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William Grant Still: "Afro-American
Symphony"
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American to achieve national prominence as a poet and writer. Born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872, he was the son of ex-slaves.
Although his life was short (33 years), Dunbar was a prolific writer (link to audio about Dunbar's life below). In addition to his poetry, he wrote short stories, plays, novels, librettos, songs and essays.
Dunbar's poetic style had two distinct voices—the standard English of classical poetry and dialect - some Irish, some German, but mostly of the black community. His dialect verse was the most popular with the public and offered a vivid portrayal of African-American life in turn-of-the-century America.
Internet Resources:
Afro-American Symphony
William Grant Still did not have Paul Laurence Dunbar's poetry in mind when he wrote the Afro-American Symphony. However, he added the excerpts as a way to attach some extra musical ideas to the music. The excerpts came from four of Dunbar's poems:
- Movement 1 - Twell de Night is Pas'
- Movement 2 - When I Gits Home
- Movement 3 - An Ante-Bellum Sermon
- Movement 4 - Ode to Ethiopia
Listen to Herbert Martin read these poems.
Martin offers the following commentaries on these works.
Internet Resources:
- Still Going On: Celebrating the Life and Times of William Grant Still, a project of The Digital Scriptorium, Special Collections Library, Duke University, September 1995
- "Dunbar and Still" from Still Going On: Celebrating the Life and Times of William Grant Still, a project of The Digital Scriptorium, Special Collections Library, Duke University, September 1995
Herbert W. Martin
Herbert W. Martin, a professor of English at the University of Dayton and the university's poet in residence, is a Paul Laurence Dunbar scholar. Martin also takes on the voice of Dunbar, performing his poetry for local, regional and national audiences dressed in late-19th-century clothing. Mr. Martin's performances of the poet's work, especially his popular dialect verse, bring Dunbar vibrantly to life.
Mr. Martin visited WGUC in December, 2002. Here are excerpts from his conversation with Naomi Lewin about Paul Laurence Dunbar:
Dunbar's gift for dialect:
Herbert Martin reads more of the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar:
Internet Resources:
University of Dayton Paul Laurence Dunbar Web Site
Audio clips are formatted for RealPlayer.
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