Florence Price: The Life, Compositions and Influence of a Black American Composer

The Life, Compositions and Influence of a Black American Composer
By William Farina

Over the last decade or more, classical music programming has expanded to an unprecedented extent, now including works by less familiar composers and underappreciated works by familiar names. At the center of this recent trend has been the musical legacy of Florence B. Price, an African American woman originally from Arkansas, later spending her professional career on the southside of Chicago. The rediscovery of Price’s manuscripts in an abandoned rural house circa 2009, along with subsequent publishings, major label recordings, and Grammy Awards, has further fueled this new development. This new biography of Price also appraises her career and legacy.