Born in Mississippi and raised in Arkansas, William Grant Still (1895-1978) was a trailblazer in nearly every aspect of American music. He was the first Black composer to have his music performed by major orchestras and opera companies, and the first to conduct a major American symphony orchestra. As Still commented in 1955, “It has been equally a pleasure and a challenge to be colored and to be composing serious music in the United States: a pleasure, because it is exciting to be competing in a new field; a challenge, because there are always problems to be met and conquered.”

Still began pre-med studies at Wilberforce College in Ohio, but left without a degree, eventually studying music at Oberlin College and then privately with composer Edgard Varèse and George Chadwick. Still ultimately became an extremely successful composer and arranger, winning three Guggenheim awards and many honorary doctorates as well as a host of other awards. Equally at home working with the avant-garde style of Varèse and writing jazz arrangements for Artie Shaw, Still intermingled African-rooted popular and folk music and Western European art traditions to create a truly unique musical voice.

Still’s distinctive style is very much in evidence in his Suite for Violin and Piano (1943), later arranged for violin and orchestra. The Suite is inspired by sculptures created in the 1930s by three artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance. The subject of the first movement is Richmond Barthé's “African Dancer," a naked figure caught in a seemingly private and ecstatic moment of movement. (A student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before coming to New York, Barthé (1901-1989) became a sculptor after taking an anatomy class.) Still conveys the sense of urgency that nearly bursts out of the figure’s muscular stance with constantly driving melody and energetic rhythm. “Mother and Child,” the second movement, refers to multiple sculptures bearing that title by Sargent Johnson (1887-1967). Scholars have attributed Johnson's fascination with the topic to the fact that he became an orphan when he was just 15, spending time in foster homes along with various relatives. Still's lush, gentle melody and the simplicity of the accompaniment evokes both a lullaby and the clean, straight lines for which Johnson's sculptures are known. The final movement is based on “Gamin” by Augusta Savage (1892-1962), a realistic bust thought to be inspired either by a homeless boy or Savage's nephew. While some see tragedy in the young boy's face—according to one writer, the “child's expression appears much wiser than his years, suggesting he has seen much hardship”—Still's bluesy interpretation is radically different, accentuating the mischievousness of a playful child.