Florence Price was an American composer, pianist, organist, and teacher. She was born on April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Arkansas, and died on June 3, 1953, in Chicago. In 1933, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed her Symphony No. 1 in E minor, making her the first African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra.
Who Was Florence Price?
Florence Price was a classical composer known for blending Romantic style with African American spirituals and folk melodies. She wrote 4 symphonies, 4 concertos, and many piano, organ, choral, chamber, and vocal works. Her work was performed less often after her death in 1953, and a 2009 manuscript discovery renewed interest in her music.
When and Where Was Florence Price Born?
Florence Price was born Florence Beatrice Smith on April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The table below lists key biographical facts about her.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Florence Beatrice Smith |
| Birth date | April 9, 1887 |
| Birthplace | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Father | James H. Smith, a dentist |
| Mother | Florence Gulliver Smith, a music teacher |
| Spouse | Thomas J. Price, an attorney |
| Occupations | Composer, pianist, organist, teacher |
| Death date | June 3, 1953 |
| Death place | Chicago, Illinois |
| Age at death | 66 |
What Was Florence Price’s Early Life Like?
Florence Price grew up in a middle-class Black family in Little Rock during the Jim Crow era. Her mother taught her piano because none of the leading white piano teachers in the city would accept her as a student. She performed in public at age 4 and published her first composition at age 11. She graduated from high school at age 14 as valedictorian.
Where Did Florence Price Study Music?
Florence Price studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston, which she entered at age 19. Her teachers included Frederick S. Converse for piano, Henry M. Dunham for organ, and George Whitefield Chadwick for music theory. She was one of the few students to earn a degree in 2 subjects, piano and organ.
Where Did Florence Price Teach?
Florence Price taught at 3 schools in Arkansas and Georgia between 1906 and 1912:
- Cotton Plant-Arkadelphia Academy, from 1906 to 1907.
- Shorter College in Little Rock, from 1907 to 1910.
- Clark College in Atlanta, where she headed the music department from 1910 to 1912.
She later returned to Little Rock to marry attorney Thomas J. Price.
Why Did Florence Price Move to Chicago?
Florence Price moved to Chicago in 1927 after racial unrest in Arkansas that included a public lynching in downtown Little Rock. Her family joined the Great Migration of Black families from the South to northern cities. Her music was well received in Chicago, and publishers began editing her works after the move. Financial struggles and abuse in her marriage led to a divorce in 1931, and she became a single mother.
What Did Florence Price Win in 1932?
Florence Price won first prize in the 1932 Wanamaker Foundation Awards for her Symphony in E minor. She also won third prize for her Piano Sonata. The prize money was $500. The win caught the attention of Frederick Stock, the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
What Is Florence Price’s Most Famous Achievement?
Florence Price’s most famous achievement is the premiere of her Symphony No. 1 in E minor by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on June 15, 1933. Frederick Stock conducted the performance at the Chicago World’s Fair. It was the first time a major American orchestra performed a symphonic work by an African American woman. The symphony was not published until 2008.
What Is Florence Price’s Musical Style?
Florence Price’s style is melodic and expressive, with closer ties to Romantic composers such as Beethoven than to modernists such as Charles Ives. Her works incorporate themes from African American folk songs and spirituals. Her music belongs to the Black Renaissance. Her symphonies follow the conventional four-movement structure.
What Works Did Florence Price Compose?
Florence Price composed symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, organ works, piano pieces, and choral works. The table below lists 5 notable works by year and notes.
| Work | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Symphony No. 1 in E minor | 1932 | Premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933 |
| Piano Concerto in D minor | 1934 | Price performed it with the Chicago Women’s Symphony |
| Symphony No. 4 | 1945 | Found among her papers in 2009 |
| “I Am Bound for the Kingdom” | 1949 | Spiritual arrangement dedicated to Marian Anderson |
| “I’m Workin’ on My Buildin'” | 1949 | Spiritual arrangement dedicated to Marian Anderson |
Two violin concertos were also found among the manuscripts discovered in 2009.
How Did Marian Anderson Support Florence Price?
Marian Anderson performed and promoted Florence Price’s music for years. Anderson ended her 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert with a piece arranged by Price. Price dedicated 2 spiritual arrangements to Anderson in 1949, and Anderson performed them regularly. Price met Anderson and the writer Langston Hughes through her friend and fellow composer Margaret Bonds.
What Are Florence Price’s Career Milestones?
Florence Price’s career includes 6 major milestones. The table below lists each by year.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1906 | Began teaching at Cotton Plant-Arkadelphia Academy after her New England Conservatory studies |
| 1927 | Moved to Chicago |
| 1932 | Won first prize in the Wanamaker Foundation Awards for her Symphony in E minor |
| 1933 | Heard the Chicago Symphony Orchestra premiere her Symphony No. 1 |
| 1949 | Published two spiritual arrangements dedicated to Marian Anderson |
| 2009 | Manuscripts found in an abandoned house in St. Anne, Illinois |
When and How Did Florence Price Die?
Florence Price died on June 3, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois. She was 66. She died from a stroke.
How Were Florence Price’s Manuscripts Rediscovered?
A couple found Florence Price’s manuscripts in 2009 in an abandoned house in St. Anne, Illinois. The house had been her summer home. Vicki and Darrell Gatwood discovered nearly 30 boxes of scores, books, and personal papers while preparing to renovate it. The find included her Fourth Symphony and 2 violin concertos. Musicologist Samantha Ege reconstructed several of these pieces, which were recorded for the first time in 2021. Many of Price’s manuscripts and papers are now held at the University of Arkansas library.
What Books and Films Document Florence Price’s Life?
Florence Price’s life is documented in 1 biography and 1 documentary film:
- The Heart of a Woman: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price, a biography by Rae Linda Brown, published in an edited version in 2020.
- The Caged Bird: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price, a documentary film.
What Is Florence Price’s Legacy?
Florence Price’s legacy includes a historic 1933 symphony premiere, a catalog of more than 4 symphonies and concertos, and a rediscovered manuscript collection. Her symphonies and concertos now appear on recordings and orchestral programs. Her biography links early musical training in Little Rock to a composing career in Chicago that reached major American orchestras.
People Also Ask
When was Florence Price born?
Florence Price was born on April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Why is Florence Price famous?
Florence Price is famous as the first African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra.
When did Florence Price die?
Florence Price died on June 3, 1953, in Chicago at age 66.
Which symphony made Florence Price famous?
Her Symphony No. 1 in E minor, premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933, made her famous.
Where were Florence Price’s lost manuscripts found?
Her manuscripts were found in 2009 in an abandoned house in St. Anne, Illinois.