Symphony No. 4 (Still)

[1] The work was first performed on March 18, 1951, by the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra conducted by Victor Alessandro.

4 is intended to represent the spirit of the American people, and has its roots in the soil of America itself, rather than referring to aboriginal or indigenous sources.

Slowly and reverently: the warmth and the spiritual side of the American people, their love of mankind."

[2] Judith Still, the composer's daughter, explained that "[the symphony] is praise for people who came ‘from the soil,’ abused and enslaved, and recognizes the power of those who had been so mightily put upon when they triumphed with honor over a difficult past.

Out of the soil of oppression and forced degradation they rose up and acquitted themselves, bringing along their unique songs, humor, and distinctive, vibrant culture.” According to reviewer Douglas Shale, "an African American musical identity springs to the fore within the context of a broader, more complex American cultural fabric".