Program Notes by Lucinda Mosher, Th.D.

Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still (1895–1978)

Moderato assai

A plaintive chant by the English horn gives way to a saucy, swinging tune played by a muted trumpet. The clarinet takes over declaratively; other woodwinds answer, supported by lush strings. So opens Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still—the first of five works he would write in this form. A winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, Still was a prolific composer. In addition to his symphonies, his output included four ballets, nine operas, more than thirty choral works, and numerous pieces in other genres. He composed “Afro-American Symphony” during a three-month period in 1930, taking inspiration from four poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar. When it was premiered by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 1931, it became the first symphony composed by an African American to be performed by a major orchestra.

Like most symphonies, this one has four-movements, each with a different tempo: moderate; slow; animated; and slowly with resolve. However, there are no breaks between these movements. Still connects them, one to the next. Therefore, in effect, Afro-American Symphony resembles a symphonic tone poem such as those of Franz Liszt. To the instrumentation typical of a classical orchestra, Still adds harp, celeste, and tenor banjo.

Among early 20th-century orchestral compositions, Afro-American Symphony opened the door for incorporation of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic elements typical of African American music of that era. Still makes use of twelve-bar blues progressions, syncopation, swing, the call-and-response formula characteristic of many African-American spirituals, and more. Within the first few minutes of this piece, it becomes clear that he also has firm command of Euro-American orchestral style. In many sections of this work, he seems to have set up a tug o’ war between swing and straight. Listen for dramatic harmonies, sprightly melodies, and a grand conclusion.