“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 marking of quarter note=76. The contrasting B section is a quicker allegretto, with a return to the first tempo and some repeated material on the final page of the piece. The score is highly detailed, and provides lots of opportunity for expression and rubato. There are many chords spanning an octave or more, sometimes in quick succession, so a performer would need to make decisions about how to distribute notes between hands, as well as sometimes breaking chords in order to play all the notes. The first page contains a swell to an orchestral-sounding repetition of the first theme (mm. 7-12), which has left hand arpeggios in triplets and the melody in octaves in the right hand. The combination of the polyrhythm and technically challenging parts in both hands makes this one of the more difficult passages in the piece. The return to the A section on the final page could also be tricky, as the left hand must move quickly from the grace notes in the bass to the higher chords that accompany the final iteration of the main theme.
Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953) is perhaps the best known African American female composer in the US. She was active in the Chicago area, and was the first African-American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra. For a full biography and information about her works, visit the Florence Price website.
Sources
- Photo: Classical Lost And Found: Florence Price Rediscovered. NPR
- Florence Price. Wikipedia
- CU Philharmonia honors Florence Price in newly imagined orchestration
- Biography of Florence Beatrice Price
Memory Mist, from Seven Miniatures. Performed by Lizzie French.