COMPOSER

William Grant Still

1895 - 1978

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William Grant Still Jr. (May 11, 1895 – December 3, 1978) was an American composer of nearly two hundred works, including five symphonies, four ballets, nine operas, and more than thirty choral works, art songs, chamber music, and solo works. Born in Mississippi and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Still attended Wilberforce University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a student of George Whitefield Chadwick and then as a student of Edgard Varèse. Because of his close association and collaboration with prominent African-American literary and cultural figures, Still is considered to be part of the Harlem Renaissance. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 16 different languages on Wikipedia. William Grant Still is the 1,393rd most popular composer (down from 1,389th in 2024), the 13,314th most popular biography from United States (down from 12,494th in 2019) and the 129th most popular American Composer.

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Among COMPOSERS

Among composers, William Grant Still ranks 1,393 out of 1,451. Before him are George Butterworth, Jerry Bock, Christophe Beck, Jesper Kyd, Yuzo Koshiro, and Elisabeth Lutyens. After him are Bernie Worrell, Don Davis, Ned Rorem, Charles Wuorinen, Erik Mongrain, and Jimmy McHugh.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1895, William Grant Still ranks 310. Before him are Edward Brophy, Beattie Ramsay, Alexander Aitken, Dorothy Davenport, William Boyd, and Michael Arlen. After him are Sylvia Lance Harper, Whina Cooper, Frank Fredrickson, Rex Ingram, Nat Pendleton, and John Boles. Among people deceased in 1978, William Grant Still ranks 268. Before him are Kamil Tolon, Jean Claessens, Ruth Etting, Kathryn McGuire, Selwyn Lloyd, and Malvina Reynolds. After him are Robert Sobukwe, Fatima Massaquoi, Tim McCoy, Ilka Chase, and James Gould Cozzens.

Others Born in 1895

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Among COMPOSERS In United States

Among composers born in United States, William Grant Still ranks 129. Before him are Angus MacLise (1938), Fred Ebb (1928), Raymond Scott (1908), George Whitefield Chadwick (1854), David Newman (1954), and Jerry Bock (1928). After him are Bernie Worrell (1944), Don Davis (1957), Ned Rorem (1923), Charles Wuorinen (1938), Jimmy McHugh (1894), and Randall Thompson (1899).

American born Composers

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