Cosmic Compositions

DISCOVER: MUSICAL INSPIRATION

A composer is someone who writes music and composing usually begins with a bit of inspiration. Some composers get their inspiration from a place, a person, or a special event. For William Grant Still, his inspiration came from childhood memories, music he heard at home, his musical training, and the people and cultures he encountered in Harlem. In his music, Still created unique works that reflected his community, one that celebrated the music of African American culture and integrated it with the classical form. 

• Listen to William Grant Still's Threnody: In Memory of Jean Sibelius or his Symphony No. 1 “Afro-American".
  As you listen, discuss these questions as a class: 

  • • What musical styles and elements do you hear in the music?

    • What do you think might have inspired Still in composing this piece?

• Take a look at three musical styles that influenced Still's work:

Spirituals

As a child, William Grant Still heard his grandmother singing African American spirituals. Spirituals are a type of religious folk-song that originated in the 18th century among black slaves in the Deep South. Slaves often sang these songs in groups as they worked in the fields. The songs expressed their hardship and sorrow, but also their hope for freedom and a better life. Spirituals were usually sung and included call-and-response, an exchange between a soloist and other singers. 

• • Listen to this spiritual, sung by Lena Horne, “Some times I Feel Like a Motherless Child”

  • What similarities do you notice between Still's music and this spiritual?

  • What feelings or emotions does the music communicate?

  • In the Still's symphony works, listen for which instruments play the melody? Do you hear them calling and responding to each other?

Blues

One of William Grant Still’s earliest jobs was working for W.C. Handy, one of the most famous blues songwriters and bandleaders. The blues originated in the South and developed out of the work songs and spirituals during slavery. Blues music has a specific musical form, which is 12 measures long and includes harmonic changes. The blues is also characterized by swinging rhythms and a “blue note,” which refers to changes in the pitches in a scale to reflect a certain mood. 

• As you listen to Still's music, see if you can hear the swinging rhythms and the blues scale in the melody.

Jazz

One of the defining characteristics of jazz music is the use of a special rhythm called syncopation. Syncopation means that the notes are played “off-the-beat” (on beats 2 and 4), which gives the music a lively, dancing feel. Listen to the excerpt again.

• Count and dance along with the syncopated beats: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4, 1 – 2 – 3 – 4...

REFLECT: WHAT'S YOUR INSPIRATION?

When a composer is writing a new piece, they will often seek inspiration by studying the past and listening to music from a wide range of styles and genres that strike a specific emotional chord or evoke a visual image.   

• Invite students to explore more about the musical influences in their own life: 

  • • What music inspires you? Why?  

    • What emotions do you feel when listening to this music? What images come to mind? 

• Research one of your favorite songs.  

• Who is the artist? Who is the composer?  

• What is the style (or multiple styles) of music? What instruments are used?  

• How and when did that style of music emerge? What is it about this music that you identify with? How does it represent you? How does it inspire you? 

• Choose a family member who inspires you and interview them. Then write a story or essay, make a video, or produce some other creative response to document your conversation.

  • • How does this person inspire you? What impact have they had on your life? 

    • What questions do you have for this family member?  

    • What music is a part of their life? Do any songs or musical genres hold significance?  

    • What moment(s) in their life inspired them to take action, make a change, or fight for something they believed in? 

    • What advice do they have for you?