Abstract
The process that they used in developing each opera is fascinating in itself, beginning with the selection of a locale for the plot, followed by research on people and customs, then development of a libretto, then the creation of miniature sets to visualize the drama, then the placement of recitatives and arias, and finally the completion of the libretto itself, in which Arvey played her most substantial role. The author's uncritical approach thus prevents one from looking deeper into Still's main predicament: an African American, rigorously tonal composer of art music in a white-dominated and often atonal musical world.