John Elwood Price facts for kids

John Elwood Price (born June 21, 1935 – died May 9, 1995) was an American composer, a talented pianist, and a music teacher. He wrote around 600 pieces of music in many different styles. His music is often played by professional groups across the United States.

About John Elwood Price

John started playing the piano when he was just five years old. He was a musical prodigy, which means he was incredibly talented at music from a very young age. When he was in sixth grade, he even wrote a piano piece that he played at his graduation! In high school, he learned about and wrote music for many different instruments found in an orchestra.

His Education and Early Career

John earned his first music degree in piano and composition from Lincoln University in 1957. There, he studied how to compose music with a famous musician named David Baker. In 1963, he earned a Master of Music degree from the University of Tulsa. He continued his music studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

From 1957 to 1959, John worked as a pianist at the Karamu House. This was a historic Black theater in Cleveland, Ohio. He wrote music for plays and helped singers prepare for their performances.

Teaching and Later Career

John Elwood Price also loved to teach. He taught at Florida Memorial College, where he was in charge of the Music and Fine Arts department. He was also the composer-in-residence, meaning he was the main composer there.

Later, he taught at Eastern Illinois University. Finally, he taught at Tuskegee University. At Tuskegee, he started as a special fellow and artist-in-residence. This meant he was a respected artist who worked and taught at the university.

John Elwood Price's Music

John Elwood Price wrote a huge variety of music. He created pieces for orchestras, bands, choirs, and even operas. He also wrote music for solo instruments like the piano.

Music for Orchestras

John wrote many pieces for orchestras. These are large groups of musicians playing different instruments like violins, flutes, and trumpets. Some of his orchestral works include:

• Rhapsody Symphonique for piano and orchestra
• Concerto for cello and orchestra
• Concerto for piano and orchestra
• Harambee (Let's all pull together)

Music for Bands

He also composed music for bands, which often feature wind and percussion instruments. Some of his band compositions were:

• Several marches, like March No. 1 in C minor
• Booker T. Washington Speech: 1897 Boston, Massachusetts for choir and band

Church Music

John wrote music for church services and religious themes. These included:

• Ps 2000 for singers and instruments
• Magnificat for soloists, choir, and instruments

Operas and Theatre Music

He composed two operas:

• College Sonata
• The Other Foot, based on a story by Ray Bradbury

He also wrote music for plays, known as theatre music. This included music for William Shakespeare's famous play, The Tempest.

Music for Choirs

John wrote many pieces for choirs, which are groups of singers. Some of these works included:

• Greenwood Rhythm for dancers, choir, and instruments
• The Damnation of Doctor Faustus for singers, choir, and orchestra
• Harriet Tubman: Booker T. Washington speech Auburn, New York ... 1913 for choir and orchestra

Vocal Music

He composed music for solo singers with piano or a small orchestra. One example is Song on a Poem of William Blake.

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, usually one player per part. John wrote many chamber pieces, such as:

• Sonata for tuba and piano
• Blues and Dance I for clarinet and piano
• Quartet for violin, viola, horn and bassoon

Piano Music

As a talented pianist, John also wrote music specifically for the piano, including his 5 Folksongs.

Awards and Recognition

John Elwood Price received several important awards for his musical work:

• The ASCAP Award
• A study grant from the Ford Foundation
• A research grant from the Phelps-Stokes Fund
• A grant from the Illinois Arts Council