When I think of composers of orchestral music, I think of Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Bartok. What do they all have in common? They were all men. Someone who is overlooked is an American composer named Florence B. Price. In the Article from NPR, “Classical Music Lost and Found: Florence Price Rediscovered,” Bob McQuiston shined a light on this seemingly obscure composer. What is amazing is the fact that she was not only a woman, but was African American. What makes her an interesting part of history is the fact that she was the first African American to have her symphony performed by a major orchestra in America.

Before focusing on the symphony that gave her the recognition of her time, I will give a brief background of the composer. Price was born in Arkansas. Her mother taught her music as a child. When she was 14, she attended the New England Conservatory of Music. She was a teacher until she moved to Chicago. When her marriage ended, she composed music to support her and her children. She wrote music for silent films and wrote piano works. Price wrote over 300 works throughout her lifetime with the bulk of it being art songs. Her works has been performed by the Women’s Symphony Orchestra and the Women’s Philharmonic. Marian Anderson even sung one of her songs. Price’s Symphony in E Minor is just one of her most famous works.

What is fascinating is the fact that Price used banjos, fiddles and the slide whistle in the Symphony in E Minor. She incorporated instruments from African roots. Along with the unique use of these instruments, she also used spiritual tunes. There are also roots of the juba dance, which is the title of the third movement. The juba was a plantation dance. It is rhythmic and syncopated. Price even stated according to another article by the American Symphony orchestra by Linda Rae Brown, “It seems to me to be no more impossible to conceive of Negroid music devoid of the spiritualistic theme on the one hand than strongly syncopated rhythms of the juba on the other.” Price’s pieces were nationalistic.

After listening to the final movement of Symphony in E minor, I immediately purchased both the third and fourth movement. What I loved about both pieces was the contrast of themes. In Movement three, you can hear the roots of spiritual music. It is dance-like. The slide whistle is used in the beginning of the movement. It seems to give off a very cheerful vibe, however in the final movement; the music seems to tell the story of a struggle with the strings descending notes as a constant motive. The very last few seconds are very percussive which was not a highlighted in the previous two movements. Price’s work is very evocative and whimsical because of the way the music causes you to imagine the story she is telling.

Price broke barriers for women during her time thus making her an integral part of history especially in the classical music sphere. Here is a list of link on further information about Florence Price.

http://www.americansymphony.org/concert_notes/symphony-no-1-in-e-minor
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/02/27/147522468/classical-lost-and-found-florence-b-price-rediscovered
http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/price.html#1