#Blacktober
31 days of Black and ethnically diverse composers to listen out for - celebrating Women composers
Day 24
Florence Price
Born 1887 Little Rock,Arkansas
Died 1953
Composer, Pianist & Music teacher and the 1st Black woman to have a symphony played by a pro orchestra
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Florence Beatrice Smith was born to James and Florence. An African American dentist and a white American music teacher. Although the family faced racial issues they were generally well respected. Her mother guided her early training and she gave her first piano concerts at age 4
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During her study of piano teaching and organ at New England conservatory she passed herself off as Mexican to avoid discrimination. Whilst there she also wrote her first symphony.
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After moving back to Arkansas she couldn’t find work as racial tensions had risen. After the lunching of a black man in 1927 (less than 100 years ago!) the family decided to leave and settled in Chicago.
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According to her daughter, Florence really wanted to be a doctor but felt the difficulties of becoming a woman doctor at the time were too formidable. Instead, she became that even greater rarity—a woman composer of symphonies.
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While in Chicago she formed friendships with other leading Black figures in the arts. Margaret Bonds, Langston Hughes and Marian Anderson.
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In 1932, both Price and Bonds submitted compositions for the Wanamaker Foundation Awards.
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Price won first prize with her Symphony in E minor, and third for her Piano Sonata earning her what e believe was the first performance of a symphony from a Black woman by a professional orchestra. (Bonds came in first place in the song category, with a song entitled Sea Ghost.)
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