From Seven Traceries
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
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About the Composer
William Grant Still (1895–1978) was one of the most important and influential American composers of the twentieth century. A composer, arranger, conductor, and educator, he produced more than 150 works spanning symphonies, operas, chamber music, choral music, and works for solo instruments. His career helped expand opportunities for African American composers while contributing significantly to the development of a distinctly American concert music tradition.
Born in Mississippi and raised in Arkansas, Still initially studied medicine before pursuing music professionally. He worked as an arranger for popular musicians including W. C. Handy and later studied composition with the modernist composer Edgard Varèse. These diverse experiences helped shape a musical language that drew from classical traditions while embracing influences from African American musical culture, including blues, spirituals, jazz, and popular song.
Still is perhaps best known today for a series of historic “firsts” that broke racial barriers in American concert music. While those achievements remain significant, they can sometimes overshadow the remarkable breadth of his career and the extraordinary range of his music. Throughout his life, Still remained committed to creating works that were both artistically sophisticated and accessible to broad audiences. His music demonstrates the richness and diversity of American musical life and occupies an important place in the nation’s cultural history.
About the Piece
Out of the Silence is the fourth piece from Still’s Seven Traceries, a collection of short piano works composed in 1940. Written for Verna Arvey, who would become the composer’s second wife, the set explores an intimate and contemplative side of Still’s musical personality. According to the composer’s daughter, the seven pieces were inspired by different aspects of God, lending the collection a spiritual and mystical character.
As the title suggests, the piece slowly emerges from silence, though its opening is far from harmonically settled. A change of meter and tempo in the middle section brings a striking expansion of warmth as the music moves away from unsettled harmonies toward a more relaxed, jazz-inflected language. The opening material eventually returns, bringing the work full circle. Although concise in scale, the piece creates a remarkable sense of emotional breadth.
The Seven Traceries reveal a side of Still that listeners may not immediately associate with his music. Rather than emphasizing the blues-inflected language for which some of his works are known, Out of the Silence inhabits a more introspective space. The result is music of great tenderness and sincerity, inviting listeners into a deeply personal and contemplative soundscape.
Explore Further
- William Grant Still Music (official website)
- William Grant Still (African Diaspora Music Project)
Sheet Music
The score for Seven Traceries is available through William Grant Still Music, owned and operated by the composer’s family.
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