Still was considered the leading African American classical composer. Born in Mississippi but settled in Little Rock as a child, he had great exposure to European classical music through his stepfather's collection of opera recordings. He gained important professional contact with African influences in music in the pop sphere when working for the W.C. Handy band as an oboist and arranger. Some of his most important music is found in his art songs, of which "Songs of Separation" is among the finest. Using the words of such poets as Paul Laurence Dubar, Langston Hughes, and Arna Bontemps, these songs deal powerfully with aspects of the Black experience. They are directly emotional, evoking the cadences of Black speech without any obvious recourse to jazz or blues modality. This is one of the finest of American song cycles.

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