Finding Inspiration In Other Works

American composer William Grant Still (1895-1978) is known as the “Dean of African-American Classical Composers,” having written nearly 200 works including symphonies, ballets, operas, and more. In 1931, his first major orchestral composition, Symphony No. 1 “Afro-American,” was performed by the Rochester Philharmonic conducted by Howard Hanson. Not only was it the first time a complete score by an African American composer was performed by a major orchestra, but it also was one of the most popular symphonies by an American composer at the time. 

Mother and Child is a piece for string orchestra, but was originally a movement from Still’s Suite for Violin and Piano. Taking inspiration from three African American works of art, including a chalk drawing by Sargent Claude Johnson’s “Mother & Child,” Still expanded and intensified what he originally created. According to Still’s daughter, Mother and Child was one of his favorite compositions. 

French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) originally studied piano, but his career was in composition. Chopin influenced his early works; however, it took him several years to find his musical style. In fact, he was almost 40 years old when he completed his first and only opera, Pelléas et Mélisande. This piece made him rise to international fame. As such, Debussy is one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, inspiring Béla Bartók, Bill Evans (an American jazz pianist and composer), and others.

Like Still’s Mother and Child, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun is one of Debussy’s most well-known works. This 10-minute piece was inspired by the poem "L'après-midi d'un faune" by Stéphane Mallarmé, and later became the basis for the ballet, Afternoon of a Faun.