to physical appearances but solely compositional proficiency.
It's ok. But harmonically, it's not very sophisticated. To be honest, it sounds like a "US western" themed composition written by a 3rd year music student.
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His name needs to be mentioned more with the likes of Gershwin and Copland and other great American composers.
It is
and Adler. and Sowerby.
So true. But so few know and those of us that do never hear him on programs.
@@TheProsaicCult Sowerby I've heard and forgot. Adler's textbook is necessary but his music is so little heard. Everyone only gets heard if a friend,student does it. Programming is restricted to what we know already. Is Sowerby really that good. I see his name often but never hear his music. Still will feature now that whites are feeling guilty as they damn well should!
@@TheProsaicCult .and Cowell and Anthiel, and Mennin, and Thompson, and Thomson, and and and...
William Grant Still is America's Vaughan Williams. They even use similar musical devices at times (Autumn Night in particular reminds of RVW's later symphonies, which were almost all in minor and rather dark in tone).
I also take slight umbrage with the idea that Still wasn't "adventurous", or that he was "safe and tame". For one, there's *tons* of dissonance in his work, because it's intrinsic to the nature of a lot of Black music; it's just layered in, so it melds into the background rather than being at the forefront. Also, to write serious orchestral compositions based on Black music was and is extremely adventurous, considering the historical position of Black music; that is, something to be caricatured at best, and degraded as music made by non-people at worst, an attitude that still persists to this day in this country. Still took music that is foundational to Black life and skillfully wove it into these tapestries of languid nights and summer afternoons and crying hallelujahs. That is incredibly adventurous, and not at all safe or tame.
I totally agree with you. I think though that harmony has been far too much the focus of Western music analysis. Even if you weren't to describe Still's music as adventurous, he just has enormous skill and creativity(!) with regards to orchestration and timbre.
(Just so you don't misunderstand my response to the other comment, I was making a slight at characterizing "white" music as not being unruly or dangerous (e.g. Ives, Varèse), and "black" music as somehow being inherently the opposite.)
@@Cmaj7 Oh, I wasn't misunderstanding you at all, this is just my own addition I thought of later.
"Safe and tame" seems to describe not just Still, but of well-known American composers, at least in the first half of the 20th century. Take your pick. Gershwin? Copeland? Barber? Ives has got to be the only oft-mentioned name that actually was innovative.
On another note, I am not familiar at all with Still's work, but nothing about this particular piece screams "Black music" (assuming you mean African American music). Movements 2 and 3 don't even sound distinctly American. I don't hear much dissonance, either - there are a few moments but few and far between. Mind you, the dissonance spectrum in this time period already includes the like of Bartok, Shoenberg, Varese, Stravinsky, etc.
To be clear, for me personally that's not criticism towards Still. Hell, this piece alone is miles better than anything Borelan... ahem, I mean, Copeland ever penned. But if you put it in its historical context, having been composed in 1948, decades after revolutionary works such as the Rite of Spring or Wozzeck, it really is tame. Again, though, tame is not necessarily bad - Poulenc did tame and it was pretty good.
As an old guy who has been aware of Still for many years, I'm glad to see a bit of light shed on his great music. He wrote a lot of stuff, all well worth enjoying.
i think the appeal to still's music is not the melody or harmonies, but rather the timbre, texture, dynamics, and character throughout his music
God I love Still's work so much
Still’s music has so much heart, but that doesn’t mean it also isn’t brilliant. There are so many good contrapuntal moments in the symphonies that also use gorgeous melodies. Thanks for posting!
Amazing. Reminds me of a countryside in rural America in the early 1900s
Gosh, you must be really old.
HOW HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF THIS COMPOSER BEFORE
When I was playing in an orchestra , we played some dance band and popular music arrangements by Still. Outstanding stuff, lots of fun and interesting too. I enjoy the African American character with which he imbues his work. So much originality and imagination. Skilled and inventive orchestrations. Thanks for this post !
Ahh listening to this in December 2022 is a breath of fresh air. Love the work of this man.
The piece was on my recommended and what I can is that it has that old-40s-holywood film music sound that i love. It's the type of texture, timbre that i want to have in my music as a young composer (14yr). I will definitely be checking out more of his music.
It starts with a certain naive innocence, but boy! This music gets richer and richer and wiser and more and more elaborated with every bar. Masterful instrumentation, interesting modal harmonic colors. The second movement is an impressive example of American impressionism reminding of Debussy's La Mer. I never heard from this composer before. He's absolutely worthy of being played and discussed more often.
It is a gracious work to behold! Lyrical, expressive and deserves to be heard. We hear more of the mechanical shenanigans of the likes of "minimalists" (who sound like Hanon piano exercises) than from someone like WG Still who wrote expertly guided by his heart and soul.
I recently had the privilege of performing Still's Afro-American Symphony with some friends, his works and legacy deserve to be uplifted and celebrated. Beautiful.
Outstanding work. I've never heard of this composer before, I'm glad I did now.
Effective orchestration worth studying.
Amazing
Spirituelle, sensorielle et rebelle, la musique de ce compositeur reflète encore des impostures secrètes, explore des plaisirs sereins, un monde de rêves renaissants🌺🕊
It is like film music.
The second movement did remind quite a bit of Harry Potter's music. The first time I heard this piece was at a concert where John Williams also conducted some of his own music, an interesting "coincidence."
@@Cmaj7 I personally like more Delius and Copland's Appalachian Spring. It is full of genius.
It’s pleasant enough.
stunning, I love it!
i never knew much of Still's work outside of Romance which is for alto sax but got arranged for trombone by Douglas Yeo. but this is beautiful
Reminds me of Hishaishi's score for Princess Mononoke.
This is fantastic! I love it!
Good music.
Could you upload some of Florence Price’s music please?
There's quite a bit of it out there.
Based Still
cool😆
I got a sort of Native American flavor out of the first three movements (that third movement was GORGEOUS), and the fourth definitely had a Copland influence, except it seemed a bit more playful than Copland. I really enjoyed it!
◑ 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊 ◐
Where I can find the poems?
is there a source for the Grant Still quote in the description?
thumbnail is at 15:46
I don't want to sound harsh but I think the interpretation is a little lacking. There come a lot of times where I feel the melodies are played without much intention behind them or conviction
correct
A very humble, sweet piece that is mildly entertaining but never gets unruly and dangerous. I am sure Dvorak would have enjoyed it as it is right up his alley of user friendly American folk-based music. What it lacks is a bit of dissonance and syncopation. It is all a bit too "white" for my taste, but that's just me.
What I love about Still's music is that he achieves a warm richness of sound that really I have found no equal to. Kaintuck may be more to your liking, but you're perhaps right: his music is not "unruly and dangerous," compared to the likes of Ives or Varèse.
@@Cmaj7 I like Kaintuck a lot.
Is it just me or does the rhythm feel kind of off in places? I wish they would accentuate the beginning of bars more, because I got lost sometimes without a clear feeling of beat
The best counterargument to the 'We should have heard about him more' is that if he was a Gershwin we WOULD have heard about him but we haven't which is indicative of his secondary status when compared to those of Gershwin and Copeland, NOT referring to physical appearances but solely compositional proficiency.
Your counterargument relies on the rather strong assumption that nothing besides compositional proficiency affects how well-known a composer is.
Still > Gershwin
Not a competition my friend.
It's ok. But harmonically, it's not very sophisticated. To be honest, it sounds like a "US western" themed composition written by a 3rd year music student.
you're so inspiring. lets here some of your compositions.