Early Advanced

“Walkin’ and Swingin’,” composed originally for a jazz band by Mary Lou Williams, gives the solo pianist an original taste of Williams’s expertise in the style of jazz and blues of the 1930s. Opening with a laid-back swing introduction, the piece unfolds into a more lively swung melody, colored by...

Dance of the Cotton Blossoms is an early advanced piece written by Florence Price in 1938. This piece is not to be confused with another piece by Price which shares the same title, but was written in 1931. She also wrote a piece called “Cotton Dance (Presto)” ca. 1940. Price’s...

“Memory Mist” is an early advanced piano piece by Florence Price, and was compiled as part of a set titled “Seven Miniatures.” The three-page piece is expressive and romantic in feeling, with the 20th century harmonic language that defines Price’s style. The A section is andante cantabile, with a tempo...

Rhapsody by Zenobia Powell Perry is an expansive piece with six distinct sections of varying characters, tempos, and lengths. Sometimes the sections build off of each other, and other times they have sudden, abrupt transitions. The first three sections have a heavy focus on the melody, which soars above an...

Montague Ring wrote Three African Dances as a suite intended for amateur pianists and middle class families. The dances all use melodies with West African origins and folk harmonies like open fifths and flat second scale degrees. The dances are suitable for intermediate pianists, and the cyclic form of the...

The Rio Grande Waltzes are five pages long and were published by E.F. Droop and Sons in 1902 (925 Penna Avenue, Washington D.C). The style of this piece resembles the Viennese waltz, divided into sections with an introduction, three waltzes, and a coda. These three waltzes are reminiscent of romantic...

Educational Congress March was published in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1902. The piece presents an attractive tune reminiscent of those played to accompany silent films. Only three pages in length, the march would be appropriate for an early advanced student. It is marked Con Spirito and is written in 6/8 meter,...

"Cuba Libre" or “Cuban Liberty March” was published in Augusta, Georgia, in 1897 and was included in Black Women Composers: A Century of Piano Music, 1893-1990 in 1992. It is a three-page piece written in 4/4 meter without any tempo marking. The title probably refers to the Cuban War of...

Negro Dance, Op. 25 No. 1 is a four page ragtime-like piano piece written in ternary form. Marked Allegro Vivace, the piece presents an array of technical challenges. Although the piece is written in a relatively easy key to read, G major, there is a significant presence of chromaticism. There...

"Promenade" is a 3-minute piece by Zenobia Powell Perry. It has an ABA structure. The A and B sections have very different characters. Section A sounds like a joyful and upbeat march with two paired phrases. At the end of the second phrase, the transition material leads the music into...