Faculty Mentor
Dr. Jonathan Middleton
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Department
Music
Abstract
Florence Price was a composer and musician who lived from 1887 to 1953. She composed music in every genre except for opera. The music of Florence Price traveled practically everywhere; from the radio to the concert halls to the church. Throughout her life, she became well-known as the first African American female composer who was featured by a major symphony. Florence Price was tenacious, brave, and courageous during her era which contributed to the level of acceptance that society now holds for African American composers. Despite the challenges she faced during her lifetime, she never gave up or collapsed due to the pressures. However, she was erased from history until a recent discovery of her unpublished manuscripts were found in 2009. Due to that discovery, both scholars and the public alike have realized that her music transcends classical music norms because she also included African American spirituals and other motifs within her compositions. Price’s music intrigues both performers and audiences which has contributed to her rise in current popularity. From the way Price subtly alluded to struggles in her own life in her compositions, one can easily be transported into another realm and contemplate life from her perspective. Overall, the life of Florence Price presents much that can be learned both on a personal and musical level.
Recommended Citation
Amdahl, Kathryn E., "Florence Price: Forgotten No More" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 22.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/works_2023/works_2023/22
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Poster
Amdahl Music Senior Capstone Paper_2023.pdf (16721 kB)
Senior Capstone paper
Included in
Composition Commons, Musicology Commons, Music Performance Commons
Florence Price: Forgotten No More
Florence Price was a composer and musician who lived from 1887 to 1953. She composed music in every genre except for opera. The music of Florence Price traveled practically everywhere; from the radio to the concert halls to the church. Throughout her life, she became well-known as the first African American female composer who was featured by a major symphony. Florence Price was tenacious, brave, and courageous during her era which contributed to the level of acceptance that society now holds for African American composers. Despite the challenges she faced during her lifetime, she never gave up or collapsed due to the pressures. However, she was erased from history until a recent discovery of her unpublished manuscripts were found in 2009. Due to that discovery, both scholars and the public alike have realized that her music transcends classical music norms because she also included African American spirituals and other motifs within her compositions. Price’s music intrigues both performers and audiences which has contributed to her rise in current popularity. From the way Price subtly alluded to struggles in her own life in her compositions, one can easily be transported into another realm and contemplate life from her perspective. Overall, the life of Florence Price presents much that can be learned both on a personal and musical level.
Comments
The author's Senior Capstone paper and poster on this topic are available as additional files.