Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This work was sponsored by a Humanities New York Public Humanities Grant.
🎶 Support the channel and watch hours of bonus content: patreon.com/classicalnerd
0:00 Introduction
0:36 I: Arkansas
7:53 II: Wilberforce
9:58 III: Grace
16:03 IV: Shuffling Along
22:17 V: Black Music
29:34 VI: The Commercial World
44:56 VII: Verna
50:56 VIII: The Still Sound
58:56 IX: Opera
1:07:07 X: The Dean’s Legacy
📚 Sources/further reading:
"William Grant Still and the Fusion of Cultures in American Music," ed. Robert Bartlett Haas (Black Sparrow Press, 1972)
"My Life, My Words: The Autobiography of William Grant Still, American Master Composer" by William Grant Still and Judith Anne Still (The Master-Player Library, 2011)
"William Grant Still: An Oral History," ed. Judith Anne Still, Dominique-René de Lerma, and Lance Bowling (The Master-Player Library, 1998)
"In One Lifetime" by Verna Arvey (University of Arkansas Press, 1984)
----------
Music:
- William Grant Still: Symphony No. 3 “Sunday,” performed by the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Jeter
- John A. Gregg, Charles Henri Woode, and Henry A. Garcia: WU alma mater, performers unknown
- William Grant Still: “Darker America” performed by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
- William Grant Still: Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American,” performed by the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sarah Ioannides
-William Grant Still: Levee Land, performed by Celeste Headlee, accompanied by Michael Sullivan, Paul Balch, Wildy Zumwalt, Ivan Ochsner, Nancy Sullivan, Charles Way, Peter Vivona, Steve Hemphill, Ted Goddard, Karin Hallberg, Kathleen Nourie, and Richard Wright, conducted by Patricia J. Hoy
- William Grant Still: Kaintuck’, performed by Ben Dawson and the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Michael Seal
- William Grant Still: Troubled Island, performed by the New York City Opera conducted by Laszlo Halasz
- William Grant Still: And They Lynched Him On A Tree, performed by the Harry T. Burleigh Society and Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra conducted by Thomas Cunningham
----------
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/classicalnerd
Instagram:
instagram.com/the_classical_nerd
----------
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.
This work was sponsored by a Humanities New York Public Humanities Grant.
🎶 Support the channel and watch hours of bonus content: patreon.com/classicalnerd
0:00 Introduction
0:36 I: Arkansas
7:53 II: Wilberforce
9:58 III: Grace
16:03 IV: Shuffling Along
22:17 V: Black Music
29:34 VI: The Commercial World
44:56 VII: Verna
50:56 VIII: The Still Sound
58:56 IX: Opera
1:07:07 X: The Dean’s Legacy
📚 Sources/further reading:
"William Grant Still and the Fusion of Cultures in American Music," ed. Robert Bartlett Haas (Black Sparrow Press, 1972)
"My Life, My Words: The Autobiography of William Grant Still, American Master Composer" by William Grant Still and Judith Anne Still (The Master-Player Library, 2011)
"William Grant Still: An Oral History," ed. Judith Anne Still, Dominique-René de Lerma, and Lance Bowling (The Master-Player Library, 1998)
"In One Lifetime" by Verna Arvey (University of Arkansas Press, 1984)
----------
Music:
- William Grant Still: Symphony No. 3 “Sunday,” performed by the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Jeter
- John A. Gregg, Charles Henri Woode, and Henry A. Garcia: WU alma mater, performers unknown
- William Grant Still: “Darker America” performed by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
- William Grant Still: Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American,” performed by the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sarah Ioannides
-William Grant Still: Levee Land, performed by Celeste Headlee, accompanied by Michael Sullivan, Paul Balch, Wildy Zumwalt, Ivan Ochsner, Nancy Sullivan, Charles Way, Peter Vivona, Steve Hemphill, Ted Goddard, Karin Hallberg, Kathleen Nourie, and Richard Wright, conducted by Patricia J. Hoy
- William Grant Still: Kaintuck’, performed by Ben Dawson and the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Michael Seal
- William Grant Still: Troubled Island, performed by the New York City Opera conducted by Laszlo Halasz
- William Grant Still: And They Lynched Him On A Tree, performed by the Harry T. Burleigh Society and Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra conducted by Thomas Cunningham
----------
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/classicalnerd
Instagram:
instagram.com/the_classical_nerd
----------
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.
![Francis Poulenc: Whimsy and Sarcasm [Les Six, Pt. 6/7]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cayIzSKe36A/mqdefault.jpg "Francis Poulenc: Whimsy and Sarcasm [Les Six, Pt. 6/7]
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
This was requested by Agis Vlaxos, Sean Ramsdell, portwain, Cole Fortier, Magnus Saar, Kevin OConnor, Sizalyth, UCDrumline77, and Carson Clegg. See all requests at http://lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html
📚 Sources/further reading:
“Poulenc: A Biography” by Roger Nichols (Yale University Press, 2020)
“Poulenc: The Life in the Songs” by Graham Johnson (Norton, 2020)
“Les Six: The French Composers and Their Mentors Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie,” edited by Robert Shapiro (Peter Owen Publishers, 2011)
“Poulenc’s Development as a Piano Composer: A Comparison of the Solo Piano Works and the Mélodies” by Kirk A. Severtson (DMA thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2005): https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=ucin1117195467&disposition=inlin
“Unifying Devices in Poulenc: A Study of the Cycles Banalités and Tel Jour Telle Nuit” by Terence Evan Dawson (DMA thesis, University of British Columbia, 1991)
“Rhythmic, Phrasing, and Dramatic Concerns in Poulenc’s Tel Jour Telle Nuit” by Wesley B. Morgan (DMA monograph, Temple University, 2019): https://scholarshare.temple.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12613/3305/TETDEDXMorgan-temple-0225E-13634.pdf?sequence=1
“A Stylistic Analysis of Banalités by Francis Poulenc” by Joy Ann Allen (MM thesis, University of North Texas, 1968): https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699446/m2/1/high_res_d/1002774320-Allen.pdf
“A Comparative Study of Selected Clarinet Works by Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc” by Thomas D. Stirzaker (PhD dissertation, Texas Tech University, 1988): https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2346/61651/31295019375103.pdf?seq
“A Historical, Literary, and Musical Analysis of Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites” by Gail Elizabeth Lowther (MM thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2010): https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a96c9ee0dbda34913bde7f6/t/5b1838576d2a73e172170a74/1528313946253/bgsu1273832192.pdf
“Cohesion of Composer and Singer: The Female Singers of Poulenc” by Susan Joanne Musselman (DMA document, The Ohio State University, 2007): https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=osu1196185791&disposition=inline
“Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Horn, Trumpet and Trombone: A Structural Analysis Identifying Historical Significance, Form and Implications for Performance” by John T. Cord, (DMA dissertation, University of North Texas, 2009): https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc12104/m2/1/high_res_d/dissertation.pdf
“A Pedagogical and Performance Analysis of Francis Poulenc’s Works for Two Pianos and Four Hands” by Mai Li (DMA dissertation, University of Kansas, 2019): https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/30189/Li_ku_0099D_16967_DATA_1.pdf?sequence=1
“An Analysis of Francis Poulenc’s Sextour, First Movement” by Malorie Danielle Jessup (MM research paper, Ball State University, 2009): https://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/193566/Mjessup_2009-2_BODY.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Francis Poulenc: Selections from Nocturnes (1930–8), performed by John Robson (#1, #3) and Monica Hart (#7, #8) [free recordings courtesy pianosociety.com]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
- Francis Poulenc: Selections from Improvisations (1932–59), performed by Monica Hart (#5, #7, #10, #13, #15) [free recordings courtesy pianosociety.com]
- Francis Poulenc: Mélancolie (1940), performed by Dr. David April [free recording courtesy pianosociety.com]
- Francis Poulenc: Selections from Suite Française (1935), performed by Chris Breemer (#1, #3, #6, #7) [free recordings courtesy pianosociety.com]
- Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1962), performed by Michael Schönfelder and Andreas Pfaul [free recording courtesy pianosociety.com]
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.")
![Louis Durey: The Composer Who Set Mao to Music [Les Six, Pt. 3/7]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d4qNHBjT3B0/mqdefault.jpg "Louis Durey: The Composer Who Set Mao to Music [Les Six, Pt. 3/7]
🎶 Support the channel:
🎼 https://lentovivace.bandcamp.com
🎼 https://www.patreon.com/classicalnerd
📚 Sources/further reading:
“Les Six: The French Composers and Their Mentors Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie,” edited by Robert Shapiro (Peter Owen Publishers, 2011)
“Louis Durey: Homme de tête,” by Marc Wood (The Musical Times, Vol. 141, No. 1873): https://www.jstor.org/stable/1004733
Classical Nerd is a video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
Music:
- Louis Durey: Le bestiaire ou cortège d’Orphée (1919), performed by Sophie De Tillesse and Ensemble Quartz conducted by Jean Thorel [original upload: R22qrxvwEj0]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/classicalnerd/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the_classical_nerd/
All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.")
