William Grant Still




TROUBLED ISLAND by William Grant Still



Troubled Island


Opera Synopsis


Opera Production Timeline


Premiere Performance


Directors and Cast


William Grant Still Art Center and Mural

JUST TELL THE STORY: Troubled Island



What's Inside


Book Review


Testimonials


ORDER BOOK

WILLIAM GRANT STILL and VERNA ARVEY



Biographical Introduction


William Grant Still


Verna Arvey

WILLIAM GRANT STILL MUSIC



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    Testimonials

William Grant Still Music  
& The Master-Player Library  




Just Tell the Story:  Troubled Island
Book Release!  September 2006

This is the first time that the full story about the historical production of William Grant Still's opera, Troubled Island, has been told through original source material from the personal estate of William Grant Still and Verna Arvey, including letters and diary entries by the composer and his family, statements from prominent critics of the time, summaries of letters from Langston Hughes, the Metropolitan Opera Company, the New York City Center, and the United States State Department, and other entities.

This is an unprecendented historical publication!
Testimonials

The book is wonderfully handsome in all regards!  It is expansive and intensive ...  For many reasons, not all musical or racial, this is an important addition to the literature.

Wow!  Powerful is not the word.  The book is a tour de force.  I can't put it down!

I have read the book. We can all be very proud. Not only is it a noteworthy contribution to the literature, but it lays the groundwork for future research in not only music, but also social studies.

The book is beautifully produced and impressive.  As for the critics, they were a generally sorry bunch at that time and they strike me as largely unqualified to discuss any music at all, let alone William Grant Still's.  Troubled Island was fighting a battle on several fronts.  I'd like to think that we're all big boys now, past throwing stones at each other and shoving each other off the sidewalk.

The book is a treasure and I hope it becomes a blockbuster and [a] must-read for music and black cultural scholars around the world.
 
 ...a handsome production...

The book is beautiful!  I'm just in love with it!  It's beautiful. It's rich.









American Composer and Conductor William Grant Still

Troubled Island  |  Opera Synopsis  |  Opera Production Timeline  |  Premiere Performance  |  Directors and Cast  |  William Grant Still Art Center and Mural  |  What's Inside  |  Book Review  |  Testimonials  |  ORDER BOOK  |  Biographical Introduction  |  William Grant Still  |  Verna Arvey  |  Contact Information