Florence Price (1887-1953)

Kate Molleson explores the life and music of Florence Price, joined by pianist and scholar Samantha Ege. From her childhood in Little Rock, where family, education and the realities of racial segregation shaped her early ambitions, Price’s story unfolds through persistence, reinvention and growing recognition. Moving through her years of study and early career, we hear how she drew on African American musical traditions while navigating the social and political pressures around her. In Chicago, she found a vibrant artistic community and new opportunities, leading to orchestral success and national visibility. In her later years, recognition remained uneven, and her music continued to evolve in the face of resistance and neglect, with works still coming to light long after her death.

Music featured includes:
Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint: No. 4 Shortnin’ Bread
Violin Concerto No. 2
Symphony No. 4 in D minor (extract)
Scenes in Tin Can Alley: Children at Play
Fantasie Nègre No. 1 in E minor
Fantasie Nègre No. 2 in G minor
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor – Finale
Concert Overture No. 2
Adoration
Fantasie No. 2 in F sharp minor
A Day in the Life of a Washerwoman
Fantasie No. 1 in G minor
The Goblin and the Mosquito
Songs to the Dark Virgin
Ethiopia’s Shadow in America (extracts)
Symphony No. 1 in E minor (extract)
Symphony No. 1 in E minor – Juba Dance
Piano Concerto in One Movement (extract)
Sympathy
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord
The Oak
Resignation
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major – Allegro
The Mississippi River (extracts)
Fantasie Nègre No. 3 in F minor

Presented by Kate Molleson
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Florence Price (1887-1953) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vw41.

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z