Florence Price

Born in 1887, Florence Beatrice Price is recognized as the pioneer of accomplishing many “firsts.” She was a pianist, composer, organist, and educator who broke through monumental barriers as an African American woman in classical music. She wrote hundreds of works including symphonies, concerti, choir works, chamber works, and an...

Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953) was a remarkable African-American pianist, composer and educator. Florence Price's compositional output was extensive, comprising over 300 works across various genres. Among her compositions were four symphonies, four concertos, as well as choral works, art songs, chamber music, and solo instrumental pieces. In a remarkable discovery...

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...

Rocking Chair, by Florence Price, is a gentle and nostalgic solo piano piece spanning approximately three pages. It effectively captures the sensation of lounging in a rocking chair on a lazy afternoon, while its steady rhythm and simple, lilting melody lend a soothing quality to the composition. With a 6/8...

Rabbit Foot is a playful early intermediate piece by Florence Price. In a repetitive A-B-A I form, Rabbit Foot offers opportunities for discussion about keeping repeats musically interesting through dynamics and shaping. All three sections have tricky articulations that call for a significant level of control, plus ornamentation that is...

“Song Without Words (Pleading)”, by Florence Price, is the sixth in a set of “Seven Miniatures” for piano. Reminiscent of Mendelssohn’s own "Songs without Words," this piece opens with a few measures of solo introduction, setting the stage for the “singer” - a lovely, cantabile melody. As the “A” section...

“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...

"Little Melody in E-flat major" is the fifth of the Seven Miniatures. These Miniatures comprise seven standalone pieces, published in An Album of Piano Pieces and Second Album of Piano Pieces , each of which revealing different facets of Price’s creative personality. "Little Melody," written in a Romantic and tonal...