Florence Price facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Florence Price
Price, c. 1942
Born	Florence Beatrice Smith (1887-04-09)April 9, 1887 Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Died	June 3, 1953(1953-06-03) (aged 66) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupation	Musical composer pianist organist music teacher
Years active	1899–1952
Spouse(s)	Thomas J. Price ​ ​ (m. 1912; div. 1931)​ Pusey Dell Arnett ​ ​ (m. 1931; separated 1934)​
Children	3
Signature

Florence Beatrice Price (born Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an amazing African-American classical composer. She was also a talented pianist, organist, and music teacher. Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. She lived and worked in Chicago from 1927 until she passed away in 1953.

Florence Price made history as the first African-American woman to be known as a symphonic composer. She was also the first to have her music played by a major orchestra. She wrote more than 300 pieces of music. These included four symphonies, four concertos, and many songs for choirs and solo instruments. In 2009, many of her lost works were found in her old summer home.

Biography

Early life and education

Florence Beatrice Smith was born on April 9, 1887. Her parents were Florence and James H. Smith. She grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her father was the only African-American dentist in the city. Her mother was a music teacher. She taught Florence music from a very young age.

Even though there were many racial challenges back then, her family was well-respected. Florence gave her first piano concert when she was only four years old. Her first song was published when she was 11.

In 1901, at age 14, she finished high school as the top student. In 1902, she went to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She studied both organ and piano teaching. To avoid unfair treatment because of her race, she sometimes pretended to be Mexican. She listed her hometown as "Pueblo, Mexico." At the Conservatory, she learned about composing music. She studied with famous composers George Chadwick and Frederick Converse. She wrote her first string trio and symphony there. She graduated with honors in 1906. She earned a diploma in organ and a teaching certificate.

Career

In 1910, Florence returned to Arkansas. She taught music for a short time. Then she moved to Atlanta, Georgia. There, she became the head of the music department at Clark Atlanta University. This is a special college for black students. In 1912, she married Thomas J. Price, who was a lawyer. She stopped teaching and moved back to Little Rock, Arkansas. She had two daughters there. It was hard for her to find work in the city because of racial segregation.

After some difficult racial events in Little Rock, the Price family decided to leave. Like many black families in the southern United States, they moved north. This was part of the Great Migration. They wanted to escape unfair Jim Crow laws. They settled in Chicago, a big city with many jobs.

In Chicago, Florence Price started an exciting new part of her music career. She became part of the Chicago Black Renaissance. This was a time when black artists, writers, and musicians created amazing works in Chicago. She studied composing, orchestration (how to write for an orchestra), and organ. She learned from top teachers in the city. In 1928, she published four pieces for piano. While in Chicago, Price also took classes at different colleges. She studied languages and other subjects besides music.

In 1930, she had an important early success. A talented pianist named Margaret Bonds played Price's "Fantasie nègre [No. 1]". People loved it! A music critic wrote that the piece was "most effective" and recommended it to all advanced pianists.

In 1931, Florence Price faced money problems. Her marriage also ended, and she got a divorce. She became a single mom raising her two daughters. To earn money, she played the organ for silent movies. She also wrote songs for radio ads using a different name. During this time, she lived with friends. She later moved in with her student and friend, Margaret Bonds. This friendship helped Price connect with famous artists like writer Langston Hughes and singer Marian Anderson. These connections helped Price become a successful composer.

In 1932, both Price and Bonds entered a music competition. Price won first prize for her Symphony in E minor. She also won third prize for her Piano Sonata. She received $500, which was a lot of money back then!

In 1933, a leading arts supporter named Maude Roberts George helped Price. She paid for Price's First Symphony to be played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This was part of the Century of Progress World's Fair. This made Florence Price the first African-American woman to have her music performed by a major U.S. orchestra. Later that year, the World's Fair even had a special program just for Price and her music. This was a big honor, as she had only lived in Illinois for five years.

Other orchestras also played Price's music. These included the Works Progress Administration Symphony Orchestra of Detroit and the Chicago Women's Symphony.

In 1940, Price joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. This group recognizes composers for their work. In 1949, Price published two of her spiritual arrangements. These were "I Am Bound for the Kingdom" and "I'm Workin' on My Buildin'". She dedicated them to Marian Anderson, who often performed them.

Personal life

In 1912, Florence married lawyer Thomas J. Price. They had two daughters and a son. Their children grew up in Chicago.

Florence divorced Thomas Price in 1931. She later married Pusey Dell Arnett in 1931. He was an insurance agent. They separated in 1934 and never divorced.

On June 3, 1953, Florence Price passed away in Chicago, Illinois. She was 66 years old.

Legacy and honors

Price Elementary School, Chicago

In 1964, the Chicago Public Schools opened the Florence B. Price Elementary School. It was named in her honor. The school was in the North Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago. It operated until 2013. The school even had a piano that belonged to Florence Price.

In February 2019, the University of Arkansas Honors College held a concert to honor Price. In October 2019, the International Florence Price Festival was announced. Its first event celebrating Price's music was planned for August 2020. In January 2021, Price was featured as the BBC Radio 3 Composer of the Week.

After she passed away, much of her music was forgotten. New music styles became popular. Some of her work was even lost. But as more African-American and female composers gained attention, so did Price. In 2001, the Women's Philharmonic released an album of some of her music. In 2011, pianist Karen Walwyn performed Price's Concerto in One Movement.

Discovery of manuscripts in 2009

In 2009, a large collection of her music and papers was found. They were in an old, empty house in St. Anne, Illinois. This was a summer home Price used to own. The collection included dozens of her musical scores. Among them were her two violin concertos and her fourth symphony.

As music critic Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker, "not only did Price fail to enter the canon; a large quantity of her music came perilously close to obliteration." This means her music was almost completely lost. The old house shows how a country can forget its important cultural history.

In November 2018, a music company called G. Schirmer bought the rights to all of Florence Price's music. This means they will help share her music with the world.

In 2021, pianist Lara Downes started a project called Rising Sun Music. It aims to highlight the influence of composers from diverse backgrounds. This project helps bring attention to important composers like Price.

The Catalyst Quartet also released an album in 2022. It features nearly two hours of Price’s chamber music. Critics praised the album for being musically important and enjoyable. It is wonderful that Price's music is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

Works

Composition style

Florence Price's music was unique. Even though she learned from European music traditions, her music often sounded very American. It showed her Southern roots. She used sounds and ideas that fit everyday life. She was a Christian, so she often used music from the African-American church. Her mentor, George Whitefield Chadwick, encouraged her to add parts of African-American spirituals. She focused on the rhythm and beat of the spirituals.

For example, in her first symphony, a melody is inspired by a spiritual. The third movement is called "Juba Dance." This was an old folk dance. It later inspired European composers. Price's music mixed old traditions with new ideas. This reflected the lives of African Americans in big cities at the time.

Florence Price wrote many different kinds of music:

• Four symphonies
• Four concertos
• Works for choirs and solo singers
• Music for chamber groups (small groups of instruments)
• Pieces for solo instruments like violin and piano
• Organ anthems
• Arrangements of spirituals

Some of her popular works include:

• "Three Little Negro Dances"
• "Songs to the Dark Virgin"
• "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord"
• "Moon Bridge"

Price often used African-American melodies and rhythms in her music. She wrote that rhythm was very important in all types of Negro music. She said it was a powerful force that kept the music moving.

Symphonies

• Symphony No. 1 in E minor (1931–32); This won first prize in a competition in 1932.
• Symphony No. 2 in G minor (around 1935)
• Symphony No. 3 in C minor (1938–40)
• Symphony No. 4 in D minor (1945)

Concertos

• Piano Concerto in D minor (1932–34); This is often called Piano Concerto in One Movement.
• Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major (1939)
• Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor (1952)
• Rhapsody/Fantasie for piano and orchestra (date unknown, might not be finished)

Other orchestral works

• Ethiopia's Shadow in America (1929–32)
• Mississippi River Suite (1934); This piece quotes famous songs like “Go Down, Moses” and “Deep River”.
• Chicago Suite (date unknown)
• Concert Overture No. 2 (1943); This is based on three spirituals.
• The Oak, tone poem (1943)
• Suite of Negro Dances (performed in 1951)

Choral

Solo vocal (all with piano)

Instrumental chamber music

• Andante con espressione (1929)
• String Quartet (No. 1) in G major (1929)
• Fantasie [No. 1] in G Minor for Violin and Piano (1933)
• String Quartet (No. 2) in A minor (published in 1935)
• Piano Quintet in E minor (1936)
• Five Folksongs in Counterpoint for String Quartet
• Moods, for Flute, Clarinet and Piano (1953)

Works for piano

Arrangements of spirituals

• "My soul's been anchored in de Lord" (1937)
• "Nobody knows the trouble I've Seen" (1938)
• "I Am Bound for the Kingdom" (1948)
• "I'm workin' on my building" (1948)
• "Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho" (around 1950)
• "Peter, Go Ring dem Bells"

Works for organ

• Adoration (1951)
• Andante (1952)
• In Quiet Mood (1951)
• Offertory (1953)
• First Sonata for Organ (1927)

Works for violin (with piano accompaniment)

• Andante Con Espressione
• Deserted Garden
• Elfentanz
• Fantasie in G minor for Violin and Piano (1933)

See also

In Spanish: Florence Price para niños