Florence Price

Symphony in E minor

Piano Concerto in D Minor

Florence Price, 1941. Photo: Arkansas Educational Television Network.

Florence Price

1887-1953

Florence Price: Breaking Barriers

On June 15, 1933, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra premiered a new symphony by an unknown composer. The work had just won a major competition. Who was the composer?

Her name was Florence Price: the first African American woman to have her music performed by a major U.S. orchestra.

Born in 1887 in Arkansas, Price took inspiration from her mom, who was a music teacher. She studied piano and organ at New England Conservatory, graduating with honors, and later became head of the music department at Clark Atlanta University. 

Unfortunately, after facing increasing racial violence in Arkansas, Price and her husband Thomas moved to Chicago in 1927, where she continued composing.

Price divorced in 1931, but by 1932, her career had truly taken off. She entered the Wanamaker Foundation Awards competition, and won first prize for her Symphony in E Minor and third for another composition! Symphony was then performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, marking a historic milestone for both women and Black composers.

So what is special about Price’s music?

Price’s music beautifully combines European tradition with African American inspired melodies. Listen to how Five Folksongs in Counterpoint includes traditional spiritual tunes. 

Price’sMy Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord gained national attention when singer Marian Anderson performed it at the end of her legendary 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial. It was a powerful moment in both musical and civil rights history because segregation at the time prevented Blacks from performing in the hall. But thanks to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the concert was held outdoors. It was also broadcast on the radio, meaning that Price’s piece was heard by hundreds of thousands of people around the country.

Though Florence Price’s may not be as well known as Bach and Mozart, her music continues to inspire and be performed. 

Written by Lucy

Piano Quintet in A minor

Night (1946)