American composer William Grant Still was born in ___ in Woodville, Mississippi.
a
1885
b
1890
c
1895
d
1995
Question 2 (1 point)
After Still's father died when his son was three-months-old, Still's mother moved to ____, Arkansas to live with her mother.
a
Fort Smith
b
Little Rock
c
Fayetteville
d
Arkadelphia
Question 3 (1 point)
The Civil War ended just _____ years before Still was born, and his grandmother had once been enslaved.
a
20
b
30
c
35
d
40
Question 4 (1 point)
Still grew up hearing his grandmother talk about her life as a slave and hearing her sing ______.
a
Jazz
b
Spirituals
c
The Blues
d
Gospel
Question 5 (1 point)
When Still was 9, his mother got married again. His stepfather brought something into the house that was brand new back then - a victrola - an early _____ that played recorded music.
a
Phonograph
b
Record player
c
CD player
d
Cassette deck
Question 6 (1 point)
Still loved to listen to records, especially ____.
a
Opera
b
Ragtime
c
Classical
d
Blues
Question 7 (1 point)
After he made himself a toy violin out of a ____, his parents got him a real violin and violin lessons.
a
Shoe Box
b
Bucket
c
Cigar box
d
Tin Can
Question 8 (1 point)
Still went on to teach himself lots of other instruments, including cello, clarinet, ____, and oboe.
a
Piano
b
French Horn
c
Bassoon
d
Double Bass
Question 9 (1 point)
Even though Still was very good at music, his mother did not want him to be a composer because she didn’t think he could make a living at it. He went to Wilberforce University to study ____, but wound up spending all his time making music instead.
a
Education
b
Medicine
c
Law
d
Finance
Question 10 (1 point)
He also studied at the ______ Conservatory of Music.
a
Jacobs
b
Julliard
c
Oberlin
d
Curtis
Question 11 (1 point)
Still moved to Memphis to work with W.C. Handy and his famous ______ band.
a
Marching
b
Ragtime
c
Blues
d
Jazz
Question 12 (1 point)
During World War I, Still joined the _____. When officers found out that he played the violin, they gave him the official duty of performing during dinner.
a
Navy
b
Coast Guard
c
Army
d
Air Force
Question 13 (1 point)
After that, Still moved to _____, a neighborhood in New York City where there were a lot of Black musicians, artists, and writers.
a
SoHo
b
Chelsea
c
Brooklyn Heights
d
Harlem
Question 14 (1 point)
They created a culture known as ______.
a
The Harlem Renewal
b
The Harlem Arts Scene
c
The Harlem Renaissance
d
Harlem’s Music Corner
Question 15 (1 point)
In addition to composing, Still played in theater orchestras, arranged music for theater and radio, and became music director of the _____ label.
a
Blue Note Records
b
ECM
c
Sunnyside
d
Black Swan Recording
Question 16 (1 point)
On a trip to California, Still met pianist Verna Arvey and they fell in love. Arvey was a white woman. Back then, it was illegal for a white person to marry a Black person in many states, so they had to get married in _____.
a
Mexico
b
England
c
Brazil
d
Canada
Question 17 (1 point)
After Still moved to California, he started writing music for television and movies, along with concert music and operas. His opera "Troubled Island" has words by the great Harlem Renaissance poet _____.
a
Countee Cullen
b
Jean Toomer
c
Claude McKay
d
Langston Hughes
Question 18 (1 point)
William Grant Still's life was full of firsts. when he directed the _____ Philharmonic in a program of his own music, he was the first black conductor to lead a concert with a major symphony orchestra.
a
Chicago
b
New York
c
Minneapolis
d
Los Angeles
Question 19 (1 point)
When the Rochester Philharmonic programmed Still's Symphony No. 1, it was the first time a major American orchestra performed a _______ by a Black composer.
a
Sonata
b
Symphony
c
Concerto
d
Opera
