William Grant Still Patterns
William Grant Still Patterns Program Notes
William Grant Still Patterns. Although the Still family has deep Philadelphian roots, William Grant Still was born in Mississippi, but spent his childhood in Little Rock, Arkansas, in its well-established artistic and intellectual Black community. There, he was a few years younger than his lifelong friend, Florence Beatrice Price. An advanced musician from a young age, teaching himself numerous instruments, he went to Ohio for studies at Wilberforce University, an HBCU, then went to Oberlin Conservatory. His talents were recognized, leading to further studies with Chadwick and the French composer Varèse. After work for W. C. Handy (“Father of the Blues,”) and service in World War I, Still worked extensively in New York, mostly in Harlem, but as an incredibly profligate composer and then increasingly as a conductor as well. He composed hundreds of works, including symphonies, concertos, ballet music, chamber music, and operas. His compositions were performed across the United States, and also by the Berlin Philharmonic and other international ensembles. Still composed this work quite late in his career, when he was living in Los Angeles. The 1960 premiere was conducted by Still with an orchestra of young musicians, including Michael Tilson Thomas on Oboe 2/English Horn. It is very likely that today’s performance is the East Coast premiere. Patterns I. Magic Crystal II. A Lone Teardrop III. Rain Pearls IV. Tranquil Cove V. Moon-Gold William Grant Still Born: May 11, 1895, Woodville, MS Died: December 3, 1978, Los Angeles, CA Listen to free streaming of William Grant Still Patterns here.Patterns is an orchestral work by William Grant Still, one of the most important American composers of the twentieth century and the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra. The work reflects Still's characteristic blend of American idioms with formal classical structure.
Still composed Patterns in 1960 as part of his extensive catalog of orchestral works spanning several decades.
A typical performance lasts approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
Listen for the interplay of melodic and rhythmic motifs as they evolve and transform throughout the piece. Still's orchestration is colorful and inventive, drawing on a wide range of instrumental textures.
Still broke numerous racial barriers in American classical music, conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1936 — a historic first for an African American conductor. His opera Troubled Island was the first opera by an African American to be performed by a major opera company.
